home ~
welcome ~ services ~ staff ~ calendar ~
newsletter ~
ministries ~
preschool
music ~ adult ed ~
children/youth ~
outreach ~
disaster relief ~
directions ~ links
|
|
|
|
|
home ~
welcome ~ services ~ staff ~ calendar ~
newsletter ~
ministries ~
preschool |
|
|
|
|
|
Biography - Al Sweetser |
|
|
|
|
I was born in Mobile, Alabama, April 12, 1957 and soon thereafter baptized into Trinity Episcopal Church. Growing up, I was an acolyte and youth choir member at Trinity. We moved to Memphis in 1970 where continued to acolyte at Grace St. Luke's until I completed high school. After college at the University of Mississippi, I entered the Army as an Infantry officer and was assigned to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. There I met my wife, Carol, also a "cradle" Episcopalian. We were married in St. Mary's Church in Towson, Maryland in 1981. Our son, Adam, was born at Ft. Benning, Georgia, in 1984. Assignments in Germany; Virginia, Hawaii, and Colorado followed. At each of these stops, we were welcomed into Episcopal congregations. I usually contributed in a small way to the life of our churches as an usher or Sunday School teacher. We moved to our current home in Springfield in 1998. We joined Church of the Good Shepherd because of the ministry, and the broad range of activities offered, particularly the youth group. I have served on the media ministry, on the lay committee for Adam Goren, doing "Prayers of the People," and as a weak hitting third baseman for two years on the softball team. I transitioned out of the Army in 2005, and now work for the Department of Defense as a civil servant. My life has been something of a spiritual journey. In college, I took a number of philosophy courses, as well as Old and New Testament. I have continued to read and reflect throughout my life and try to understand God's purpose for our existence. One constant has been my family's worship in the Episcopal Church. I believe strongly in stewardship, and that our lives are links in a chain between the generations that came before and those that will come after. I would be honored to serve on the vestry and have an opportunity to contribute to the life and growth of Church of the Good Shepherd.
|
|
Church of the Good Shepherd |