Dear Sisters and Brothers,
On behalf of 16,000 Episcopalians in the fourteen counties of Northeast Pennsylvania, I have joy in welcoming you to the Church of the Good Shepherd. This vibrant and and creative local expression of our wider family will welcome you and walk with you on your spiritual path.
Our diocesan community connects and assists all parishes in education, youth, and outreach possibilities. Currently we are raising capital funds to allow Christians in war-torn Sudan to rebuild their lives, while also seeking to fund new social ministry efforts in our own region. All in all, this is a diocese that focuses on community and mission. Our motto is "community-based, not issue- driven."
You will find the stance of the diocese particularly well- represented at Good Shepherd, where all of God's children are embraced as part of the family. Issues that divide and exclude in other places are transcended in this vibrant Christian community.
I recently had the joy of playing the new organ at Good Shepherd and hearing their choir. This is a parish determined to be a cultural resource to its community, and I'm sure that will be true increasingly.
Episcopal Churches have two signs you will see on the street. One says:
"The Episcopal Church Welcomes You." I assure you that this means what it says, whoever and however you are. The other, new sign, says, "Come Grow with Us." I believe you will find Good Shepherd a community that will give you the opportunity to grow in relationship to God and love of your neighbor.
I look forward to meeting you.
Faithfully yours,
(The Rt. Rev.) Paul V. Marshall
Bishop of Bethlehem
Read Bishop Paul's Biography, Bishop of the Diocese of Bethlehem
Read Bishop John's Biography, the new Assistant Bishop of Bethlehem
