Alexa's Story

Alexa’s Story: A Community of Support

When we gather in the narthex at Good Shepherd on Sunday mornings, we are privileged to see children darting in and out of the crowd of people, laughing and off on missions that we adults are not privy to. While we worship together on Sunday mornings, we hear the murmurs of our youngest members playing in the back of the sanctuary before they march purposely up to join one of our pastors for the children’s message. These children are the future of our church.

Decades ago, Alexa was one of these “church” children – as comfortable within the walls of Good Shepherd as she was in her own home. Baptized and confirmed at GSLC, her earliest memories included “Prep”, SOS, Rise and Shine, FLY, VBS, Trunk or Treat, and Sunday school. Holidays like Christmas and Easter were centered around time spent at Good Shepherd. Her family was part of a small group that included the Bardo, McClain, and Essig families, gathered for meals, study, and play. Other special people included Barb Schoenherr, Becky Howard, and Jamie De Geer. The music she learned at church prepared her to participate in music at school.  Her faith grew through worship and through lessons communicated by so many. Alexa said she acquired her “moral compass” at Good Shepherd. From her parents she learned to serve others, through Feed My Starving Children and in the innumerable other ways they modeled sharing Jesus’ love with others. “Life is more than your own happiness,” Alexa says. “It’s about serving others. Everything is meaningless if focused only on yourself.”

Right after Alexa left for college, she lost her mother. She struggled to find a church at school that was like Good Shepherd, where she could find encouragement and comfort, but seemed to find only conflicting messages. She had accepted the lessons shared with her all her life, but wondered if her faith was really her own.

Over time Alexa began to reclaim the faith of her childhood, a faith she now recognizes to be fully her own through time she and Pastor Amy spent talking. After completing a triple major in English Literature, Political Science and Psychology, Alexa returned home to St. Louis to attend law school. At this time, she intends to remain in St. Louis and at Good Shepherd. She has joined a Bible study, a group made up of young adults. The “church kid” has grown up into an adult member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, with deep roots in her family, in her church home and in her Lutheran faith. She has defined her faith as “reflecting God’s love by pouring that love out to others.”

We are blessed for Good Shepherd’s partnership between families and the church community which supports our youth. This connection will impact both children today and in the future creating formative experiences that shape their lives.