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We Welcome You to The Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal) |
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680 Race Brook Road, Orange, Connecticut 06477 • 203-795-6577 |
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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
Our webmaster, Bob Reid, can be contacted at rjreid@optonline.net or by phone during the day at 203-799-8176
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