We Welcome You to 

The Church of the Good Shepherd 

(Episcopal)

680 Race Brook Road, Orange, Connecticut 06477 •  203-795-6577

RECTOR'S PAGE

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

    I cannot adequately express my gratitude for how thoroughly and graciously you have welcomed Alinda and me into the community of the Church of the Good Shepherd. 

    The number of volunteer hours that you have spent working in the Rectory to get it ready for us has been incalculable. Cleaning, painting, replacement of carpets, fixing plumbing, power washing, all have been expressions 

of your welcome to us. Thank you.

    In addition to preparing for the Sunday liturgy, writing sermons, and getting my 

office set up, I have been meeting with as many of you as I can to get to know

you better.  Please do not feel you need to wait for me to initiate such a meeting, 

but call or email ( bevanstanleycgs@optimum,net )  me yourself if you would

like to meet - or have a question or comment.

    You have also been understanding of the distractions of living in one place

while one's belongings are elsewhere.  You have been very patient in repeating

your names to me over and over as I try to put faces and names and relationships together.  You have been sharing your stories and your history with me.  You

have been guiding me around the idiosyncrasies that every parish has. Thank you.

    Let me add my voice to the Wardens' in urging you to make every effort to attend 

the "tell Our Story" session on Sunday, October 26th, from 4-8 p.m.  This is an

opportunity for you to gather the memories and history of this parish from its founding 

to the present. From it will emerge some clarity about what God has been up to in 

your midst. This will help define what is your special vocation as a parish, what 

particular gifts and character you have that make you unique as a congregation.

    As the fall gets underway, I am very much looking forward to starting our work

together as we move through this time between settled rectors. It will be a time

to think about why we have done some thing the way we have for a long time

and to test some new ideas. Do our traditions and habits still serve us well today?

Perhaps they are intrinsic to our identity.  Perhaps they are not. Perhaps there are

other ways to accomplish the same things or other things to accomplish.  It is

clear to me that you are a community with more than enough strength and

cohesion to handle this time of transition. It will be an adventure that I am glad

to be sharing with you.

                                                                            In Christ

                                                                            Bevan+

P.S.  By the way, I really do prefer that you call me "Bevan." If there is a reason

to be formal, then "Father Stanley."

Thanks.

email: thegoodshepherd@optimum.net