The Rev. Jeff Goodrich

Welcome!  I am Pastor Jeff Goodrich, and I have had the joy of serving as Pastor at Good Shepherd since July 2009. Apparently, one pastor in the family was not enough, because I am married to Pastor Hannah Brown, who serves a Congregational church in West Concord, MA. We live in Concord, and enjoy our time together with our daughter, Miriam and son, Simon.

Serving at Good Shepherd is my first call out of seminary. Before coming here, I attended Colgate University in central NY, Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. I originally grew up near Buffalo, New York, and always look forward to meeting the people of different places.

One of my favorite things about Good Shepherd is the joy that people have for the ministry here. Whether it’s teaching young children the stories of our faith, going on retreats with our youth, singing in the choir, serving meals to those in need, or reaching out and welcoming new faces, we are a community moved by God’s grace to be in ministry for the world.

Come and see what God is up to in this place! You are always welcome to join us as we seek to follow Jesus and listen for God’s call.

You can reach me at ext. 104 and email at pastorjeff@goodshepherdcares.org

The Rev. Cassandra Hartnett

Hello! I’m Pastor Cassie (she/her) and I am so excited to welcome you to Good Shepherd. I was born and raised in the New Haven area, and grew up attending an ELCA church right here in the New England Synod. I studied theater and religion at Barnard College, and then spent two years in Minnesota, serving with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. I then returned to the east coast to attend Union Theological Seminary, where I studied religion and psychology, and wrote my thesis about pastoral care of those with eating disorders.

During my internship year in the Baltimore suburbs, I was able to spend plenty of time working with youth and families, which is a passion I bring to Good Shepherd. I’ve also gotten to live out this passion as a preschool teacher, nanny, tutor, mission trip director, resident assistant, mental health counselor and, once I’m done training, a birth doula! In my spare time, I love dance and yoga, baking, long nature walks, reading young adult novels, writing plays, and snuggling with my two cats, Ramona and Beezus.

You can reach me at ext. 103 and email at pastorcassie@goodshepherdcares.org

Samantha Menapace, Director of Christian Education

I grew up attending Saint Luke Lutheran Church outside of Philadelphia. Along with my parents and sister, I was an active member of the congregation, and through it I developed a passion for church life and Christian community. This upbringing inspired me to major in Religious Studies and Philosophy at Furman University, as well as participate in various campus ministries and live in an intentional Christian community as a graduate intern, encouraging faith formation in students.

After my internship with the intentional community, I pursued a Master of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, graduating in 2019. At HDS, I honed my interest in fostering religious life in academic settings through a yearlong internship at Suffolk University’s Interfaith Center. In addition to cultivating a passion for Interfaith engagement and studying religious pluralism, I also exercised my limited language skills by taking as many Ancient Greek courses as possible!

I love running, reading, listening to as many podcasts as possible on many different topics – from Harry Potter to The Bachelor, mythology, and current events, just to name a few – and spending time outdoors with friends. I’m excited to bring my passion for building meaningful community and leading faith formation to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church as the Christian Education Director!

I can be reached at samantha.menapace@goodshepherdcares.org or at ext. 107

Kirby Stalley, Director of Music

I grew up in Vernon, Connecticut and have been involved in church and music since a young age. I was a member of the Connecticut Children’s Chorus for nine years and was president of his high school choir at Rockville High School in Vernon. I attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. While at Luther I studied music and for three years sang in their flagship choir, The Nordic Choir. During my time at Luther, I got to work with some of the biggest names in the choral world including, Dr. Allen Hightower, Dr. Andrew Last, Dr. Jeffrey Douma, Dr. Ann Howard Jones, and Dr. Kenneth Fulton. I had the opportunity during my tenure in The Nordic Choir to sing such masterworks as, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, among others. I was also the leader of a student-run a capella chamber choir, Jubilus. I am the founder and conductor of the choral group, Vox Populi. I have toured throughout the United States as well as France and Italy. From 2012 to 2013 I was the choir director at First Lutheran Church in Ellington, Connecticut, and from 2015 to 2017 I was the choir director at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lanesboro, Minnesota. I have also guest conducted the chancel choir at South United Methodist Church in Manchester, Connecticut. I also teach private voice and piano lessons at Summit Studios in Manchester, Connecticut.

You can reach me at kirby.stalley@goodshepherdcares.org or at ext. 106.

Yeon Soh, Organist

I joined the Good Shepherd family in August 2018. Previously, I was the organist of Newton Highlands Congregational Church, in Newton, for 11 years. I also play organ for the Cambridge Korean Presbyterian Church in Arlington.

I was born and grew up in South Korea. I have played piano with choirs and for church services since middle school and majored in the organ for my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Ewha Womans University in Seoul. I then moved to US to pursue a Graduate Performance Diploma in Organ in the Boston Conservatory. My husband’s new job recently brought us to Shrewsbury. My husband, daughter, son, and I love it here!

You can reach me at yeon.soh@goodshepherdcares.org.

Debra George, Church Administrator

Hello! I grew up in Westborough and attended Good Shephard Lutheran Church as a child. After several decades in Los Angeles, I am back in the Westborough area and very happy to be working at my original home church. It’s very exciting to see how much the congregation has grown and how many opportunities there are now for community, friendship, music, learning and worship. Please let me know if I can send you any information!

You can reach me at ext. 101 and email at office@goodshepherdcares.org

Steve Brevik, Sexton

Hello, I’m Steve Brevik, the church sexton at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. I grew up in Sudbury, MA and now reside in Westborough, MA.  I have been with the church for several years and find so much gratification in my duties.  I love the people here, both staff and congregants.  The life of Good Shepherd has been important in my own life and therefore I joined the congregation shortly after I started working here.  I look forward being a part of the community of the church for many years!

Randy Gomez, Contemporary Music Director

Hello, I am Randy Gomez.  I am the Contemporary Music Director here at Good Shepherd. I have been playing piano since age 5 and trumpet since age 7.  I have an extensive background in all types of music and in the past have toured to other countries with the New England Youth Ensemble and performed with them in Carnegie Hall. I lead the praise band New Direction in the contemporary service.  We rehearse at the church on Wednesdays at 7:30 and we welcome anybody who would like to join us.

You can reach me at rgomez904@yahoo.com