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The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd We are Progressive We're a progressive congregation within the Episcopal Church in the United States (ECUSA), which belongs to the worldwide Anglican Communion. We're a small but diverse group with a wide range of experiences, backgrounds and perspectives. We understand our diversity as a particular gift of God's grace to us. We seek to welcome the gifts each of us brings to our congregation, and we seek gifts from those who visit us and who may wish to join us.
Click here for more on "Progressive Christianity" We are Episcopal and Anglican We are people who take Christian faith seriously, but not in dogmatic or authoritarian ways. We think that mature faith is distinguished by its openness to questions and its willingness to grow in understanding. In our life together we seek to retrieve the rich resources of Christian traditions for our worship and for living the Christian life. We also wish to expand the images and texts we use in our worship to reflect our growing understanding of God and God's presence among us. So while we rely on the most recent version of the American Book of Common Prayer (1979) to guide us, we also draw on other sources for our liturgical life, including our own communal theological reflection. We take care to craft our liturgies with gender-inclusive language and to stress God's unconditional love for all people, as well as the responsibility this entails for us to work for social justice and to treat every human person with dignity and respect.
Click here for more on the "Episcopal Church" and the "Anglican Communion" Sunday Morning Liturgy We welcome everyone to join us for our Sunday morning liturgy at eleven o’clock. We're blessed to have a number of volunteer clergy among us who preside and preach at our liturgies. No two Sundays are quite the same at Good Shepherd, so do visit us more than once. We celebrate the Eucharist (Holy Communion) together each Sunday and everyone is welcome to receive the Sacrament with us.
We also offer a variety of opportunities for prayer on other days of the week and on special occasions. Education and Socializing Coffee, tea, and goodies are offered each Sunday morning in the Parish Hall following the liturgy. We also like to party on other occasions and offer a variety of opportunities for socializing and building community. We also offer a variety of educational programs throughout the year on topics ranging from early church history, to Anglican theology and ethics, liturgical formation and contemporary moral issues. Be sure to check under "Upcoming Events" on our home page for details on both educational and social events. Leadership The Reverend Este Gardner Cantor serves Good Shepherd as priest-in-charge. About Este. Numerous associate clergy also share in the liturgical leadership of the church, including Bill Countryman, Jay E. Johnson, Peggy Moore, and Jan Wood. Good Shepherd is led by a Bishop’s Committee, a group of lay people elected by the Good Shepherd community. Bishop’s Committee members serve for three-year terms. Members for 2010 are:
The Bishop’s Committee meets monthly; meetings are open to all members of the community. For time and place, leave a message for one of the Senior Wardens at 510.549.1433. In addition, lay people also preach, and nearly everyone engages in several different types of ministry, from flowers to refreshments, and from music to plumbing. We are occasionally treated to the singing of the “Good Shepherd Sometimes Singers”, who rehearse sporadically throughout the year and sing for major feast days, like Christmas and Easter. Click here for more reasons why you might want to visit us and participate in our congregational life.
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