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When Jack decided on his Eagle Scout project, he picked something very meaningful to him - renovating part of “The Hill” at Good Shepherd. “When I was little, my mom would bring me and my older brother to the Easter egg hunt every year. I loved running up the hill and trying to see if I could get more eggs than my brother” Jack shared. “Also, during COVID, my Confirmation class had our service on “The Hill” which was very special for me.”

Having attended both Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Holy Infant Catholic Church since he was born, Jack has embraced both churches into how he practices his faith and has leaned into activities at each that call to him. When he was deciding on a project, he reached out to GSLC and asked what could be done. When “The Hill” was presented as a choice, he knew that was what he wanted to do.

The original benches, built in 2005 by Ryan Williams as his Eagle Scout project, had started to show their age with missing boards and sections that needed to be replaced. At the recommendation of church leadership, Jack decided to create something that could be moved around for events, as well as withstand all the elements of St. Louis weather. “I wanted to create benches that could be used around the fire pit or moved for services and parties, so portability was important” Jack said. “I also wanted them to match the look and feel of the church and picked a wood and stain that would do that.”

Jack, with the help of members from his Troop 627 out of Holy Infant, built and stained eight new benches. They removed 11 of the old benches and cut up any wood that was salvageable for the fire pit, and restacked the fire wood on the remaining bench from Ryan’s project.

“The Hill” is used for all sorts of things at Good Shepherd – from the pumpkin patch and men’s Basecamp meetings, to chili cook offs, hymn sings, and family picnics which has featured Pastor Josh riding down a slip-n-slide - it is a vital part of the church property. The new benches will bring a refreshed setting for outside events for years to come. It is through the generosity of time, talent, and treasure of our members that we are able to maintain the beauty and upkeep of our church.