Sharing our time and abilities with others is part of our call from God. All of our parish ministries depend on volunteer time and effort. Whether offering your time and abilities within the parish or offering your time and abilities to the greater Austin community by serving those in need, we hope that you will find a way to serve here. We hope and expect that you will experience the miracle of giving – that you get back much more than you give.
Scroll down for volunteer opportunities or click here to go directly to outreach ministries, liturgical volunteers or parish life volunteers.
In Holy Baptism, we promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves. Our outreach ministries seek to serve the Austin community and beyond.
Contact: The Rev. Leah Wise
Hillside, Good Shepherd’s school located at the Hill, enrolls over 90 students ages 6 weeks to 5 years. The Center’s mission is to increase access to high quality early-childhood education in a part of the city where access is limited. Hillside prepares students for Kindergarten so that they are ready for success in school and beyond. Hillside provides scholarships to a growing number of its students, and it participates in the Texas Workforce Commission’s subsidized childcare program. We are looking for volunteers who would like to provide weekly or monthly support to teachers in the classroom during play, reading, lunch and rest times. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please contact Mary Ann Frishman.
“…I was in prison and you came to me.” —Mt. 25: 36.
Every weekday, volunteers meet with incarcerated persons, separate from the general population, in a faith-based dorm where they have committed to live for 6 months in a community of love and Christian discipleship devoted to studying the Bible and actively participating in classes, discipleship groups and life coaching. Prison ministry volunteers typically go in once a week for 1–1.5 hours and can choose to meet one-on-one, in small groups of 4-5 or teach 20-24 with the full dorm. This program allows its members to grow closer to God to change for the better. The opportunity to work with these men and women in Austin and the Central Texas area is Spirit-filled and powerful. For more information, visit thegodofhope.org or contact Hale Umstattd.
During Advent Good Shepherd parishioners provide gifts for children and families in Austin who would otherwise not have a gift to open on Christmas morning. Parishioners – either by themselves or together with others – adopt families from the giving tree and receive information on the particular needs of the family. This ministry arranges the tree recipients, as well as receives, organizes, and delivers the gifts. For information, please contact Trey Shepherd.
ML&F serves those living on the streets in Austin through food preparation and delivery, literally meeting them where they are. Good Shepherd provides volunteers for truck runs to serve our brothers and sisters on the streets. Good Shepherd’s volunteer teams meet at the Mobile Loaves commissary (at St. John Neumann Catholic Church on Bee Caves) to prepare meals and load them into a food truck. Volunteers then drive the food truck to different sites in Austin to serve the meals. This ministry offers an opportunity for parents to serve with their older elementary and teenage children. For more information, please contact Scott Ferguson. You can also sign up online by clicking HERE.
Community First! Village is a 51-acre master planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. Good Shepherd partners with CF!V to furnish and make ready homes for first-time residents. Volunteers are needed to help set up furniture for the homes, bring meals for their gatherings, movie nights, and so many more opportunities. These are great outreach opportunities for individuals and families. To help the Good Shepherd team with move-ins, please click here to sign up. For more information, please contact Jack Wolfe.
This ministry serves students at elementary schools in the neighborhood of the Hill. Throughout the school year, Good Shepherd parishioners serve as reading buddies, mentors and helpers at school events. Additionally, we run seasonal supply drives, contributing to classroom success by providing school supplies, food, clothing, teacher appreciation gifts and more. . We need our entire Good Shepherd family to continue our mission — as reading buddies, mentors, participants at school events, and in making, prepping, and delivering donations. Together, let’s live into God’s dream. For more information, please contact Susie Piaget or Donna White.
Trinity Streets is a ministry in downtown Austin that regularly serves meals to those experiencing homelessness and provides a space for worship. This ministry feeds 40 people each week. Once a month on Sunday afternoon, volunteers from Good Shepherd prepare and serve meals at Trinity Center downtown. A priest offers a service which includes the eucharist. This is a wonderful outreach opportunity for individuals and families. 8-8 volunteers are needed each month and slots fill up quickly! For more information, please contact Lucy Adcock. You can also sign up online clicking HERE.
Both campuses gather in Advent to measure and pack over 35,000 meals for people in nations of need across the world. Volunteers help to set up the packing equipment and supplies the day before the pack and help to clean up afterwards. For more information, please contact Kelly Molak.
Magdalene House is a sanctuary for victims of sex trafficking and prostitution. Our parishioners offer support to residents through donations of household items and other necessities. For more information, please contact Susan Harris.
Drive a Senior is a community-based volunteer service that is supported by congregations in West Austin and North Central Austin – including Good Shepherd, a founding congregation. It has been providing services to seniors since 1985. The program responds to the needs of the increasing number of seniors who are living alone and can no longer drive. While a lack of transportation is one of the challenges to our aging community, research shows that loneliness and social isolation have a serious impact on older people’s longevity, physical and mental health and quality of life. We successfully address these issues through out dedicated and compassionate volunteers and a personalized approach to connecting with those in need through in-home visits, phone calls, and social gatherings. For flexible volunteer opportunities and with questions, visit driveasenioratx.org or contact Louis Wade.
