Daily Devotion

by Peter McCutcheon

Good Shepherd is not only a church of believers of Christ, but undoubtedly a church of followers of Christ. GSLC’s generosity and service to the community go beyond the call to simply recognize Jesus’s teachings, but instead listen to Jesus’s call to action to reach to the poor and destitute. 

A couple of years ago, Good Shepherd’s pastoral staff were teasing a “big announcement”. Of course, they would invite the congregation to come back every week, but in particular, they really wanted people to come on a particular Sunday in June. Like, really wanted. As in, even Ken Holdt was giddy about it! I was playing in the worship band that Sunday, so rest assured the pastoral team knew I would be there, just like any other Sunday.

During the service, the congregation was called to send a family member up to the front and receive an envelope. Inside, revealed roughly $60,000 spread across increments of $100, $250, and $500. The purpose of the checks was to go out and share this gift with someone that needs it--to take the action of the Church and make it tangible and personal. 

As a musician, and a passionate educator as well, I decided to donate my check to the El Sistema organization MYCincinnati. El Sistema was developed in Venezuela as a method to bring about social change in young people through music education. Oftentimes, students in El Sistema programs are impoverished and cannot afford instruments, music, or lessons, and so gifts and donations are necessary for groups like MYCincinnati to operate. Programs like El Sistema and MYCincinnati are so important for providing love and attention to impoverished youth, and to show them opportunity and growth where they otherwise might not experience it. 

Without that wild Sunday in June, I would not have been able to support a cause that is so near and dear to my heart. Good Shepherd made it possible, through their generosity, to be generous. Instead of building a golden cross or a bigger organ or a new LED sign outside, Good Shepherd called the congregation to be followers of Christ. Good Shepherd’s generosity created a stir in the hearts of everyone that day: seek out the poor and destitute, and show them the love that Jesus has shown us. Amen.