History
The history of the Episcopal Church in the western mountains of Maine begins as early as the arrival of Squire Rangeley in the Mid 1800’s with the building of a small chapel for his wife and the early settlers.
The current Church began when a group of Rangeley citizens expressed their need to then Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Brewster, in 1919. A home church was begun and in June of that year communion and baptismal services were conducted. In 1920 the Rev. Walter Howe held regular services during the summer.
In 1921, the first church services were held in a stable! The stable was moved to a location on Lake Street (now the Skowhegan Savings Bank parking lot), and renovated into a quaint church with parishioners doing most of the renovation. This “little church” was quite cozy. There was a wood furnace in the basement (undercroft) and a pump organ upstairs. A few dedicated parishioners would come in the wee hours of the morning to build a roaring fire in the wood furnace so the church would be warm for the 11 o’clock service. Clergy were present in the summer, and members of the congregation would conduct the service during the colder months. Occasionally a supply priest would arrive to celebrate communion.
The church, originally a mission, became a parish in 1961 during the tenure of the Rev. Daniel Sullivan, under whose leadership the current church was built and dedicated in 1965.
Vicars and Rectors at Good Shepherd
| 1920-1921 | Walter E. Howe |
| 1923 | Aubrey Gilmore |
| 1924 | Howard H. Hussinger |
| 1930 | George Bell |
| 1932-1933 | Llewellyn Diplock |
| 1934-1935 | James L. Hayes |
| 1937-1940 | John R. McFarlane |
| 1940-1943 | Richard M. Fenton |
| 1944-1947 | David K. Montgomery |
| 1947 | A.E. Scott |
| 1948-1949 | Anthony P. Treasure |
| 1950-1951 | W.E. Brown |
| 1951 | Herbert S. Craig |
| 1953-1955 | R.S. Smith |
| 1955-1956 | Fr. Fox |
| 1956-1966 | Daniel K. Sullivan |
| 1966-1971 | Edgar M. Bailey |
| 1971-1978 | H. James Raines |
| 1980-1983 | Melvin Richardson |
| 1984-1991 | Holly Eden |
| 1993-2000 | Seth G. Richmond |
| 2002-2007 | T. Kyle Grennen |
| 2008-2015 | Judson Pealer |
| 2016-2018 | Jennifer M. Reece |
| 2020- | Thom Rock |