Join Good Shepherd on the Hill, Hillside Early Childhood Center and the Austin community in supporting the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Central Texas by walking a 5K with our team and/or making a financial contribution. Together, we can contribute to better mental health in the greater Austin area. We will make signs together at the Hill on September 22 at 11:30a. If interested in carpooling to the walk site, please meet in the Hill’s parking lot on September 28 at 7:30a. Parking is also available at the beginning of the route at the Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Drive. Register and/or make a contribution by clicking here. With questions or to request to carpool, please contact Nissa Roark.
The Gardens on the Hill create an opportunity to put down roots, both physically and figuratively, in the neighborhood through the planting of herb, fruit, and vegetable plants. We always welcome volunteers to help with the gardens. For more information, please contact Ron Tamaru.
Worship is an act of the entire community, and we depend on volunteers to conduct our liturgies. These roles are also a meaningful way to deepen your experience of worship.
Acolytes are part of an ancient tradition – dating back as far as the third century – of those who assist priests at the altar. In our services, acolytes are those in 6th grade and older who are trained to serve in our services as crucifers, torchbearers and servers at the altar. These important roles help us to provide worship services that glorify God and offer a meaningful way to participate in the liturgy. We welcome new acolytes and provide training for new acolytes several times during the year. For more information, please contact the Rev. Jonathan McManus-Dail.
St. Elizabeth’s Guild coordinates with the Altar Guild in the maintenance and creation of linens and vestments. The Guild meets quarterly to make baptismal towels and assist in needlework which includes hemming, mending, and embroidery. For more information, please contact Alice Scarborough.
The Altar Guild glorifies God by preparing the spaces and items at the heart of our worship – especially the altar and the vessels for Holy Communion. The Altar Guild prepares and maintains the altar, sacristy, vestments, linens, vessels, candles, and supplies for all our regular worship and special liturgies. This ministry is essential to all of our worship services. Each Altar Guild team serves approximately every six weeks on Saturday mornings to clean, polish, and prepare the altar for Sunday services. They also work on Sundays to set-up and take down each service. New members are always welcome. The Altar Guild works in teams, and new members will be paired with experienced members for on-the-job training. For more information, please contact Kate Butchofsky.
Proclaiming the Word of God is an essential mission of the church, and lectors – or readers – participate fully in this ministry. They proclaim the scriptures, both New and Old Testaments, within the context of the liturgy and help lead the congregation to a deeper love for God’s Word. Intercessors offer to God the cares and concerns of the congregation by praying the Prayers of the People during Sunday worship services. Intercessors contribute significantly to worship as we remember in prayer the deceased, those in need of comfort, and those leading our country and communities. Training and preparation are provided. For more information, please contact Paula Quinn.
Eucharistic Ministers make possible the central act of our Christian liturgy – feeding the faithful with the sacraments during Holy Communion. Eucharistic Ministers assist clergy at both campuses in the distribution of communion during worship services with a primary role to administer the chalice. For more information, please contact the Rev. Brin Bon.
Thurifers assist in providing an immersive experience of liturgy that touches all the senses. From ancient times and in different religious traditions, worshipers have offered incense to their God, seeing in the smoke an image of their prayers ascending, and in the aromatic resins and spices a reminder of God’s presence. Thurifers prepare the coals and incense before services, handle the thurible during services, and offer the thurible to the ministers at the appropriate times during the liturgy. Training provided. For more information, please contact the Rev. Brin Bon.
Ushers assist during worship services by greeting parishioners, welcoming newcomers, assisting with the needs of worshippers, facilitating Holy Communion, and responding appropriately to any concerns during the service. Ushers are the face of Good Shepherd to visitors and newcomers, and the hospitality and warm welcome from ushers is a sign of God’s welcome and love for newcomers and regular attendees. For more information, please contact John Pitts or Will Holford.
Vergers serve as master of ceremonies for our liturgies. They work with clergy to plan the logistical details of our worship and coordinate and shepherd the various liturgical ministries through the worship services. We rely on vergers to ensure that the worship space is prepared and worship participants are ready for their roles. We provide training, and new vergers often begin by shadowing more experienced vergers. For more information, please contact Jeff Simpler.
To accommodate those who can’t make it to church for Sunday worship and special services like funerals, we offer live-streams on our website, Facebook and YouTube pages. For more information or volunteer opportunities, please contact Charles Hibler.
The Wedding Guild assists couples throughout their rehearsal and wedding – helping to celebrate their union and the beginning of their life together at Good Shepherd. Members of the Guild attend the wedding rehearsal and ceremony of a couple, with one member serving as wedding host and at least one other member assisting. For more information, please contact Kathy Jolink.
We value so much the community that our parish provides. We depend on volunteers to make many of our community events possible.
We love to get together – whether it’s a parish picnic, a Mardi Gras party, or a reception after a special event – and we love the volunteers that help make these celebrations possible. To offer your help, please contact Jessica Riels.