Leaving a Legacy of Service - The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

Good Shepherd, Orland Makes an Important Decision

For more than fifty years, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Orland has been an important part of the community. Recently, due to an aging congregation and the relocation of some of its members, the congregation is no longer able to maintain their services of worship and the building in which they have been meeting. In Fall of 2011, Senior Warden Elizabeth Bonney asked Bishop Beisner to work with the congregation on the closure of the church and their final services. This difficult decision came about after a number of other options had been explored by the congregation and the clergy who have been serving them –most recently, the Rev.’s Gregg Churchill and Diana Lueckert. After a visit by their dean, the Very Rev. Jeff Frost, and the Rev. Canon Britt Olson, members voted unanimously to close in 2012.

The last Sunday service will be held on February 12, 2012 at 9:00 am. A final celebration of the ministry of Good Shepherd and an official deconsecration of the space will take place on Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 4:00 pm. All members of the diocese and those whom the ministry of Good Shepherd has touched over the years are invited to attend. The deconsecration service will be followed by a time of light refreshments. Clergy in attendance are encouraged to vest with purple stoles.

It is the desire of the remaining members of Good Shepherd that the contents of the church building, including those items dedicated for the purpose of worship, should be made available for continued use by other congregations. An announcement will follow, providing a list of those items and instructions on how to request them. The congregation has asked that the diocese work with a realtor for the disposition of the property, which has been well maintained and is debt free.

The legacy of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church will continue in the lives of the people who have been shaped by the many worship services and activities of this congregation. We are grateful for their faithfulness over the years, and ask your prayers for them as they continue their lives of faithful service as members of other congregations.