Ruth Smith Mills

I think the most important aspect of my education at Good Shepherd, beyond the healthy learning environment and quality education, is the role it has played in broadening my understanding of church history and what faith and worship can look like. That doesn’t sound overly impressive on the surface but as a fourth generation Southern Baptist things were very different in chapel services and sometimes in interpretations of scripture than what I was accustomed to, and those differences were often hard to struggle through especially as a twelve or thirteen year old, but as an adult I can tell you it was invaluable. Understanding the reformation (felt board Luther anyone?) and the whys of Lutheran theology has enabled me to have respect for our differences and understand just how deeply we are the same… I couldn’t have learned that lesson in any other way outside of experience and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been able to pass a bit of that wisdom on to folks who did not have the same opportunity as I did and who may not even understand the ‘whys’ of our shared faith in Jesus Christ. Its promoted a desire for harmony in my life with other believers and not a sense of ‘other’. I’m truly a better person for the education I received at Good Shepherd.

Ruth Smith MillsClass of 1995