CAPITAL CAMPAIGN BOOKLET

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN BOOKLET

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3 TABLE OF CONTENTS What is Shepherd @ 50? Why are we undertaking this spiritual task? What is expected of me? These may be just a few of the questions you have regarding our Shepherd @ 50 Capital Campaign. Perhaps you have already heard about the campaign but are still unclear about its purpose; perhaps not, and are wondering what it is all about. Regardless of your familiarity with Shepherd @ 50, we hope this booklet will provide answers, clarity, and encouragement as our congregation begins this joyful task. What is Shepherd @ 50? Our Vision 4 A Letter from Pastor Chris 5 A Letter from Tim Eickstead (Campaign Director) 7 A Letter from Pastor B and Sue Gary 9 A Letter from Pastor Aaron and Roy Farias 11 Our History: Blessings by the Numbers 14 Commitment Guide 20 Sacrificial Giving Samples 21 Capital Campaign Goal 22 Leadership Team 23

4 WHAT IS SHEPHERD @ 50? OUR VISION Shepherd @ 50 is a campaign our congregation voted to undertake as part of Shepherd of the Hills 50 th anniversary (hence our campaign title). As we celebrate 50 years of serving God and our community, we also look forward to how we can continue to serve our Lord and our neighbors. The campaign consists of the following projects: GATHER & GROW Improve the facilities at our current Wurzbach campus Children are just as much a part of the body of Christ as the rest of us! Shepherd currently runs a PK-8 school whose enrollment praise be to God! is up to about 400. However, the school s current facilities have not been able to keep up with the growth with which God has blessed us. In order to continue serving the children of our community, Shepherd @ 50 also includes building a new gymnatorium, which will have a new gym, stage, and offices. GO Plant a church in the Alamo Ranch area, in the far west area of San Antonio The far west/northwest side of San Antonio is currently underserved in terms of physical places of worship. This is also one of the fastest-growing areas of our city. What a great opportunity to love our neighbors, to further God s Kingdom, and to lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus! As part of the body of Christ, we are called to build up God s Kingdom and each other in love. In doing so, we can trust that, in asking for God s help and guidance in doing His work, He will do immeasurably more than we could ever imagine! As a friend or member of Shepherd of the Hills, we ask that you pray, pray, and pray some more for God to direct and bless our efforts. In addition to prayers for our leaders, we also ask that you prayerfully consider your own circumstances and, if able, financially support our Campaign efforts.

5 A LETTER FROM PASTOR CHRIS SENIOR PASTOR Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Some of you have excellent vision, but the rest of us require help to see clearly. Without our glasses or contacts, the world is one big blur! With help, though, we can see well and function. God has perfect vision! With our Shepherd @ 50 campaign, we are asking the Holy Spirit to fulfill His vision for our ministry at this unique time in our history. Throughout our nearly 50 years, God has worked to accomplish His goals for Shepherd of the Hills. According to God s plan, our congregation began in 1969, and He worked through many dedicated people to help the church grow in the early years. God s vision for Christian education and outreach came into clear focus when our school began in 1980 and grew rapidly. God s vision for an inspiring, spacious worship facility became a reality in 1997 when we opened our present Worship Center. At the same time, God s desire to reach an expanding population outside the city came into fruition when we planted a new church, Messiah Lutheran Church in Boerne. Now, as our congregation approaches its 50th anniversary, we stand on the verge of another giant step forward in ministry. God has given our congregation and school community an urgent passion to expand our ministry at 6914 Wurzbach and beyond. In response to this passion, a plan was developed with two main components: improve facilities at our current campus and plant a new church in the rapidly growing far west/northwest region of San Antonio. Both efforts have the same goal: to help achieve our mission to lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. Our theme verse for the Shepherd @ 50 campaign is a segment of 1 Corinthians 8:1, Love builds up. We believe we can serve our Lord s mission for the lost by building up a new facility at 6914 Wurzbach and by building up a new congregation near Alamo Ranch.

