"Walking with God"
Isidro’s Story
Born in Mexico to a very large, traditional Catholic family, Isidro has always felt the presence of God walking with him, guiding him to help other Spanish speakers find Christ.
When he was a young boy, Isidro and his eldest brother were walking through their neighborhood when they saw the remains of a human body. Instantly traumatizing him, Isidro became unable to speak or walk. When the local doctors couldn’t find a cure, they suggested that his parents take him home and administer the Last Rites of the Catholic Church to him.
His parents agreed to the sacrament in observation with the traditions of the Catholic Church. However, his grandparents were unable to accept their decision and they took Isidro into their home and cared for him. After two years without improvement, they decided that they would take him to the Catholic Church and have the priest administer Last Rites. When they returned home, Isidro asked for a glass of water and was able to talk. Then he began the long, arduous process of learning how to walk again.
After making a full recovery, Isidro went to a Catholic school where he felt called to become a priest. As he studied scripture, he realized, “faith was about love and caring for others by following in Jesus’ example,” and not simply about following tradition.
Isidro continued to read and study the Bible daily, but decided to leave the seminary and go to the University to study agronomy. He remained strong in his faith because he knew God had a different plan for him. When Isidro moved to Dallas, he began to look for a church that offered a Spanish service. One afternoon, as he was walking around his neighborhood, he found one, but as he was about to enter, two men told him that he was not welcome at the church. Disheartened because they were also Hispanic, Isidro left, but he had a feeling that he should keep walking. A few blocks later, he found another church that also offered a Spanish service. Isidro walked inside and sat down at the front of the church to pray.
The pastor came in and started the service. When they got to the Passing of the Peace, Isidro turned around to offer the Peace to those around him and realized he was the only person at the service. After learning this was the church’s first Spanish service, he knew the pastor had done the service just for him, and he thanked God for leading him to this church. Feeling that God called him there to help grow the service, he joined this Lutheran church and helped the pastor bring in more parishioners. When the pastor recommended Isidro for Lutheran seminary, he began taking classes. As the church grew, the pastor asked Isidro to be on the call committee to search for a second pastor. Pastor Varinia received and accepted the call, and later, she and Isidro married.
With Pastor Varinia’s call to Good Shepherd, Isidro is continuing to find ways to help grow the faith of the Hispanic community in the metro St. Louis area. Currently, he spends his time fixing used cars to help those in that community who need transportation, while also ministering to them. He assures them that God has always walked by his side, and reminds them that God is walking with them as well.
Thanks to the generosity of those at Good Shepherd, we are able to offer many Bible study groups along with three different types of worship services that reach different members of our varied communities to “walk with God” in a way that is meaningful for their faith journey.
"An Unlikely Lutheran"
Dave’s Story (written by Pr. Josh Brecht)
“It’s impossible not to appreciate the miracle of life,” Dave says as he remembers his childhood on the farm in Iowa. Memories of calves, piglets, and baby chicks hatching from eggs still bring him joy. Another significant part of Dave’s early life was growing up as a Mennonite. His family farm was near the boundary line between two rural school districts, and he had no idea that a young Lutheran girl named Pat was growing up just across the district line and would one day become his wife. Although nearly neighbors most of their life, Dave and Pat never met one another until attending the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). It was the beginning of a life they would spend together.
After graduation Pat became an elementary teacher, and Dave went on to graduate school to become a chemist. Dave’s work took them to different places around the country over the years, but they eventually landed in St. Louis. Through all these years Dave had always cherished his Mennonite faith, so when they came to St. Louis, they found a Mennonite church and joined. “There is only one Mennonite church in the St. Louis area,” Dave shared, “and it was pretty far from where we lived.” They were very active for a while, but over time, they began to attend less and less. Distance and other factors led them to eventually stop participating altogether. Dave and Pat had always been Christians and a part of a faith community, so this was a very strange season for them. For the first time in their lives, an entire year passed without attending a church at all. Something was missing. They both felt it. One day Pat turned to Dave and said, “we need to find a church.” Dave agreed and they came up with a very precise plan (Dave is a scientist, after all). “You pick two, and I’ll pick two,” Dave said, “and we will visit them together.”
After a year of going without, they finally ventured out to worship again. The first week they went to a church close their home where Pat had done some work with the preschool. “It was ok,” Dave remembers, “but it wasn’t for us.”
The second week they visited Good Shepherd, and they were greeted by Carter Pederson. Carter was a man who had the spiritual gift of hospitality, and his gift was legendary. Carter led Good Shepherd’s Welcome Team for many years, and that morning he began to get to know their story, including their different denominational backgrounds. “We welcome everyone here,” Carter said, “no exceptions.” As Dave listened to the sermon that morning, Pastor Wolf’s message had a profound impact on him, and he knew God had led them here. “I haven’t really told anyone this,” Dave emotionally says, “but the Holy Spirit came down.” On the way out, as they walked through the crowded church parking lot, the noise of 141 traffic in the background, Dave turned to Pat and said, “This is going to be our church.” Pat could not believe what she heard from her beloved, life-long Mennonite husband. “You said you would never go to a Lutheran church!” They have been here ever since.
Today they are grateful for their incredible small group and they love being a part of a church that serves the community and strives to welcome people of all different backgrounds and experiences without exception. Dave and Pat now serve on the Welcome Team to help ensure others have that same first-moment experience of hospitality they received from Carter when they walked in.
Thank you for your generosity which supports our Small Group Ministry, Welcome Ministry and our service ministries. Thank you for your incredible hospitality that continues to make this dream of Christ’s beloved community a reality for people like Dave and Pat.
"The Anchor"
Kate’s Story (written by Christina Kling-Garrett)
Kate was a young, new mom when she realized that her closest girl friends were no longer in the same space of life that she was. The father of her boys wasn’t religious, and Kate was looking for a church home to raise them in and one that would “welcome the noise.”
As a child, Kate and her family moved every few years around the Northeast. After settling into their newest home, they would set out to find a new church home. Kate, always deeply rooted in her faith, said, “The church was always the anchor for me; I’ve always had a church home. It was my home in an ever-changing world.” Her family were members of the American Baptist church, but in college, thanks to some of her dearest female friends, she was introduced to their campus ELCA church.
When Kate started attending Good Shepherd, she was moved by the compassion and love shown by both the pastors and the congregation. She felt “seen” and loved, and quickly developed friendships in various music groups and women’s bible studies.
As the boys grew older, Kate and their father divorced and she relied heavily on her friends at church, especially one of the female pastors. During this time, her oldest son started to struggle. It was then that Kate was reminded how Good Shepherd shows up first in love. She recalled one moment when a Sunday School teacher was gently talking to her son in the hallway and after the boy went back to class, the teacher motioned to Kate to come out from her Sunday School room. As she recounted the story, her eyes filled with tears and she said, “He could have said so many things to me in that moment, but he started from a place of grace. He reminded me that I was seen, that we all have hurt and need a soft spot to land. Good Shepherd is that place for me. It is where I feel the safest.”
By trade, Kate is an elementary school teacher, but she has found a space in Good Shepherd’s Middle School ministry. Even though middle schoolers may be an eccentric and spirited group, Kate strives to be a place of safety for both the kids and parents alike. Thankful for the people she has met at Good Shepherd, she states that “Jesus is love and the church shows us that love. If I can do that for others, my church has done me well.”
Good Shepherd has been that much sought after soft-landing spot for so many. Thanks to the generosity of our congregation, we can continue to provide all the varied groups and programs that people seek out in their daily lives.
