The seed that grew into Gentle Shepherd Metropolitan Community Church of Tallahassee was planted on September 12, 1993. It was on that day that thirteen people, calling their group the Tallahassee Parish Extension of St. Luke’s MCC of Jacksonville, met to discuss the spiritual wants and needs of the people of Tallahassee, the birthplace of Reverend Troy Perry. The format for weekly Bible studies was introduced during the three meetings that followed. These Bible studies were named Shepherd L.I.F.E. Groups and the training for leaders was provided by Reverend Frankye White of St. Luke’s MCC. The Unitarian Universalist Church provided the facilities for these early meetings. Following in the early apostles’ footsteps, Tallahassee Parish Extension eventually met in small groups in various homes, sharing meals and praising God together. (Acts 2:44-47)

The first worship service was held on Sunday, October 31, 1993 with Reverend White leading and twenty-seven people in attendance. Worship services for the Tallahassee Parish Extension were held on the third Sunday of each month, while Shepherd L.I.F.E. Groups met on the other three Sundays. Eventually, services were increased to twice monthly, with St. Luke’s and other MCCs in Florida providing pulpit leadership. Services are currently held weekly.

Several people and events are recognized in our church history as instrumental in our development and progression. Twelve people attended the first congregational meeting on February 5, 1995 to discuss future plans for the church. Reverend Carol Hale, a former Associate Pastor of Joy MCC in Orlando, began offering her time as interim pastor in March of 1995. Tallahassee Parish Extension achieved its New Works status and became Gentle Shepherd MCC on June 3, 1995.

Gentle Shepherd MCC hired its first part-time pastor, Reverend Neil Parker, in November of 1995. During this time, the attendance for services averaged twenty to thirty people. Almost every attendee was involved with one of the two Shepherd L.I.F.E Groups and eighteen were members. When Reverend Parker returned to his hometown of Orlando in July of 1996, a search for another pastor began.

Reverend Susan Tedder came to Gentle Shepherd MCC as a part-time pastor in September of 1996. Under her direction, the church achieved Commissioned status with the Southeast District UFMCC in November of 1997. At the time of her resignation in October of 1998, the congregation had grown from eighteen to thirty members.

We are happy to report that even though our pulpit was empty for over a year, we retained our Commissioned status and installed three new members during November of 1998. Also during this time the Board of Directors made a very important strategic decision. They felt that a full-time pastor was more important than finding a permanent meeting location. Therefore, they continued to meet at the Unitarian Church and saved money so a competitive, full-time benefits and salary package could be offered.

In a specially called Congregational meeting on November 21, 1999, the congregation voted unanimously to call Rev. Paul Anway to fill the pulpit. On December 13, 1999, Pastor Paul started full-time. Under Pastor Paul's leadership, we continued to grow in service and number. We reached over 50 active members who are involved in 6 different ministry areas. As we grew, so did our desire to have our own church property.

On December 4, 2007, we closed on the sale of property for Gentle Shepherd MCC, our first permanent location. Our church now meets at 4738 Thomasville Road, with our first service in the new building being held on December 23, 2007.

In February of 2007, we expanded our services to two per Sunday; a more traditional service held at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday mornings, and the other being more contemporary and held at 7:00pm on Sunday evenings.

In October, 2008, our church experienced another change when Rev. Anway resigned as Pastor. While still in a transition period, we were excited to hire an Interim Pastor to guide the flock at Gentle Shepherd MCC. On June 1, 2009, Rev. Mark Byrd officially joined us, and we held a formal Installation Service on September 13, 2009. We look forward to new ideas, new energy, new passion, and continued blessings from God.

As for our future, we do anticipate beginning a formal search for a full-time, permanent pastor, but in the meantime, we are enjoying the journey. God has blessed us, and we are excited about what God has in store for us. We would love for you to come join us in our journey as we serve God together. This is an incredible time to be part of this flock. A new chapter has begun in the life of GSMCC; and we invite you to help us write the next chapter of our history. Come walk with the flock at GSMCC.