Impact Report 2024
Reflecting on a year of God’s faithfulness.
Missions & Outreach
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Missions
This summer, Good Shepherd deployed more than 100 missionaries both domestically and internationally to help meet the physical needs of people, while also sharing the love and hope of Jesus. Five teams were deployed to Guatemala to assist in building houses and hosting Vacation Bible School. A team was sent to Red Bird Mission in Kentucky to do construction work on mission homes and help sort and disburse shoes to kids in the area. Two teams were deployed to serve with Joni & Friends Family Retreats to help provide a retreat-like experience for families of children with special needs. A team of high school students went to Virginia to help with construction, yardwork and other projects as part of MFUGE.
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Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief
In October and November, Good Shepherd sent 4 teams (total of 40 people) to the Asheville area to assist with Hurricane Helene clean up. The teams did yard work, debris removal and disaster restoration of homes affected by the storm. Good Shepherd donated $50,000 to the Samaritan’s Purse Hurricane Helene relief fund that provides on-going aid to storm victims.
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Arrowood Community Partnership
This year, Good Shepherd partnered with Arrowood Mobile Home Community to host soccer parties/clinics, a backpack/school supply distribution event, a shoe distribution event and a Thanksgiving meal bag distribution. This large and diverse community is right around the corner from our church on John Price Road and feeds directly into our local partner schools (Lake Wylie Elementary, Southwest Middle and Olympic High).
Next Generation
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OneCon
In September, 166 middle and high school students came together for two nights of worship, teaching, games, food, breakout groups, silent disco and more! This was an incredible event where students were encouraged to invite their friend to attend as their “one” and culminated a year of teaching about being the “one” to their friends and family. Worship was led by the Charleston Southern University worship team.
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VBX
In June, we brought back the highly successful “Family Style” Vacation Bible eXperience where families learn about Jesus together! More than 122 families and 104 volunteers came together for a “Start the Party” VBX experience learning about how we can celebrate the good news of Jesus everyday!
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Christian School
Good Shepherd Christian School has 187 enrolled preschool and elementary school students with 39 staff/faculty for the 2024-2025 school year. GSCS offers a quality, Christ-centered education that focuses on each child’s social, emotional, cognitive, physical and spiritual development, cultivating the whole person for the glory of God.
Beautiful Marriages
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re|engage Marriage Enrichment Course
In 2024, 62 couples went through the 15-week re|engage marriage enrichment course, culminating with a vow renewal ceremony. This has been a wildly successful program at Good Shepherd Church, both in connecting couples to each other and in boasting an increase of 41% in marital satisfaction. re|engage is hosted twice a year in the spring and the fall.
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Merge Pre-Marital Course
We recognize that a focus on Beautiful Marriages means helping couples start off on the right foot BEFORE they get married. In 2024, 16 engaged/seriously dating couples completed an 8-week experience that helps them address common challenges from a biblical perspective in a fun and authentic environment. Merge is offered twice a year in the spring and fall.
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Marriage Masterclass
In February, Good Shepherd welcomed authors and speakers Tony and Alisa DiLorenzo for a marriage masterclass on Saturday evening and a marriage panel on Sunday morning. The DiLorenzos encouraged 153 couples to explore the 6 pillars of intimacy in their marriage.
Other Ministries
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GSE Neighborhood Partnerships
The Good Shepherd Español (GSE) ministry partners with two local mobile home communities (Arrowood & Bloomfield Estates) to help meet physical, relational and spiritual needs throughout the year. This year, the GSE ministry held a backpack/school supply distribution and a Thanksgiving meal bag distribution to local residents.
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GSE Women's Connect Night
In October, more than 50 women from Good Shepherd Español met together for the first annual Noche de Conexión Mujeres (or Women’s Connect Night). The women enjoyed food, fellowship, games and more!
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re:generation Ministry
In 2024, Good Shepherd officially launched re:generation ministry which is a biblically-based discipleship program offering healing, recovery and freedom from any type of struggle. More than 80 men and women began in January and 5 groups commenced in November. The next cycle of re:generation ministry opens in January 2025.
A Message from the Board
In November 2023 Good Shepherd Church disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church. At that time, leadership opted to become non-denominational and evaluate that decision after a year. Over the last 12 months, the Good Shepherd Board of Directors (the Board) has established a Governance Committee made up of Board and staff members to provide consistent oversight and accountability that ensure Good Shepherd Church continues its mission while remaining sustainable for the long term.
One of the deliverables of the Governance Committee is a newly created Board Governance Manual, which documents the policies and procedures that govern the work of Good Shepherd Church. This manual also defines the roles of the church’s Board of Directors, Senior Pastor and Executive Director. It gives the Board authority and guidance to oversee the governance of the Church and to ensure that all decision makers are operating within defined policies.
We believe with this infrastructure in place, Good Shepherd is primed for success to remain a non-denominational church, well-positioned to continue our mission of inviting all people into a relationship with Jesus Christ.