History of Our Parish
The Church of the Good Shepherd was organized as a mission in the Missionary District of Northern Texas in December of 1884, just two years after the founding of Wichita Falls. The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway donated a building site on the northwest corner of Eighth and Lamar Streets, and the cornerstone for the first church was laid on May 26, 1885. Several gifts came to help furnish this new church on the "frontier": a beautiful baptismal font from the Women's Auxiliary of Philadelphia (still in use), and from friends of our Bishop, Alexander Garrett, came two carved alms basins and silver communion vessels. Renovated in 1903, this church provided a "decent and well-rendered" though small house of worship. Good Shepherd provided the only regular church services in an area of 10,000 square miles. The metropolis of Wichita Falls boasted 4000 people; it had no paved streets and only a few cement sidewalks had replaced wooden ones. Electric service generally was available only from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. daily.
From its founding a number of rectors served from a few months to a few years, interspersed with periods of only intermittent services as the town and the congregation struggled to grow. Lay people took a strong role in seeing that the church survived and eventually grew. In November of 1912 the arrival of a new rector from Lansing, Michigan, gave the church a new lease on life. He immediately began work to organize the congregation as a Parish; this was accomplished in February 1913. The cornerstone of the present church at Tenth and Burnett Streets was laid on April 13, 1915; the church was dedicated on October 5, 1915. The old property was sold and the building moved to the new site and remodeled for use as a Parish house (partly visible in an old picture).
The church grew and prospered through the mid-1920's. The Women's Auxiliary and various women's guilds contributed greatly to parish life. A Parish House was built on Tenth Street next to the church in 1926.
By 1936 national and local financial conditions had improved and the church was debt free. A new rector, the Rev. Claude A. Beesley, had arrived in February 1933, and would continue as rector until his retirement in September of 1962. Dr. Beesley was a native of England who emigrated to Canada at age 20, where he received his theological education and ordination. This background, plus ten years ministry in Dallas, coupled with his scholarship in a number of areas, including the Bible and New Testament Greek, strongly influenced and benefited his ministry at Good Shepherd. His participation in community activities encouraged social service activities in the parish, which had already been involved with numerous areas of service and assistance. A long list of services and outreach took place during and following WWII. In another vein, during the late 40's and early 50's Good Shepherd had eight young men in varying stages of preparation for the priesthood.
In 1938 the first of Good Shepherd's magnificent stained glass windows was installed above the altar. Made by the Jacoby Art Glass Company of St. Louis, it depicts Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Between 1944 and 1948 eight other memorial windows portraying scenes in the life of Jesus were added, culminating in the tremendous Ascension Window which dominates the rear wall of the church. In 1939 a new organ specially designed for Good Shepherd's building and made by the Wicks Company was installed. In the 1990’s it was completely rebuilt and updated.
Beginning with the opening of “Sheppard Field” in the early 1940’s, Good Shepherd has been enriched by the privilege of providing a spiritual home for countless families and individuals from Sheppard Air Force Base. We treasure them while they are here and send them on their way with our love and prayers. Several of our present families are retired AF who decided to “stick around.”
The Rev. Alanson Brown, who succeeded Dr. Beesley, was very different from his predecessor, and brought his own distinctive gifts and personality to the parish. In 1966-67 the church and parish house were completely remodeled, and in 1977 a new office building provided improved office and choir space, plus a parlor/library with adjacent bride's room and small kitchen. Worship patterns changed from regular Morning Prayer with Holy Communion on the first Sunday to Holy Communion every week. Good Shepherd continued to have a strong Christian Education program for both children and adults. In the early 1970's the Rev. Dennis Bennett was invited to speak at Good Shepherd and the Charismatic renewal began. Many people found their spiritual lives deepened and enriched by this new dimension of worship; lay ministry and prayer and study groups expanded and stewardship grew. Fr. Brown's sense of "boundaries" concerning allowable theology and practice undoubtedly played a strong part in preserving balance. As he battled ill health in the early 1980's the movement became less prominent in parish life.
In 1975 James A. (Jay) Rogers came to Good Shepherd under the Diocesan Curacy Program following graduation from Nashotah House. He remained as assistant rector until Fr. Brown's retirement at the end of 1983. He served as interim and was called as rector, assuming that position in May of 1984. Within months a move to reactivate full Charismatic expression, with a strong fundamentalist influence became apparent. Conflict developed between those who held to the orthodox theology of the Church and traditional Episcopal practice (many of whom had also been active in the original Charismatic renewal at Good Shepherd) and those who seemed to consider these elements to be in conflict with the free movement of the Spirit. Attempts at reconciliation were tried, but they were unsuccessful. When Fr. Rogers left, approximately 30 adults and a dozen children left with him to form a new congregation, which lasted only a few months.
The services of a supply priest were obtained until a new rector was called. The Rev. James W. Rooney assumed this position in August 1992. He was a former parishioner who had been active in the early renewal at Good Shepherd. He was aware of the recent problems, and it was felt that his renewal experience coupled with his strong Anglo-Catholic leanings would be valuable in bringing healing and unity to the parish. Gradually, Fr. Rooney's great interest in the Antiochian Orthodox Church became evident. There was great concern in the parish about the “national church’s” positions on sexual morality, inclusive language, and women's ordination and how they would be dealt with at the 1994 General Convention. Disappointed that the Convention did not take a stand for orthodox Anglican teaching, on Nov. 13 he resigned as rector and announced that he was leaving the Episcopal Church and would be ordained in the Antiochian Orthodox Church. He formed a congregation in Wichita Falls, and about 45 adults and 20 children and young people left with him. Many were long-time members who had become convinced that the Episcopal Church was beyond hope.
Once again the parish closed ranks and began to rebuild parish life. After an 18 month period for a time of healing and a careful study of our needs, we called a new rector, Fr. Bob Landback. The people of Good Shepherd were hungry to get back to being a church full of life and activity. The four Landback children were a good nucleus for the youth group that began to form and grow. Regular dinners for newcomers to the parish were held, study groups formed, and our numbers gradually increased. After seven years Fr. Landback felt that he had fulfilled the purpose for which he had been called, and accepted a call to serve at a church in Connecticut.
Again a search process began, and Good Shepherd called the Rev. Scott Wooten. Fr. Wooten grew up in Fort Worth, and had worked for seven years as an architect before responding to God’s call to the ordained ministry. He had been serving in several small missions in the diocese before receiving the call to Good Shepherd. He began his new ministry with us on July 4, 2004. Since Fr. Scott’s arrival, Good Shepherd has seen a strong emphasis on Christian Education for all ages and we are working on the physical plant in many areas to assure that it is able to support parish life comfortably.
The Episcopal Diocese of Ft. Worth, which affiliated with the Protestant Episcopal Church U.S.A. in 1983 when the diocese was formed from the western portion of the Diocese of Dallas, has withdrawn from (now) The Episcopal Church and will soon affiliate with the new Anglican Church in No. America. We have retained the classic and traditional Episcopalian teachings. We still worship according to “the faith once delivered to the saints,” using the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the 1980 Hymnal. The new province assures Good Shepherd and it’s people membership in the global Anglican communion, as well as closer relations to both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. We invite all who are interested in worshiping according to traditional Episcopal faith and practice to join us in worship and fellowship.
Compiled by Dorothy Eason for Rector Search Packets in 1995, using material from Dr. Beesley's book An Ever Rolling Stream and from personal knowledge.