The following message was shared with the congregation on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
In late September 2025, the Council communicated that Sampson Morris Group (the buyer for our property) offered to investigate, at their expense, the feasibility of moving the Parish House to the portion of the property that they do not intend to use. A representative from Sampson Morris has recently informed us that while they believe it is structurally possible to move the building, the cost for the move including required renovations to make the space suitable to serve as our future home would be close to $1.5 million. The cost would include the moving of the structure, a full walk-out basement and a completed parking area. In addition, the estimate assumes needed renovations to include first floor bathrooms, new windows, kitchen, a new heating and cooling system, doors and other necessary improvements.
The Council carefully considered this option, however, after discussion concluded that this would not be a prudent financial decision for the longer-term viability of the congregation. In order to effectively support the annual operating budget for the next several years, we need to invest a larger amount of the proceeds of the sale of the property.
While the Council was disappointed that this option did not turn out to be viable we are confident that we will find a suitable space for the Good Shepherd to continue its ministry and we are anxious to move forward with the other options that are still available to us.
We will be actively pursuing the other two options that we shared previously:
- To rent commercial space in Monroeville that can be modified to serve the needs of worship, office, classroom and meeting space.
- To rent space from an existing, non-Lutheran, church in the Monroeville area for worship, office, classroom and meeting space.
As a reminder, per our agreement, the Sampson Morris due diligence period will expire on February 12, 2027. It is still expected that we will need to vacate our buildings sometime between now and then – the specific date remains uncertain. We will need to continue the transition work to clean out our buildings and prepare for the move.
We appreciate the congregation’s continued patience and support of your Council and the ministries of the Good Shepherd.
John Lowe Matt O’Donnell
GSLC Council President GSLC Council Vice President
