The Corner of Midway and Northaven
For seven decades, the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd has stood at the corner of Midway Road and Northaven in north Dallas, a neighborhood parish of the worldwide Anglican Communion. In May of 1955, at the invitation of Bishop C. Avery Mason, three families agreed to undertake a new mission to serve the growing north Dallas area. Worship that first year was held in the meeting room of a day school. Today, after a recent sanctuary expansion, the church seats over four hundred people. The parish describes itself as "the biggest, best, small church," a phrase meant to capture a community that is large enough to offer something for everyone yet small enough that the clergy know members by name, the greeters know the regulars, and newcomers are introduced rather than ignored. Good Shepherd has built its identity around three commitments: Episcopal worship, authentic community, and significant service.
Sunday Mornings at Good Shepherd
Sunday is the heart of the week. Two traditional Holy Eucharist services bookend a Sunday school hour.
- 8:00 AM - Traditional Communion Service. A quiet, contemplative service of Holy Eucharist with a sermon and hymns, focused on scripture and prayer. This is a simple, reverent setting for the morning.
- 9:15 AM - Sunday School / Spiritual Formation. Adults, students, and children gather in classrooms and choirs. The Adult Forum meets in the Parish Hall and ranges across books of the Bible, faith-related art, and the foundations of the Christian faith. The Family Forum, designed for parents and grandparents, meets in the Kincaid Pavilion in the school cafeteria. The choirs also use this hour to rehearse.
- 10:30 AM - Traditional Communion with Choirs. The principal service of the week, with music from the Adult Choir throughout most of the year and from the children's and community choirs about once a month. During the summer, guest musicians fill the loft. A coffee hour is held both before and after the service in the Parish Hall.
The congregation worships from the Book of Common Prayer and recites the Nicene Creed on most Sundays. Communion is celebrated every Sunday. The congregation is not an audience but part of the liturgy. Worshippers stand to sing, sit to listen, and kneel at the Eucharist, and many bow or make the sign of the cross. Clergy and lay assistants wear robes and vestments over their ordinary clothing to draw attention away from the individual and toward the task being performed. The 10:30 service is livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook each week, and the previous week's 10:30 service is rebroadcast at 8:00 AM. A Thursday morning Eucharist is held at 10:00 AM in the Nave for those who want a weekday worship option.
Children's Ministry
Raising children in the knowledge and love of God is described as the privilege and responsibility of the whole church, not just parents. Children's offerings at Good Shepherd run from September through May and take a break over the summer.
- Pre-K through 1st Grade at 9:15 AM in the Education Wing: Godly Play, a Montessori-based approach that uses storytelling and wondering to introduce the biblical narrative and the language of faith.
- 2nd through 6th Grade at 9:15 AM in the choir rehearsal room: Junior Choir, a formation program that pairs singing in the Episcopal liturgy with learning the Bible stories and theology behind the music. Junior Choir members are not merely participants in the liturgy but leaders who help direct the congregation's prayers and praise. Junior Choir Director David Hobbs leads.
- Children's Worship during the 10:30 service, for children in 2nd grade and younger: an age-appropriate Episcopal worship experience that prepares children to worship with the whole congregation by third grade.
- Nursery. Professionally staffed and available from 8:00 AM to noon on Sundays for children from birth through age three. It is located across from the Education Wing.
The Associate for Children and Families, Pastor Melody Shobe, oversees this ministry. Mother Stephanie Moncrieff serves as Lower School Chaplain at Good Shepherd Episcopal School, the parish's day school, which shares the campus on Midway Road.
Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry at Good Shepherd aims to equip young people for a lifelong journey of growing in the knowledge and love of God. Programs run from 6th through 12th grade and combine worship, formation, and service.
- Student Formation (6th - 12th grade) at 9:15 AM on Sundays in the Youth Room: a lectionary-based exploration of the upcoming Sunday's lessons through discussion, creative activities, and questions.
- Youth Group on Sunday evenings from 6:15 to 8:00 PM in the Parish Hall: a gathering around food, fellowship, and a devotional time.
- Confirmation twice a month from 5:00 to 6:00 PM in the Conference Room, for students in 6th grade or older who want a deeper understanding of the Episcopal Church and are ready to make an adult commitment of faith. The Interim Director of Student Ministries, Sam John, can be reached for sign-up.
- Coffee Talk on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM at the Starbucks on Forest Lane: a Bible study for senior high students (9th - 12th grade) engaging seriously with the Gospels and how to apply them as young adults.
- Community Choir. Open to students in 6th - 12th grades from the church, the school, and surrounding neighborhood schools. Some scholarship spots are available. Director Aaron Easley oversees the program.
Each summer the youth travel on a mission trip. In recent years they have served neighbors in the Hill Country, staying at Camp Menard in Menard, Texas, and helping with construction-based projects under the direction of on-site staff. Students in 7th through 12th grade are eligible.
Adult Formation and the Weekday Rhythms
The week around Good Shepherd is full of small groups, classes, and gatherings designed to help adults grow in faith and find community.
