Alum's Congregation Shares in God's Bounty

God’s bounty can sometimes overwhelm us. In Luke 5, Jesus finds Simon cleaning his nets after a day without a single catch. Jesus orders Simon to return and cast his nets into the deepest waters. He obeys Jesus and reels in an over-abundance of fish. So many in fact, the boats begin to sink. In church we read this story as part of the disciples’ call. The fishermen leave their boats, nets and fish to follow Jesus. Those fishermen certainly received God’s bounty, but not without a struggle. When the fish came in and the boats began to sink, it looked as if their livelihood would go down with them.

Frank and Wanda Gore: Groundbreaking service for the education wing at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Conneaut, Ohio

For Pastor Frank Gore, the challenge of receiving God’s bounty strikes a similar chord. After graduating Trinity Lutheran Seminary in 2005, Frank was called to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Conneaut, Ohio. At that time, the church resembled Simon’s empty nets. Too many pews were empty on Sundays. The congregation wasn’t fully tithing to the synod. Community outreach was non-existent. They, like Simon cleaning his nets, were just trying to survive.

Five years later, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church better resembles the over-flowing boats in Luke’s story. Motivated by a willingness to change, they opened their doors to the community and tripled their membership and attendance numbers. They began tithing to the synod, and increased their benevolence. Good Shepherd transformed itself from “maintenance” to a “mission congregation.” The growth hasn’t stopped. They plan to add another worship service and are thinking about starting a soup kitchen. Trinity students are just some of the recipients of Good Shepherd’s abundance.

Reflecting on his time at Trinity, Frank Gore credits the formative experiences of internship and senior year ministry classes. Frank fondly remembers those Trinity professors like Jane Jenkins and Paul Fransen who guided and inspired him. He also credits his travels to East Africa and India to study mission support in Christian communities for strengthening his desire to do mission. According to Frank, Trinity gave him the basic leadership tools required to pastor this unique congregation.

Five years into his first call, Frank is breathing easier. Membership continues to grow, albeit at a less frenetic rate, and the congregation is vital. As part of their 2010 outreach, the congregation created a named scholarship at Trinity Lutheran Seminary to honor the importance of theological education. This scholarship came from the endowment gift of member Barbara Lundgren, a life-long school teacher who valued the importance of education. Money from this scholarship will be made available to future Trinity students beginning in the fall of 2011. The congregation members have committed to adding to the scholarship line every year.

When asked “how did you do it?” Frank humbly answers “I give glory to God.” Whether it’s with the renovation of the new sanctuary, or the on-going support of theological education, Frank gives credit where credit is due. “The real change came from the members themselves.” Witnessing the abundance of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church from the safety of the shores, we are all reminded to give glory to God. On behalf of the students of Trinity Lutheran Seminary we also give thanks to the good stewards of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for sharing their bounty with us.

Ladies group in the Good Shepherd Kitchen	Education wing dedication service Feb 14, 2010