6 Through these efforts, we re seeking to build up the Kingdom of God, which happens when people come to know Jesus. We pray for God s vision to be our vision. We pray for God s work to be our work. Imagine, through our work, a ministry infused with exuberant energy, intense passion, and laser-focused purpose. Picture a community around us in which the vast majority of people know about Shepherd of the Hills and have glowing things to say about our ministry. Envision the many people who will one day meet us in heaven because we took a bold step to reach them with the Gospel. We are privileged people, called by God to make His vision a reality in our world. Yours in Christ, Rev. Dr. Christopher Kennedy Senior Pastor

7 A LETTER FROM TIM EICKSTEAD CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR Fellow Christians, Isn t it great to have someone who loves you dearly express that feeling in their words and actions? God has given us the gift of showing His love to each of us by simply creating us in His image. The love He has for us was so deep that despite the fact that the people God created turned away from Him, He showed His love by the life saving gift of His son, Jesus Christ! We are the people of God who have been lifted up through His love. 1 Corinthians 8:1 urges us to build one another up in love. Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church was started almost 50 years ago as a mission church in the Great Northwest side of San Antonio. The Texas District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod created this congregation as an outreach to a very fast growing area of town. In the past five decades, since 1969, the congregation has grown from a handful of charter members to over 1,000. The school and childcare which began with eight children as a Mother s Day Out program in 1979 has grown to 400 children ages infant through eighth grade. And our congregation is also a part of the association of congregations that supports 165 students at the Lutheran High School of San Antonio. The grace of God has been with the church, school and childcare throughout its rich history of service to the local and world community. In the Shepherd @ 50 Campaign, the congregation again has decided to step out in faith by seeking to undergo a building project on our current campus and launch a church plant in the Alamo Ranch area. The idea of such a bold undertaking may sound a little scary. However, in reality this is the second time Shepherd of the Hills has stepped out in faith in this manner. In 1989, on the

8 twentieth anniversary of our church, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School and Childcare was still adding to the school building as it grew to 360 students. The first 8 th grade class graduated in May of that year. Two years prior the congregation had decided to start a mission congregation in Boerne, Texas. The first worship service of the new congregation, which is now known as Messiah Lutheran Church, was held in March of 1989. Today, our congregation is again boldly reaching out into the community with the life changing love of Christ by expanding our facilities and planting a mission church! Please prayerfully consider how you can help provide your support to the capital campaign effort as we embark on this great opportunity to move the work of God s kingdom forward to His glory! Working for Christ, F. Timothy Eickstead Capital Campaign Director

9 A LETTER FROM PASTOR B & SUE GARY PASTOR TO THE SCHOOL & SCHOOL PRINCIPAL People God dearly loves, Long before our church formally adopted a mission to lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus, Shepherd of the Hills recognized an opportunity to lead children to Christ through a school and child care. It all began in 1979 with a Mother s Day Out program. In those days, the worship center was located in what is now our school library. If you ve been in the library, you ve probably noticed a stained glass window of Jesus with a group of children located on the northeast corner of the building. That window is a memorial and a reminder of why our school s and church s mission in leading people to Christ is so critical. The child sitting on the lap of Jesus represents a little boy named Blaine. Blaine enrolled in our brand new Mother s Day Out program and attended just three days. One evening, he was involved in an accident while playing at home and suffered massive injuries. Though he was in a coma, Pastor Dan Mueller regularly visited him and his family in the hospital. The day after the accident, Blaine was baptized. After eight days, Blaine went to be with the Lord. He was buried just three weeks after our Mother s Day Out program had begun. On Easter Sunday of 1980, his family dedicated the stained glass window as a memorial: Christ surrounded by children, and a child (Blaine) sitting in His lap. Though a tragic event, Blaine helped ensure that our mission to share Christ with children and their families would always be our first priority. As Pastor Dan shared in a 1982 article for the Lutheran Witness: Blaine gave meaning to our fledgling child care program from the start. If no one else but he ever comes to know Jesus Christ, all of the work we will ever do, all of the money we will ever spend, all of the headaches we will ever bear will be worth it because of our hope of seeing Blaine again. We hold that hope only because he was baptized and that happened only

10 because he was in our program for three days and that happened only because our congregation decided to minister to the community s children and their families. By the grace of God, many more children have come to know Christ over the years through our school and Child Care. Though our growth has been phenomenal, our congregation has remained steadfast in its mission and commitment to minister to children and their families. And now we have the opportunity to grow and continue that mission through our Shepherd @ 50 campaign. From a small group of children meeting in the old worship center in 1979, to a large group of children and students meeting in facilities that form the majority of our campus buildings today, our mission remains the same: share Christ with children and their families. The Bible tells us that love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). What an exciting time to let the love of Christ build us up together as a church and school community in improving/expanding our facilities and preparing this ministry to endure the next 50 years! May God continue to bless our efforts as we bless this ministry He has given us through our contributions and continued dedication to serve Him. God be with you, Rev. Doug Bielefeldt, Pastor to the School Mrs. Sue Gary, School Principal

