Church of the Good Shepherd

The Church of the Good Shepherd originated in 1849 when the Reverend Stephen Tyng held an Episcopal service in the Court House, now the old jail. He was the rector of St. George's Church in New York City. On the way back from a trip to upstate New York, he decided to visit Mrs. Burling and her family, parishioners that had moved to Milford a few years previously for a more healthy environment. It was during this brief stay that the first service was held. The Methodist and Presbyterian churches were already established, but the Burlings missed their Episcopal services.

In July of 1866, the long desire of Bishop Alonzo Potter was realized posthumously when the Reverend Eliphalet Potter, Alonzo's son and rector of the Church of the Nativity of Bethlehem, and Mr. Cortland Whitehead, his friend and a student at the Philadelphia Divinity School, arrived in Milford. They arranged to hold an evening Episcopal service on Wednesday, July 11th. Due to the enthusiasm at this service, the Reverend Potter returned to Bethlehem but left Mr. Whitehead behind. He stayed at the Dimmick House and held services regularly at the Court House.

On Sunday, July 22,1866, the first Sunday School classes were held with 8 or 9 pupils and several teachers. By the second Sunday in August there were 65 pupils and 14 teachers, As summer ended, the Reverend Mr. Elsegood of Easton arrived and administered the first sacrament of Holy Communion to the Milford Episcopalians and baptized 17 children and infants.

The Church of Good Shepherd was organized on April 3, 1871. The corner stone of the first church building at Fifth and Catharine Streets was laid in June 1871 and on September 14, 1877 the church was consecrated. This building burned down on September 28, 1913 and was replaced by the present cobblestone building. It was consecrated by the Right Reverend Ethelbert Talbot, Bishop of the Diocese of Bethlehem, on September 28, 1916. The rectory was started in the spring of 1891. Around the same time, the parish hall was added for Sunday School, dinner, dances and other functions. The back wing, housing, the hallway, bathrooms offices, and conference room, with a full basement, was added in the 1960s.

St. John the Evangelist

St. John the Evangelist, an Episcopal Church in Dingman's Ferry, was built in May 26, 1887 and consecrated on September 7, 1888. It was a summer church until the early 1950's, when Bishop Fred Warneke instructed the Reverend Richard Aselford to hold services every Sunday or it would be closed.

On Sunday, July 16, 1972, St. John the Evangelist Church, having been taken over by the Federal government for the Tocks Island Dam project, was deconsecrated by Bishop Lloyd Gressel. After this service, the St. John's members processed to Good Shepherd in Milford. Bishop Gressel led them to the door, knocked and asked that St. John's parish be joined with Good Shepherd. The parish became known as the Church of the Good Shepherd and St. John the Evangelist. St. John's alter cross and their processional cross were brought to Good Shepherd. All the years since, both Good Shepherd's crosses and St. John's crosses have been used.

Renaissance of Combined Churches

In 1980, the Church of the Good Shepherd and St. John the Evangelist employed its first woman Rector: Eliazabeth Myers. She was ordained in 1977 and came to Milford at a time when female priests were still a contraversal issue in the Episcopal church. She was to stay for nineteen years. The Child Care Center was probably her greatest contrbution to the Milford Community. In 1985 Milford lacked such a facility. When she retired in 1999, the Church retained a part-time priest, the interim being employed for only one and a half days per week.

It was not till the spring of 2003 that a new Rector arrived and a full-time Rectorship was restored. His name was Rev. William J. McGinty, commonly known as Father Bill. It was the beginning of a new era in the life of the Parish of the Church of the Good Shepherd and St. John the Evangelist.