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A Brief History of The Episcopal Church of
the Good Shepherd, Maitland, Florida
As early as 1878, Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple, First
Bishop of Minnesota, began conducting services at his winter home in
Maitland. In 1881 construction
began on a formal place of worship, a wooden gothic structure typical of
church architecture of Florida at that time.
With land donated by Bishop Whipple, the church was completed at a
cost of $1, 800 and was consecrated on March 17, 1883.
The bishop officiated each winter until his death on September 16,
1901.
Due to lack of records it is thought that the church
was probably inactive during the period of 1907 until 1924 when the Rev. R.
P. Cobb came to Maitland.
Although apparently flourishing under his direction, the church was
eventually closed in 1934 was the Great Depression took its toll.
In 1949 with the assistance of parishioners Kenneth
McPherson, B. Ward Fleming, Jr. and Roland Wheeler, Bishop Henry Louttit
opened the Church of the Good Shepherd as a mission of All Saints Church,
Winter Park. The Rev. James L.
Duncan was priest in charge, followed in 1950 by the Rev. John Benton, Jr.
In 1954 Bishop Louttit appointed the Rev. George
Granger as the first vicar to serve both Good Shepherd and Christ Church in
Longwood. Then the church began
to grow. A rectory on George
Street, Maitland, was purchased, a parish house was built and paid for, and
the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) was formed.
Upon the retirement of Fr. Granger in June 1960, Bishop
Louttit appointed the Rev. Robert G. Tharp as full-time vicar to the Church
of the Good Shepherd. During
this time the church celebrated its 80th anniversary with a
picnic on the grounds. The wing
next to the chapel was built to serve as church schoolrooms and offices.
The Rev. Alfred L. Durrance followed Fr. Tharp in 1963
and during this time the church attained parish status and grew to the point
where a new church was built.
Nils M. Schweizer, a parishioner and architectural student of the
prestigious American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, designed it.
The last buildings in the courtyard complex were completed.
A day school was also formed and Monday night healing services were
started.
In 1968 under the spiritual direction of The Rev. David
Suellau, the church continued to expand.
The church’s 90th anniversary was celebrated on March 17,
1973 at the Maitland Civic Center.
A new parish hall and education building were completed as well as a
new rectory on Cottontail Lane in Maitland.
The Rev. Phillip E. Weeks served as rector from 1976
until 1980. The Rev. James A.
Shortess was called to Good Shepherd in 1981 and remained until his
retirement in 2003. During the
time Father Jim served as rector, many improvements to the campus were made.
The Rev. E. Mark Stevenson served our church from May
2004 until September 2005 when he was called to the Diocese of Louisiana as
Canon for Administration and Finance.
During his tenure Fr. Stevenson initiated many new programs and
revitalized our ministries.
Father John Nyhan and his wife, Monica, joined the Good
Shepherd family in 2006. Fr.
John was installed as rector on March 5, 2006.
Since their arrival, Father John and Monica have worked actively to
enrich the worshipping experiences at Good Shepherd always keeping the focus
on “It’s ALL ABOUT JESUS.”
According to Fr. John, “What we have at Good Shepherd
is rich! Our gospel is rich.
Our fellowship and love that we have for one another is rich.
Our diversity on many levels: racial, economic, liturgical, cultural,
gifts, and ministries—even our places of origin—are rich.
The heritage of Good Shepherd is rich!”
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