current Vestry members
Lynn armstrong
What did you do for a living and what did you like most about it? I am happily retired. For 45 years I worked for myself by myself… selling promotional products. I worked mostly with industrial businesses and medical accounts. It was a great fit for me because every day was different and I had a great BOSS. I do miss the interaction with my customers… some are still friends.
Who sits with you at church? My husband, Knick Curtis, and I sit together on the second pew at 10:30 church. We share the pew with Mary and Ken Peltier and Erin Simons (George and his wonderful bass voice are in the choir). Behind us are the fun people, Becky Hopkins, Cindy Schlaht, and Mary Lok. We love baptisms with smiling parents and squawky babies. It’s a great way to be part of our faith in motion.
Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy. I like to garden and entertain. We have a bio-diverse yard (weeds) and mostly native plants. Friends and family enjoy Knick’s good cooking and spirited conversations. We have yearly excursions to NY, Taos, the Texas Hill Country, and this fall, Nova Scotia.
What is your favorite movie? There are so many movie choices but instantly an old movie The Man from Snowy River comes to mind.
What is the last book you read? Would you recommend it? The book I am recommending now is The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. It’s a wonderful read that made me a better person.
What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd? I love the 10:30 service with the great music. We sit close to the front so we can “feel” the worship.
angela baber
What do you do for a living and what do you like most about it? I work for Children’s Medical Center in Governance and Communication. Even though I work on the administration side of the hospital, I love knowing that, at the end of the day, my efforts make a difference in the lives of children.
Who sits with you at church? If I’m not ushering or serving as a LEM, I sit with my mom, JK, my sister-in-law, Erin, my nephew Jimmy and our friend Jessica.
Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy. I love to fish for bass at Lake Fork and fly fish in the Lake City, Colorado, area. I wish I could fish more often!
What is your favorite movie? Steel Magnolias
What is the last book you read? Would you recommend it? I just finished Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache by Granger Smith. The title says it all. I am always reading books like this to gain others perspective on grief and coping after loss.
What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd? My favorite service at Good Shepherd is the All Souls’ Requiem. It is a deeply spiritual and moving service, especially the reading of names of our loved ones aloud. If the music at this service was left out, it wouldn’t be the same.
becky hopkins
What do you do for a living and what do you like most about it? I am a meeting planner who produces conventions, conferences, board meetings and other types of business meetings. For nearly 40 years I have been producing events in the US and around the world.
Who sits with you at church? My Sunday worship service family includes my sister Cindy and my best friend Mary Lok, who sit with me each week. We also have the pleasure of being surrounded by the Stetters, Nick and Lynn, and the Baber Family. It's been wonderful to watch Jimmy grow up over the years. Behind me sit Betsy, Jan, and Melinda, who always welcome me with a smile. The Macha family with their two sweet little girls now join us. We miss Don MacPherson, who used to sit in front of me, and remember him fondly. It's a blessing to share our worship experience with each other and grow in faith as a community.
Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy. I’m not really a hobby person. I still work full time and enjoy my work very much. On the weekends I enjoy puttering around the house and yard. I really do quite well at small renovation projects – laying tile, painting, and fixing things. My sister Cindy gave me a chain saw a few years back and, on some weekends, you can find me trimming trees.
What is your favorite movie? I don’t watch many movies…but I can watch Downton Abby over and over again.
What is the last book you read? Would you recommend it? A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. It is a captivating and heartwarming story that follows the life of Count Alexander Rostov, a former aristocrat who is sentenced to house arrest in the luxurious Metropol Hotel in Moscow in the years following the Russian Revolution. While confined to the hotel, the Count meets an array of fascinating characters, experiences unexpected relationships and adventures.
The book is exquisitely written, with captivating storytelling, vivid descriptions of the hotel and its people, and insightful philosophical themes about the nature of freedom, identity, and purpose. I loved every delicious word of it. Read it twice.
What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd? Maundy Thursday has a way of bringing up a lot of complicated feelings for me, but that's part of what makes it so powerful. The service incorporates both sorrow and hope that really speaks to me. I would miss the hymn Were You There if it were not part of the Holy week service.
Cindy McCaleb
What do you do for a living and what do you like most about it? I'm now retired after a career as a zoo keeper of almost 20 years with the Dallas Zoo. During that time, I worked primarily with primates and in particular with gorillas. This was a dream come true for me. I now spend one to two days a week working as a legal assistant for my cousin who represents nurses being brought before the Texas Board of Nursing.
Who sits with you at church? I grew up always sitting on the gospel side of the church and still do this. I usually sit directly behind Bob and Carolyn Bowling. I anchor one end of the pew and often Debra Pyke anchors the other end.
Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy. I love nature and like to get out and hike. I also love to travel, whether it is to states close by or going on European trips. There are so many interesting things to see in the world.
What is your favorite movie? Sorry, can't narrow that down for you.
What is the last book you read? Would you recommend it? I belong to a murder mystery and spiritually book club (I know you are thinking that's an interesting combination)and we just read The Order by Daniel Silva. It was a page turner!
What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd? I attend the 10:30 service and always love the music. Whether it's BC on the organ, or the choirs, even the guest musicians during the summer, the music always elevates the service for me.
Dewey Newton
What do you do for a living and what do you like most about it? I am a national sales manager for a construction company that builds large sports and entertainment venues. The best part is meeting some of the premier athletes that play in the various leagues.
Who sits with you at church? Family, Bernice, Natalie and Brett. Sometimes we bring a friend.
Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy. Golf and Tennis.
What is your favorite movie? Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!
What is the last book you read? Would you recommend it? I don't read a lot of books, but I am currently reading about the history of South Korea and all of the culture differences. We are visiting there in April of 2024.
What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd? We attend the 10:30 weekly, and my most favorite are all around the holidays because it tends to bring people together. My favorite sermons are those that tie the Bible, history, and stories to our everyday life so we can practice them.
Clayton Shannon
What do you do for a living and what do you like most about it? I am currently retired, but spent my previous career split between medical sales and decorative welding/contracting. While working, I really enjoyed the relationships built with customers and enjoyed problem solving aspects of creating and construction. Since retiring I’ve taken up guitar and really like being lazy!
Who sits with you at church? At the early service I am often on the altar as a LEM. I sit with Brian and Tricia Morris or Wes Snyder at 8. At the 10:30 service, I sit with my wife, Rhonda.
Tell us about one or two hobbies you enjoy. Guitar, Ukulele, and Music study. Hunting, Fishing, and outdoors.
What is your favorite movie? Forrest Gump-I just can’t flip past it when channel surfing.
What is the last book you read? Would you recommend it? Anything For Billy -Larry McMurtry. Historical fiction about the life of Billy the Kid. If you like old west novels-it is very good!
What is your favorite church service at Good Shepherd? The early Sunday service is quiet and meditational. The liturgy seems more intentional in the smaller setting. When Robert plays quietly during communion, it seems almost etherial since there is no music during the service. Robert has been out sick for several weeks and that small absence of music seems huge.