|
A
Brief History
A small
group of families began to worship at the rustic grange building
Corral de Tierra in March, 1955. They were soon recognized as a
mission by the Diocese of California and called Rev. Jerome
Politzer as vicar. This quaint grange building is still used today
by our Preschool.
The Herman
Marks family gifted three acres in 1955, and groundbreaking
ceremonies for the present church building were held in August,
1958.
The Rev.
Paul Danielson became Good Shepherd’s second vicar in 1968.
The parish hall was completed during his tenure.
In 1970 this growing mission church received full parish
status in the Diocese of California.
The Church of the Good Shepherd is now [since 1980] part of
the Diocese of El Camino Real.
On March,
1985, the Rev. George F. Kohn was installed as our third rector.
Unfortunately, the relationship with our well-loved rector was
abruptly terminated with his suspension in October, 1994.
Although our shock and grief were great, stronger and more
mature Christians emerged within the Good Shepherd community as we
dealt with and moved beyond this very difficult period.
As Interim Rector, the Rev. Ann-Lining Smith guided us
through our healing process.
In
September, 1996, the church’s fourth rector, the Rev. James
Rhodenhiser, was installed. In 2002 the footprint of the Church of
the Good Shepherd grew seven-fold through a generous gift of 20
acres of adjoining property. Fr.
James was called to a parish in
Michigan
in 2003, and one year later, the Rev. Patricia Barrett was called
to Good Shepherd. Unfortunately, she has been called to a parish
on
Cape Cod
, leaving January 18, 2008. We
will miss her AND her husband Will very much.
Our Location
We are in
the Pastures of Heaven,
according to
Salinas
’ native author
John Steinbeck in the book of the same name.
Corral de Tierra is about half way between
Salinas
and
Monterey
, off of Highway 68. (www.goodshepherdcorral.org)
We are
part of the Diocese of Camino Real, The
Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves, Bishop.
(www.
edecr.org)
Our Membership
We
are a pastoral-sized church of 220 members and 75 pledging units. We
consider ourselves truly Episcopalian, with a wide range of
religious and political beliefs.
We welcome all; our mission is To
Know Christ and Make Christ Known.
Our 2004 survey
(conducted during our last Rector Search) reveals about thirty
percent of our congregation are "seniors;” thirty-four
percent are families with children, from toddlers to older teens.
About twenty members are single.
Our lay leadership
involves a high percentage of congregants serving in worship or in
a variety of other supportive roles from Parish Care to
Stewardship. We
completed a capital campaign in 2007 raising over one
million dollars for the update and renovation of our sanctuary,
other capital repairs and paying for some costs associated with
the gift of the land mentioned above.
Our Worship
Our Sunday Worship services are Eucharist-centered (although
Morning Prayer is conducted occasionally) and involve an active group of lay leaders.
We offer an intimate, prayerful experience at 8 a.m.
and a family-oriented service at 10 a.m. with a Healing Station.
We sing a variety of music from the 1982 Hymnal,
Wonder Love and Praise, as well as from the hymnals of other
denominations. The
third Sunday of each month features our folk group playing
Cursillo music and other folk literature.
Additionally, Rev. Barrett led a mid-week Holy Eucharist followed by a study group.
Christian
Education
The
children leave the service after a children’s blessing for
age-appropriate Christian education, including Godly
Play for the younger, and return for Communion.
We celebrate a confirmation class, open to all baptized
adults and young adults, in conjunction with the Bishop’s
schedule. Our youth group is in a transitional period, and we have recently hired a
Youth Coordinator.
Our
Adult Education has included a series sponsored by the Stewardship
Ministry Team exploring Interfaith leadership in environmental
stewardship of God’s creation, Journaling Workshops, and various
bible studies. During
Lent we have a Wednesday night soup supper followed by a
well-attended study of current issues in the church.
Our
Preschool
Our
Preschool and Enrichment Program, founded in 1960, serves 106
children at two locations: the church and the Grange building
nearby. We are guiding spiritually the next generation of
Monterey
County
leaders in our program. Scholarships
are also available.
Our
program encourages learning and spiritual growth in an atmosphere
of trust and respect of self and others. We challenge children to
think, reason, question and experiment.
Our curriculum provides opportunities through play for
physical, social, emotional, creative, spiritual and intellectual
growth. Parents of Preschoolers
(POPS) support is strong and includes fundraising.
A Preschool
Commission, made up of parents
and church members,
plays an oversight role, reporting to the Vestry.
Several families have become members of Good Shepherd.
Our
Outreach
In
addition to our Diocesan Fair Share, our parish feeds the men in
transition in the I-HELP program on the third Sunday of every
month. We participate
in various outreach programs at the Salinas County Jail (with the
assistance of our Deacon Cynthia Montague, who is the Chaplain
there), an active knitting group creates prayer shawls for those
in need; Meals on Wheels, Meals That Heal, and others.
Our Hopes and
Challenges
Rev.
Barrett’s leadership has left us in a very healthy, spiritual
place. Unfortunately,
the economic downturn has impacted our anonymous donor’s ability
to pay the note on the property gifted to us in 2002. A committee
of capable lay leaders has taken on the opportunity to mitigate
this financial challenge, soliciting much input, working with the
bank, and communicating actively with the parish every step of the
way. It is important to note that while the safety of the church itself is
not at risk, many
would like to keep the property if at all possible to fulfill
visions of a community spiritual retreat space and the possible
construction of a rectory. In
light of the economic challenges we now face, a new exercise in
Discernment is appropriate – which may result in a different
vision or outcome for the land.
Our Staff
Deacon
The Deacon reports
to and is assigned by the Bishop.
Although our current Deacon serves as full-time chaplain at
the Salinas
County Jail, she also serves at our Sunday
services and provides pastoral care to our congregation.
Music
Director
The Music Director
position is approximately “3/8 time.”
The music director assists in worship planning, directs the
adult choir and the folk group, and plays the piano at services.
Administrative
Assistant
This position is
currently 16 hours per week, supporting parish and priest as
needed.
Preschool
Director
The director runs the preschool and reports to the Rector.
She supervises 11
teachers and aides, the Preschool Chaplain, as well as a budget of
$XX.
Sexton
Full-Time duties, for both the church and preschool.
What We Seek In a
Rector
Consensus from our 2004 Survey reveals:
·
Our rector must be a true shepherd with
the natural, genuine, God-given gift of liking and caring for
people. He or she must
have the ability to demonstrate compassion for all members of this
church family.
·
Inspire
the congregation from the pulpit through relevant, inspirational
Sunday sermons, communicating a comprehensive understanding of the
Bible and Christian theology.
·
Lead prayers,
worship and sacramental services with due reverence.
·
Excellent music in worship is critical to
parishioners.
·
Ability to work with people of diverse views and
background.
·
Management skills appropriate to oversee a business
the size of our Preschool; continue to partner with and integrate
the preschool into the church community.
·
Continue to foster success in our areas of strength,
including lay leadership.
Our 2009 priorities
remain the same with the additional requirements of:
·
S/he must understand the financial challenges we now
face, keeping lay leaders on track towards resolution with
constant communication to the congregation.
·
Ability to facilitate exploration of a new vision
for the church and land.
The Vestry
and the Bishop have concluded that at this juncture, the church
would benefit most from assigning a Priest-in-Charge. We
look forward to greeting this new leader and moving forward
together to face the challenges and joys ahead in Knowing
Christ and Making Christ Known.
The
Episcopal Church in the Diocese of El Camino Real
|
