One of our goals here at Good Shepherd is to see hands employed by the gospel. When the apostle Paul speaks of the church, he refers to it as one body with many members (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12).
In order for the body of Christ to function properly, each member must do their part in using their unique gifts and callings to serve one another and enable the gospel to go forth. As a part of the body of Christ, we encourage you to consider serving in the church, not only on Sunday mornings but also throughout the week to love the city and see God’s kingdom come to bear.
In the Church
One of the best places to witness the body of Christ truly acting as the body is on a Sunday morning. It takes a small army of volunteers serving on our Nursery Team, Children’s Church Team, Music Team, Greeters, and more to make Sunday Morning worship happen. If you are looking for ways to get more involved at GSPC, consider serving on a Sunday morning team where you will serve others, get to know the Good Shepherd family, and be a key part of facilitating the worship of our living God.
Nursery
INFANT ROOM (0 to 2 years old)
Volunteers in the Infant Room spend time loving on and praying for our youngest children during the worship service. These volunteers serve on a 6-week rotation and are expected to arrive at 10:15am on a scheduled Sunday, to serve until the end of the service. Two volunteers serve in this class each week.
TODDLER ROOM (2 and 3 year olds)
Volunteers in the Toddler Room spend the morning sharing the gospel of Christ with our 2 and 3-year olds through play together, reading a short Bible story, listening to music, and sharing snack. These volunteers serve on a 6-week rotation and are expected to arrive at 10:15am on a scheduled Sunday, to serve until the end of the service. Two volunteers serve in this class each week.
Children's Church
PRE-K and KINDERGARTENERS
Children’s Church volunteers (two scheduled per week) co-teach our Pre-K and Kindergarten-aged kids (4-6 years old) during the worship service. In this class, kids will be given a more in-depth look at the story of God’s redemption as our teachers lead them through lessons from The Gospel Project curriculum. This teaching involves reading a text from the Bible, doing activities and crafts together, praying, playing games, and practicing memory verses. Volunteers are scheduled on a 6-week rotation. You do not have to be a strong teacher to sign up!
Music and Production
This team includes individuals playing music, singing, managing the sound system, or any other aspect of producing the worship service on Sunday mornings. Certain members of this team meet to practice outside of regular worship times.
Scripture Readers
These individuals will read a Bible passage selected by the pastor to the congregation during the worship service.
Outreach
As a church in the city and for the city, we long to see the gospel of Jesus Christ transform people’s lives not only spiritually, but socially and materially as well. What that means is that as we take the gospel into Normaltown and beyond we are looking for ways “to seek the welfare of the city” (Jer. 29:7) through tangible acts of service. We work to partner with local organizations and ministries like Downtown Ministries in order to love our city and serve our neighbors. We pray that Athens will come to see Jesus more clearly through our love for one another and our care for our neighbors.
On the third Wednesday of every month Good Shepherd prepares and serves a meal for those in need in our community through the ministry of Our Daily Bread. The meal is prepared and served at the First Baptist Church on the corner of Pulaski St. and Prince Ave. Holli Ratcliffe coordinates the meals and volunteers for Good Shepherd. We currently have a core team of 5 members who regularly prepare and serve the meals, and are always looking forward to those who can jump in to help every now and then or become regulars! There are two time-slots available. We prepare the meal from 10-12 and serve the meal from 11:30-1. Currently, we are transitioning to serving the meals indoors which provides new opportunities to visit with our guests.
Please contact Holli if you are interested in participating on any given date. If you would be interested in serving if childcare was provided, please let us know.
Outreach Team
Holli Ratcliffe
Outreach Ministry Team Leader