Welcome to the Church of the Good Shepherd, a community which has been a part of the
community of Silver City from its earliest days as a mining community to the present day, where
the traditional activities of mining and ranching have been enriched by being a college town, as
well as a regional arts hub.
Our Present
We continue to worship God each Sunday in our beautiful building which we have been blessed
with. Our worship on Sundays at 9:30 AM is Holy Eucharist, supported by our choir, and
occasional additions of other musicians, such as the bell choir. We are a mix of young and old,
although since the pandemic, many of our young families are not attending as regularly. We are
working to rebuild our youth program which suffered in the last few years.
In addition, on Wednesdays, we have a more informal Eucharist, followed by lunch, except on
the second Wednesday of the month when we have a Taizé service. In addition, we celebrate
feast days and festivals with great enthusiasm. In addition to a full Holy Week and Easter
service schedule, we also celebrate Las Posadas, the Virgen de Guadelupe, and for All Saints
Day, we have an Oferta set up on the Columbarium.
Outreach is still important to this church community, which has continued a more limited
relationship with Sixth Street School (due to the changes at Sixth Street), our ministry in
Palomas, and many other projects. This is a community which understands the importance of
serving others in the name of Christ.
Fellowship is also important to us. Sunday morning coffee hours as well as the lunch on
Wednesday are important times for us to share with our community. We keep each other in
prayer, and we offer other types of assistance as needed.
Education is provided for both children and adults, for we believe that we are called to continue
to grow in our love of God and of each other throughout our lives.
Everyone is welcome in our church, no matter what race, nationality, language group, gender, or
sexual orientation. We believe that everyone is a beloved child or God, and therefore each
person is of inestimable worth.
Our Future
We are looking forward to the way that God is calling us to continue to serve this community of
Silver City. We believe that we are called to a radical hospitality, in which each person is
welcomed as a beloved child of God.
We hope and pray that you might decide that this is a community where you can worship and
serve, growing in your love of God and of others along with us.
Our Past
Although the first Episcopal service was held in Silver City in 1874, our roots begin in 1889 with
the arrival of The Rev. J.M Kendrick, who named us Good Shepherd both to reflect our sense of
community and to honor the long tradition of ranching in the area. Our beautiful brick edifice
was finished in 1893, and it has stood proudly, just one block from downtown on Texas Street
ever since. Good Shepherd has been blessed with the addition of many elements that have
increased the beauty of its interior, including stained glass windows, beautifully decorated
copper doors, and most recently large fiber art banners.
Early clergy often came to Good Shepherd for the healing air, as Silver City was known as a
place that was beneficial for those in poor health, particular respiratory problems. Probably the
best known of our rectors was The Rev. Ross Calvin who was a devoted student of the desert
southwest, penning two books that are still illuminating today.
In 1902, a rectory was built on the property. This building, designated Henderson Hall, now
serves as office and meeting space. In 1920, a parish hall was added, and that space was
expanded in 1961 to accommodate a growing Sunday School population. In 1922, a pipe organ
was donated to the Church, and in 2005, we added a Columbarium behind our Baptismal font,
which was later expanded.
Good Shepherd has a long tradition of offering great music to the community, often provided by
members who were accomplished musicians. In addition, we have partnered with the
community to provide recitals and concerts for the larger community.
We have throughout our history been known for outreach beyond our walls. At times we have
partnered with Sixth Street School, providing an after-school program for all, and we helped to
construct an orphanage in Palomas, Mexico, where we continue to assist their current program
of providing scholarship for local children for school tuition. Our monthly garage sales and our
Christmas Bazaar uses a portion of proceeds to fund groups working in our community to meet
the needs of residents, as well as supporting medical missions overseas.
The early history of our community was captured in The Centennial History of the Church of the
Good Shepherd written by Jean W. Anderson in 1991.
