Church of the Good Shepherd, Athens, Ohio, history

A BRIEF HISTORY

In July, 1875, it is recorded an Episcopal Sunday School met at the Ohio University Chapel. Shortly thereafter the Episcopal Mite Society was organized, and the Rev. Mr. Haskins of Brooklyn, New York, preached at a 10:30 a.m. service at the same college chapel, presumably the first Episcopal service held in Athens. That year, 1875, also marked the beginning of the Diocese of Southern Ohio under the Episcopate of Bishop Augustus Jaggar. Regular services were held at different intervals until 1881, and then suspended until after the turn of the century.

On April 16, 1907, the Hocking Valley Mission was formed. Athens at that time was the smallest of three small metropolitan centers in the Hocking Valley; the others being Logan and Nelsonville. The Episcopal mission, along with Good Shepherd, included St. Paul's Logan; Epiphany, Nelsonville; Trinity, McArthur; and St. David's, Jackson (now defunct). The worshipping Episcopal community in Wellston elected to join with the mission in Jackson since it seemed to have more of a future than the Athens Church.

For the following fifty years Good Shepherd mission was served by priests-in-charge, some staying for brief periods of a year or two, others for longer spans of time. Eleven different clergy (men) were responsible for the spiritual leadership of the mission until it assumed parish status in 1958.

After meeting in various locales such as the Presbyterian Church; the basement of Carnegie Hall, now the School of Journalism; and the Ohio University Fine Arts Building, later known as "Music Hall," the first church building was constructed at East State and Carpenter Streets (subsequently the Kenney Wesleyan Church for many years, now Prokos rental apartments). Purchase of the land, at a cost of $2000, was made on June 5, 1913, but the cornerstone was not placed until four years later on May 27, 1917. The church was officially dedicated in October, 1920, by Bishops Vincent and Reese. The Athens Messenger reported "the church was beautifully decorated with colorful fall flowers for the occasion, and a quartet closed the service with an appropriate vocal selection." Good Shepherd was said to be "one of the finest small structures in the city."

In the early 1950s with the support of Bishop Henry Hobson, and the assistance of a diocesan-wide college building fund, money was raised to relocate and construct the present building on University Terrace in order to develop a parish-based ministry. Bishop Hobson laid the corner stone of the "new church" on November 2, 1952, and six years later Good Shepherd was admitted as a parish into union with the Diocese of Southern Ohio. The Rev. Phil Porter thus became the first rector that year. Five other rectors have served the church since then. The Rev. William Black, VII Bishop of Southern Ohio, had tenure from 1962 to 1973. The Rev. E. F. Michael Morgan served from 1979 to 2002. Please see tables below for complete listings.

After a two and a half year interim, the Vestry extended a call on behalf of Good Shepherd to the Rev. R. William Carroll, who was serving as a visiting assistant professor of systematic theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Fr Carroll arrived in Athens in May 2006 and continues to serve the ministry of the Church of the Good Shepherd to this day.

In recent years the church has developed a special ministry to international students. Good Shepherd has also fostered many vocations to the ordained ministry. Two deacons, and several seminarians have been sponsored by the parish within the past decade. In addition, several curates, assistants, and associated clergy have been thoroughly integrated into the on-going life of the parish. Most recently, we have been blessed with the ministry of the Rev. Steve Domienik, who has taken on responsibility for campus ministry, including ecumenical cooperation with Christ Lutheran Church and the United Campus Ministry. As we enter into the second century of God's mission in the Hocking Valley, much has changed. The Good News has not. Building on the faithful ministry of generations who have gone before, let us pray for the grace to move forward in mission. May we put our trust in God and be filled with hope and love.

For more reading: Please consult the following two books, the latter in particular. These can be found in the Church's collection, the citations are linked to copies in the University's Alden Library.

Peckham, Harry Houston: The Good Shepherd, Athens, Ohio : first half century, 1907- 1957 (Athens, Ohio: Church of the Good Shepherd, 1959)

Robert L. Daniel & Harry H. Peckham: The Good Shepherd of Athens, 1907-1987 (Athens, Ohio: The Church of the Good Shepherd, c1987)

CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD MILESTONES

First Prayerbook Service - July 1875

Established April 16, 1907,
as the Hocking Valley Mission Parish:
Diocese of Southern Ohio - 1958

Parish building constructed in 1952
View historic documents of ceremonies
(approximately 400K download)
Member: Hocking Valley Deanery - January, 1992

CLERGY REGISTER

PRAYERBOOK SERVICES IN ATHENS

PRIESTS IN CHARGE (Hocking Valley Mission until 1958)
The Rev. Mr. Haskins The Rev. J. N. Lee The Rev. Charles D. Barbour The Rev. Mr. Rambo	July, 1875 1876-1878 1878-1880 1880-1881
The Rev. Alfred W. Buckland The Rev. Alfred J. Wilder The Rev. Willard D. Stires The Rev. C. B. Plummer The Rev. Arthur H. Marshall The Rev. Brinley Abbott The Rev. E. B. Pielow The Rev. Lloyd Willis Clarke The Rev. Robert G. Purrington The Rev. Sydney G. Browne (photo) The Rev. Phil Porter, Jr. (photo) The Rev. Michael Jupin, Interim (photo)	1907-1911 1911-1916 1916-1919 1919-1920 1921-1924 1924-1925 1925-1930 1931-1937 1938-1944 1945-1949 1949-1958 2003-2006
RECTORS
The Rev. Phil Porter, Jr. (photo) The Rev. Pitt Sawyer Willand (photo) The Rev. William Grant Black (photo) The Rev. Phillip Edward McNairy (photo) The Rev. E. F. Michael Morgan (photo) The Rev. R. William Carroll (photo)	1958 1958-1961 1962-1973 1973-1978 1979-2002 2006 - present
ASSISTING CLERGY
The Rev. Rollin Polk The Rev. Fredrick Wells The Rev. Roma Alvah King, Jr. (photo) The Rev. Edward Archer Daugherty The Rev. Robert Hughes (photo) The Rev. Arthur L. Savage, Jr. (photo) The Rev. Felix Obayan The Rev. Canon John Ogundimite (photo) The Rev. Katharin L. Foster (photo) The Rev. Steve Domienik	1947 1960-1962 1963-1974 1965-1968 1969-1972 1978-1998 1980-1983 1989-1992 1991-1995 2009 - present

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22/Jan/2010