- Episcopal Labor Force (ELF) Men's Group meets Mondays at 6:30 PM in the Parish Hall during the fall months. Members run a small woodworking production line making toys for St. Simon's after-school program, which serves disadvantaged children throughout the Dallas Independent School District. No prior woodworking experience is necessary. The men share a meal and watch Monday Night Football together.
- Bible Study with Father Mills: Coffee and Scripture meets on Tuesdays at 7:30 AM in the library and discusses the assigned scripture reading for the week. The one-hour class is open to all.
- Women's Bible Study on Tuesdays at 10:30 AM in the library. The group is lectionary-based, with no preparation required.
- No Name Book Club on the second Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM in the library, reading and discussing fiction and non-fiction.
- Friends in Faith, a women's topical study group, meets on Thursdays at 10:45 AM in the library, following the 10:00 AM Eucharist, discussing videos and literature on Christian themes. Participants range from young mothers to retired women.
- Dads' Bible Study with Father Liles on Fridays from 7:55 to 8:45 AM in the library, working through 1 Samuel. Coffee and laughter are part of the program, with no homework and no previous Bible knowledge required.
For those looking for a more social connection, Dinner for Eight gathers groups of eight parishioners several times during the fall to share a meal and make new friends within the parish.
Music at the Heart of Worship
Music is central to the worship at Good Shepherd. The Adult Choir sings at the 10:30 service throughout most of the year and rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 PM and on Sunday mornings before the service. Director Aaron Easley oversees both the Adult Choir and the Community Choir. Robert Churchill serves as Organist and Director of Music Ministries. David Hobbs directs the Junior Choir for 2nd through 6th graders, who learn to sing in the Episcopal liturgy and to lead the congregation's praise from the choir loft. During the summer, guest musicians fill the loft at the 10:30 service. Worship is also supported by a roster of lay volunteers - greeters, lectors, ushers, lay eucharistic ministers, altar guild members, and prayer shawl knitters - who keep the liturgy running smoothly and welcome newcomers at the doors.
Reaching Out Beyond the Parish
Service is part of the parish's identity. Through volunteer time and financial gifts, Good Shepherd supports a long list of outreach partners locally and around the world: Episcopal Relief and Development, Five Talents, HopeKids North Texas, Gateway of Grace, Now-Forward (formerly North Dallas Shared Ministries), the North Texas Food Bank, Our Saviour Community Garden, Patriot Paws, Reading Partners, and Samaritan's Purse.
The parish's signature hands-on outreach is serving dinner at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center in downtown Dallas on the second Monday of each month. Volunteers must be at least 18 and serve from 6:00 to 7:00 PM at the recovery center on Corsicana Street. The parish also hosts periodic Carter BloodCare blood drives in the Parish Hall and Kincaid Pavilion to help sustain the blood supply for hospitals across North, Central, and East Texas, and supports a Grief Support Group that meets in the Conference Room for anyone experiencing grief, new or unresolved. Each February the parish welcomes Scouts in uniform for Scout Sunday, and summer Friday mornings bring Preschool Playdates at the Cottage Playground for children under six and their parents.
The Cook Endowment and a Long View
In 1996, two families envisioned an endowment to encourage, receive, and manage planned gifts for the future of Good Shepherd. Named for the Reverend Richard R. Cook, who served as Rector from 1973 to 1990, the Cook Endowment began with $54,000 in donations and has grown to over $2,217,000. In the last six years it distributed more than $225,000 for capital improvements, program expenses, and clergy education opportunities. The endowment's mission, taken from the 1955 statement of organization and the 1956 petition for mission status, is "To maintain the worship of God and the preaching of the gospel, according to the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal Church, and to promote the influence of the church in our neighborhood." Members of the Shepherd Society are those who have remembered Good Shepherd in their estate planning.
Visiting Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd is at 11122 Midway Road, Dallas, Texas 75229, on the corner of Midway and Northaven, next to the Town North YMCA. Parking is available along both Midway and Northaven, between the church and the YMCA, and south of the church at Good Shepherd Episcopal School. A covered drop-off faces Midway Road for those who want to drop off passengers before parking. The sanctuary is equipped with a Telecoil hearing loop, and listening devices are available for those with hearing difficulties.
Inside, friendly greeters staff a newcomer's station near the glass doors facing Midway and can point visitors toward worship, Sunday school, the nursery, and restrooms. What to wear is informal; you will see everything from jeans to suits. Children of all ages are welcome in worship. Communion is open to all the baptized; visitors who do not wish to receive may remain in the pew, come forward with arms crossed over the chest for a blessing, or speak to a member of the clergy about how to participate. Visitors are asked only to fill out a Connect Card so the parish can follow up.
Sunday services are livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook for those who are out of town, watching from home, or simply not ready to come in person. For a weekday worship option, a Thursday morning Eucharist is held at 10:00 AM in the Nave. The church office can be reached at 214-351-6468.