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| 1533: Good
Shepherd and St John the Evangelist, Milford, Pennsylvania,
USA |
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Mystery Worshipper:
Curiouser.
The church:
Good
Shepherd and St John the Evangelist, Milford, Pennsylvania,
USA.
Denomination:
The Episcopal Church, Diocese
of Bethlehem.
The building:
A charming little church, irregularly shaped, built of cobblestone
in all cuts and sizes and consecrated in 1916. It replaced an
earlier structure destroyed by fire. The exterior looks very
solid and sports a fancy slate roof. Inside, the ceiling is
quite high and the walls are white. The wooden ceiling is special
as is the tiny baptistery to the left of the entrance. The windows
are quite pleasing to the eye.
The church:
Good Shepherd parish was founded in 1849 and held services at
the local court house for many years until they could build
a proper church. The church of St John the Evangelist, in the
nearby town of Dingman's Ferry, was consecrated in 1888 as a
summer church for vacationers in the area, but was directed
by the bishop to hold weekly services throughout the year or
else face closure. The church's land was seized in 1972 by the
federal government for a dam project and the building was deconsecrated.
After the deconsecration ceremony, the bishop led the congregation
in procession to Good Shepherd, where they literally knocked
on the door and petitioned that the two parishes might be merged.
Today the parish seems to be a destination church, as people
come from some distance to attend. They sponsor all the usual
ministries, outreaches and church societies, including a group
responsible for cleaning the building and surrounding grounds
that calls itself – are you sitting down? – Shine
Jesus Shine!
The neighborhood:
Milford is a tiny little town on the border between New Jersey
and Pennsylvania. Approximately a two hour drive from New York,
it has been a popular vacation spot ever since the Gilded Age.
Rich in stately old Victorian houses, sprawling parklands, and
a new infusion of spas, Milford along with the surrounding environs
of the Delaware highlands is a little bit hip, a little bit
homey, and a fun place to visit. The church is located off the
main street in a residential area and counts among its neighbors
a firehouse, a park, a playground, and an historic old tree.
The cast:
The Revd William J. McGinty, rector, better known as Father
Bill, celebrated and preached.
The date & time:
Third Sunday in Lent, February 24, 2008, 8.00am.
What was the name of the service?
Holy Eucharist, Rite II, Said Service.
How full was the building?
Sparsely populated, maybe nine or ten people at the most. Everyone
seemed to prefer to sit toward the back. There had, however,
been a bad snowstorm that weekend.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
An usher greeted us at the entrance with a friendly smile and
gave us a service bulletin and a church newsletter plus various
other pieces of colorful informational paper.
Was your pew comfortable?
The pew was standard wooden without attached kneelers, which
gave us some more legroom than usual. There were round, tall,
puffy red pillows covered with some kind of synthetic material
to kneel upon. I got the impression they would float if you
happened to have one to throw overboard while at sea.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Casual and quiet aside from some coughing.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins; his mercy endures
forever."
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
The 1979 Book of Common Prayer.
What musical instruments were played?
The church has recently acquired a very grand organ built by
the Andover firm of Methuen, Massachusetts. Interestingly, the
organ had been delivered to the door of the church but volunteers
had to be recruited to carry it inside pipe by pipe, piece by
piece. At any rate, it was nicely played by the young organist.
Did anything distract you?
As is so common in older buildings in the northeast during winter,
the heating system emitted a loud hissing sound. Fortunately
it limited itself to that – there was no clanging of pipes
or dripping of valves that I could discern.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
A very simple, very respectful Rite II low mass, or "said
service" as was advertised.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
11 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7 – Father Bill had an odd and most distracting habit of
looking heavenward as he preached. First he would direct his
gaze far upward to the right, then far upward to the left, then
to the right again, and so on. At first I thought he was glancing
at a clock, or perhaps following the flight of a bird that had
taken refuge from the cold outdoors among the hissing steam
pipes. But eventually I realized it was just a habit of his.
Otherwise it was a solid sermon.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
His basic message emphasized thinking about how to be a better
person, build a better world, and show commitment to others.
Christ is the teacher moving us toward a life of service.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
The church is lovely and I really liked being there. And everyone
was so friendly! The priest obviously enjoyed his calling. And
during the peace everyone shook hands with everyone else, including
the organist. I can see heaven as a place where the blessed
are constantly exchanging happy greetings.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
We had dressed properly for church but, as it turned out, were
a bit overdressed. Everyone else was wearing sweatshirts, sweat
pants and other such sports gear.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
People smiled at us and the rector came over and chatted with
us unhurriedly for quite a good while.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
If there was coffee somewhere we were not made aware of it.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
8 – I wouldn't mind it if location permitted. The people
and the rector were very kind and the service was just fine.
I would go again if I were in the area.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes, I'd say so.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The friendly, comfortable atmosphere. |
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| The Mystery Pilgrim |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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| Read reports from 70 London churches, visited by a small army of Mystery Worshippers on one single Sunday. Read here. |
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