LYNNWOOD — Good Shepherd Baptist Church officially began its ministry 50 years ago today.
It all started when members of University Baptist in Seattle decided to establish a church somewhere between north Seattle and Everett, said the Rev. Christopher
Boyer, Good Shepherd pastor.
With the help of Washington Baptist Convention, they bought five acres in the new city of Lynnwood for $40,000. The Rev. Bernard Turner was hired to lead the new congregation. Work on the current building began in 1963.
Though membership remained small over the years, the Good Shepherd Baptist Church quickly began building a legacy in south Snohomish County.
As part of the South Snohomish County Ministerial Association, the congregation helped start local food banks and run the help line, a precursor to the 211 service, Boyer said. A recycling center was set up in the church parking lot years before recycling services were offered in the neighborhoods. The church teamed up with a Seattle organization to provide shelter and services for homeless families. A few years ago, Good Shepherd joined a network of churches that opened their doors to people seeking refuge from the cold.
“It goes to show that even a small church can do big things,” Boyer said.
All this history was remembered at the church’s 50th anniversary celebration last weekend. More than 100 people came to mark this milestone, including nine former pastors.
The Baptist Youth Fellowship, the church’s youth group, also held a reunion.
“We saw folks now in their 60s who were teenagers here back in the early days,” Boyer said.
Good Shepherd has donated part of its property for Shepherd’s Garden, an apartment complex for low-income seniors managed by American Baptist Homes of the West. The church built the complex with the help of grants from federal and local government agencies. The complex opened in February 2010.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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