Dear Friends and Members of Shepherd of the Hills,

In a random act of curiosity this morning, I asked “Grok” (the X.com AI platform) to “look up all online information relating to Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Ruidoso, NM.”  After a few moments of processing “Grok” shared a couple of pages of information that was pretty accurate.  It shared some basic information about times and services to a basic history.  What I found most interesting is the summary or overview of what we look like according to our internet presence. 

“Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (SHLC) is a congregation of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) located in the scenic mountain town of Ruidoso, New Mexico. It serves as a welcoming community focused on worship, fellowship, and Gospel-centered support, particularly in response to local natural disasters like wildfires and floods. The church emphasizes God's grace, resilience in trials, and active neighborly service, inviting visitors to join in experiencing blessings through Scripture and Christian community.”

What do you think?  I’m not sure I’m totally satisfied with this explanation of who we are, but I do find a certain satisfaction that AI picked out some of our core values in this statement. 

Part of why we celebrate anniversaries, like we will do on the 26th, is to highlight those parts of our history that really point towards those things we value most.  Anniversaries are a moment to pause and give thanks.  The question is, “For what are we thankful?”  Is it just that we have a building?  Is it that we lasted 40 years as a congregation?  What are we thankful for?  

Instead of answering that question for you, I’ll let you spend the next 10 days or so thinking about it.  On the 26th we will talk about what the Lord calls us to be thankful for and who we are called to be as a congregation.  We have much to be thankful for as we celebrate 40 years.  We have much to look forward to in the next 40 years.  

If you are able to join us for our celebration on the 26th I look forward to visiting with you.  If you cannot, I ask that you continue to pray for the celebration, work and vitality of Shepherd of the Hills.  

In His Love and Service,

Pastor Rust