11 A LETTER FROM roy farias And PASTOR AARON CHURCH PLANTING TEAM Hello Friends, What an exciting time it is to be a part of this family that is Shepherd of the Hills! God is doing amazing things in the life of this community. You all are answering yes to the call of making room for God to reach more students and families for Christ in San Antonio, and for the growing need for Christfollowing communities in the far West/Northwest part of San Antonio. We are honored and humbled to be representing Shepherd as our Church Plant Team takes the Gospel of love and grace to our neighbors in the Alamo Ranch area. Not only is Shepherd s love building up, but it is also building out! In the current survey of Alamo Ranch, respondents were asked how active they are in the practice of their religion. Their answers were either: very low / somewhat low / mixed / somewhat high / very high. The overwhelming answer was very low. With almost 80,000 people living in this community and those numbers continuing to grow significantly, the need for our neighbors here to see and experience the love of Christ is in high demand! As we think about these daunting statistics (and the opportunities they represent) we are comforted by 1 John 4:19 We love because Christ first loved us. How can we not live a life that expresses this great love to those around us! God is using Shepherd to herald the life-saving and lifechanging message of Jesus. Please join us in prayer prayers that God continues to go before us; prayers that He begins the work in the hearts and minds of the folks we will meet and come across. Pray that God keeps our team united under the mission to see lives transformed by the power of the Gospel for God s mission. God s abundant blessing to you in Christ, Roy Farias, Lead Church Planter Rev. Aaron Tilt, Church Planter

12 I will build my church Matthew 16:18 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

13 I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. Jeremiah 24:6-7 From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:16

14 OUR HISTORY BLESSINGS BY THE NUMBERS In looking back at Shepherd s history beginning in 1969, it s easy to see how richly God has blessed us. Now, as we move forward with Shepherd @ 50, we look forward to God s continued blessings as we do His work. While we can count some of our blessings with the numbers below, we also remember that God cannot be quantified; He does immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. 1970 January 11: Charter Sunday; 60 members listed Rev. Robert Kuhlmann installed as first pastor Membership doubles within the first six months Bricks sold for $1 to help finance the first church building 1972 230 baptized members May: SHLC no longer needs mission subsidy from the Texas District 1976 Baptized membership reaches 300 Average worship attendance of 139 1977 123 children attend VBS Youth go on Journey for Joy, a 19-mile hike to New Braunfels to raise money for missions

15 1978 Rev. Daniel Mueller accepts call to Shepherd of the Hills. 1979 Decision made to begin a Christian day school Members asked for donations to supply the first two classrooms 1980 Average church attendance of 140 School enrollment 40 Daycare added 1981 Tim Eickstead called as school principal School enrollment doubles to 81 Average church attendance of 200 1982 April 4: Groundbreaking for gym First baptism of school student 1984 Sunday school enrollment of 109 LWML sells Christmas ornaments to raise money for church s renovation

16 1985 School enrollment of 280 Average of two visitor packets given each week 21 baptisms Renovation of original worship center is complete 1987 School enrollment of 330 (age 3 through 6 th grade), making it the second-largest Lutheran school in Texas 215 welcome letters sent to first-time visitors Shepherd begins daughter congregation in Leon Springs with Pastor Bud Redmann Gifts for the King introduced goal is for each family to give 10% of what they spend on Christmas gifts to a church project 1988 Average weekly worship attendance of 265 School enrollment of 345 (now through 8 th grade) 1989 First worship service at Leon Springs Lutheran Mission, with 63 worshippers; church becomes Messiah Lutheran School begins accreditation process 1992 School enrollment of 420 Expansion committee formed 1993 4 classrooms constructed Congregation-wide Bible study focuses on expansion at SHLC

17 1994 SHLC approves using a Capital Fund Drive to build a new worship center and accepts a $1.6 million master plan 25 th Anniversary gifts designated for the reemerging church in East Germany 1995 Lutheran High School of San Antonio begins Groundbreaking for new worship center 1997 June 7: Dedication of worship center October 12: Grand opening of worship center 2000 Congregation commits $5,000; 30 laborers; meals; and to leading devotions during workdays at Habitat for Humanity 2001 Portable buildings installed on back ball field as a short-term solution to meet office space and meeting room needs Sue Gary called as school principal 2003 Weekly average worship attendance of 785

