Welcome in the Name of Christ!

Good Shepherd is proud to be a continuing congregation in the Epsicopal Church, a member of the world-wide Anglican Communion.

We believe that it is our shared prayer and worship that bind us together in Christ’s Body, the church, rather than complete agreement on issues or political viewpoints. The radical hospitality of Jesus Christ informs everything we do at Good Shepherd.

As Episcopalians, we believe that God has given us scripture, tradition, reason, and experience to help us discern together God’s purpose for us. We believe in open Communion, so all baptized Christians may receive Communion at the Lord’s table.

We are glad you are visiting us online, if you have questions or would like more information, please contact our office.

325-659-3800 goodshepherdepiscopal1@gmail.com

Upcoming Events:

Confirmation Class will be held in the fall, contact the church office for information.

Service Information:

Sunday School will resume in the fall.

Sunday Service starts at 10:45

Facebook Livestream has resumed.

Deacon Connie Fowler Retires from Ordained Ministry

May 13, 2026

Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas

On Friday, March 27, clergy and friends gathered to celebrate the retirement of Deacon Connie Fowler and to give thanks for her many years of faithful ministry. The evening was filled with stories, laughter, gratitude, and remembrance as those who have served alongside Deacon Connie came together to honor her vocation and service to the Church.

Among those present were Edson Way, who served as priest-in-charge from April 2016 to April 2017; Bob Barndt, a retired ELCA pastor who regularly provided supply ministry; Christopher Simpson, current rector; Jim Liggett, former rector who was present when Connie was ordained; and Mike Ehmer, who also served the congregation faithfully through supply ministry over many years.

Deacon Connie’s ministry has touched countless lives through her faithfulness and dedication to the people of God. As she enters retirement, the Diocese of Northwest Texas gives thanks for her years of service and prays God’s continued blessings upon her in this new season of life and ministry.

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RIP: Former Southern Ohio Bishop Thomas Breidenthal dies at 75

May 15, 2026

[Diocese of Southern Ohio] The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio gives thanks for the life and ministry of its ninth bishop diocesan, the Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, who died May 14 surrounded by his family. He was 75. Elected bishop in 2006 and consecrated the following year, Breidenthal served the Diocese of Southern Ohio until his retirement in 2020. A theologian, teacher and pastor, he was known for his intellectual depth, his commitment to formation and his care for the people of the diocese. He was a leader in the wider Episcopal Church, notably for his support and leadership in the blessing of same-sex unions, including overturning a diocesan ban in 2009. In 2015, he was nominated for election as presiding bishop. Breidenthal advanced the church’s ongoing work of racial reconciliation through Beloved Community, commissioning a Task Force on Racial Reparations in 2020 that continues today as the Commission for Reparative Justice. He was a gifted teacher and writer, and the author of “Christian Households: The Sanctification of Nearness” and “Sacred Unions: A New Guide to Lifelong Commitment.” Before becoming bishop, Breidenthal attended Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, going on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Portland (Oregon) State University and his master’s degree in English literature from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. He received his M.Div. from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California, in 1981. He was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in the Diocese of Oregon in 1981 and 1982, respectively, going on to serve congregations and an Episcopal school in Oregon; Oxford, England; and New York. He was an Episcopal Church Foundation Fellow at Oxford University, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in theology. From 1992 to 2001, he served as the John Henry Hobart Professor of Christian Ethics and Moral Theology at The General Theological Seminary in New York City, later serving as dean of religious life and of the chapel at Princeton University. Breidenthal is survived by his wife, Margaret, whom he married in 1984, as well as their two daughters, Magdalene and Lucy, and their families and friends. “Tom Breidenthal’s ministry in this diocese was marked by wisdom and theological commitment,” Southern Ohio Bishop Kristin Uffelman White said. “He challenged people throughout the diocese to think more deeply, to love more fully, and to follow Christ more faithfully — a witness to the transformational power of life in Jesus Christ. I am deeply grateful for his life and witness and for the care he shared with me, personally. I join with people across this diocese and the wider Church in commending him to God’s eternal care.” The diocese will share information about plans for his funeral as soon as it is available. Breidenthal requested that gifts in his memory be made to the Diocese of Southern Ohio’s Beloved Community ministries. Gifts marked in memory of the bishop may be mailed to The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, 412 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. An online giving portal is pending, and the notice on the diocese’s website will be updated once it’s available. Condolences may be sent to the family c/o The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, 412 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202.

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Court reopens arms trafficking case against several Diocese of Haiti leaders

May 15, 2026

Episcopal News Service

[Episcopal News Service] Several church leaders in the Diocese of Haiti are headed to trial in a weapons trafficking case, after an appeals court in the Caribbean island country reversed a lower court ruling that had dismissed the charges. The latest developments in the ongoing criminal case create new uncertainty for a diocese that has been dealing for years with internal leadership battles. It also has been without a diocesan bishop since 2019. In July 2022, the arms trafficking scandal ensnared at least a half dozen current and former diocesan officials, including the standing committee president at the time, the Rev. Jean Madoché Vil. The allegations stem from the seizure of weapons and ammunition found in containers that had been shipped to the country under the cover of the Diocese of Haiti’s religious customs exemption status. The diocese denied involvement in the scheme, though a local human rights organization’s investigative report said several of the arrested suspects were connected to the diocese, including Jean Mary Jean Gilles, a diocesan accountant, and Manion Saint-Germain, a diocesan messenger. Others charged in the case included the Rev. Frantz Cole and the Rev. Fritz Désiré. The charges against church leaders were dismissed in September 2023 by a judge who said there was not enough evidence linking them directly to the arms shipments, according to the Haitian Times. Then last month, Haiti’s Court of Appeal reopened the case and ordered the defendants to stand trial. The reversal in the court case comes as The Episcopal Church has sought ways of supporting one of its largest dioceses by membership as the diocese struggles through its long-term leadership transition. “The Episcopal Church is home to an active network of parishes, dioceses, governance leaders and presiding bishop’s staff that supports ministry and mission in the Episcopal Church of Haiti,” Rebecca Wilson, the presiding bishop’s chief of strategy, said in a written statement. “We are keenly aware that the allegations of arms trafficking against several clergy and lay members of the diocese weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of thousands of faithful Episcopalians in the diocese, adding an extra burden as they serve God tirelessly in the midst of the country’s current crisis. “As the case makes its way through the Haitian Court of Appeal, the rest of The Episcopal Church will continue to support the ministry of the congregations, schools, and clinics, of the Episcopal Church of Haiti and to pray for peace and justice within the diocese and across the entire country.” The diocese has been without a bishop since Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin retired without a successor in 2019. The result of its last bishop election was disputed, and there remains no clear timeline for calling a new bishop. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.