Good Shepherd Church in Hilltown celebrates 60 years

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The shining little church on the hill celebrates its 60th birthday this year.

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church has been in Hilltown since 1953, beginning as a gathering of 22 people in a living room. The congregation moved to hosting services in the one-room Leidytown Schoolhouse on Sundays. The first service in the schoolhouse was on Good Shepherd Sunday, giving the parish its name.

Betsy Uhl, one of the original parishioners, has been attending Good Shepherd services in the schoolhouse since she was 11.

In 1956, the schoolhouse was put up for auction. The parishioners together raised enough funds to purchase the school, and it has been the home of the church since then.

?We?ve always been a can-do congregation,? Uhl said. ?We might be small, but we?ve had some remarkable members and we get things done. Whenever there?s been a need or emergency, we?ve rallied together to face it. Coming up with the money to buy the church is just one example.?

A few years ago, there was a leak in the church?s flat roof, causing rotting and severe damage, Uhl said. A section of the parish house wall was on the verge of collapse.

?We had an emergency situation where we needed to come up with the money and repair the roof,? she said. ?The vestry and congregation came together, and we got the money in time. Whenever we have had a need, we?ve found a way to solve the problem.?

In its 60 years in Hilltown, Good Shepherd has been a leader in women?s involvement in church.

?We were the first church to have women in the vestry in the Episcopal church,? said Uhl. ?And we were the first to have a female senior warden.?

Hilltown?s current pastor is a woman named Harper Turney, who leads the congregation with her husband, Wayne Turney.

?Rev. Turney and her husband have enlightened our services at Good Shepherd,? Uhl said.

Back in February, on the actual day of the 60th anniversary, Turney and the parish hosted a small luncheon for members of the church.

?We had a birthday cake,? Barbara Cassel, the 60th anniversary event chairwoman, said. ?It was a small celebration, just for current parishioners. In October, we?ll be holding our big event.?

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Good Shepherd is planning to host an open house Oct. 20.

?We?re going have a sort of homecoming party,? Cassel said. ?We?re inviting all current and past members, family and friends for a luncheon in October, after the regularly scheduled 10 a.m. church service.?

After the private luncheon, Good Shepherd will host an open house for parishioners and members of the community.

?The church will be open, and there will be committees stationed throughout the church,? Uhl said. ?They?ll have presentations about what?s been going on in the church. We will have a history presentation and displays for all of the committees.?

Uhl said she is looking forward to gathering with past and present church members.

?Our church is a very welcoming place,? she said. ?People always say that they feel something here that they haven?t felt at other churches.?

Source: http://www.thereporteronline.com/article/20130718/NEWS01/130719603/good-shepherd-church-in-hilltown-celebrates-60-years

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