18 2004 The church and school bring in 600 boxes for Project Christmas Child, doubling the previous years donations U.S. Department of Education names SHLS a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School 2006 School auction nets $12,000 2007 Thrivent Financial awards SHLC a $36,000 grant to help establish a Legacy of Faith endowment to enable ministry into the future August: Childcare for toddlers begins Dove House is purchased 2009 First CrossWalk contemporary worship service, with 188 worshippers 2011 February 2: SHLS Baptism service for six students and one father 3 new teachers installed at SHLS 2012 Ten SHLS students and one adult baptized Narthex renovated

19 2014 Upgrades to current facilities (new tile in worship center, new digital sign, parking lot lights, and upgrades to gym building and restrooms) Shepherd undertakes the Birthday Challenge campaign to give to the church on your birthday Pastor Chris installed as senior pastor 2017 Average weekly attendance of 550 SHLS enrollment of 400 2017 and beyond Love Builds Up

20 COMMITMENT GUIDE God, what are you calling me and my family to give towards this vision? What a generous God we serve! Indeed, He takes our gifts and provides immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. Beyond praying, Shepherd is asking you to prayerfully consider what role God would have you play in giving toward Shepherd @ 50 over the next three years. Can you imagine what it will be like to see God s Kingdom grow literally from the ground up in the far west/northwest side, to see new and renovated buildings for our school children, and most of all, to know that you helped lead hundreds of people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus? Shepherd knows God hasn t given everyone the ability to give the same dollar amount, but He does call us to bring what we have. By following His leading in faith, we have a chance to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Even if you ve never given to God s work before, this is a good time to test the waters. Everyone can participate in some way! Often times, some sort of sacrifice is required to get to where you want to be. For us to accomplish Shepherd @ 50, it s going to take some sacrifice. The chart below is simply provided to assist you in planning your stewardship commitment. It provides some suggestions of ways we can sacrifice on a small scale to make a big impact. Please pray about what your offering may be to our gracious God, and then designate it for the Shepherd @ 50 Campaign.

21 Sacrificial giving samples One of our church s Missional Measures is to LOVE SACRIFICIALLY, in the same way that Jesus loves us and gave Himself up for us. In a similar manner, here are some examples of ways that you can LOVE SACRIFICIALLY, by giving up regular expenses in exchange for giving to Shepherd @ 50. WEEKLY GIVING YEARLY GIVING TOTAL GIVING Washing your car yourself 1 visit to the nail salon 2 Starbucks drinks 1 night at the movies 1 family dinner at Olive Garden Packing your lunch for work $25/month $300/year $900 $30/month $360/year $1,080 $10/week $520/year $1,560 $50/month $600/year $1,800 $70/month $840/year $2,520 $40/week $2,000/year $6,000 OVER 3 YEARS

22 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN GOAL Campaign Commitment Goal: $3 million One of our church s Missional Measures is to LOVE SACRIFICIALLY, in the same way that Jesus loves us and gave Himself up for us. Through your generous gift, you become a part of the story of life-change that God is writing through Shepherd. This pyramid shows the breakdown of the various 3-year sacrificial gifts needed to make Shepherd @ 50 a reality. Please prayerfully consider how God is calling you and your family to help lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

23 LEADERSHIP TEAM SENIOR PASTOR Pastor Chris Kennedy CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR Tim Eickstead INITIAL COMMITMENTS DIRECTOR Pastor Doug Bielefeldt SCHOOL EMPHASIS DIRECTOR Sue Gary LEAD GIFTS DIRECTOR Dale Stein, Sr. RSVP DIRECTOR Margaret Pedraza COMMITMENT CELEBRATION DIRECTORS Karissa Smith Karen Work CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR DeeDee Perales INFORM DIRECTOR Larisa Langley PRAYER DIRECTOR Khristi Moritz COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Nick Arnold YOUTH EMPHASIS DIRECTOR Chasley Fortune CHILDREN S EMPHASIS DIRECTOR Cindy Miller FRIENDS OF THE CONGREGATION DIRECTOR Frona McGuire

Leading people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. 6914 Wurzbach Rd, San Antonio, TX 78240 Phone: 210-614-3742 For the latest updates, visit ShepherdLutheran.com/Shepherdat50