The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd

80 Years of The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd: 1944 – Today On a rare snowy Austin evening in 1944, The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd was founded with the faith, love, and hope of 59 people gathered in a vacant section of a shopping center across the street from our current Windsor campus. Since then thousands have followed in their footsteps: worshiping, serving, studying, and finding love in Christ through Good Shepherd. The physical foundation for this community of faith began with the completion of the original Parish Hall in 1945, the church building in 1950, and the Good Shepherd Episcopal School building in 1955. From early traditions – the festival of lights, Friday night dances, youth ringing the church bell, the Christmas Bazaar – to newer ones – daily Lenten worship, the Giving Tree, crawfish boils, Shepherd bags to entertain little ones – the Windsor campus echoes with more than 80 years of faithful memories. The successful Build the Beloved Community campaign of 2013-2016 came along at a critical juncture: the Windsor congregation was vibrant and growing but grappling with declining infrastructure. Today, the parish enjoys a modernized Education Center, a flexible Parish Life Center, and a much-improved church building, while Good Shepherd Episcopal School provides an excellent early childhood education in equally excellent facilities – sometimes welcoming second-and even third-generation GSES students to its classrooms. In 2016 the BBC campaign also built a metaphorical bridge across Austin to the Woodland campus, laying the foundation for what would become our second campus. In 2018 Hillside Early Childhood Center would open its doors to those needing full-time, high-quality early childhood education. The genesis of the Hill and Hillside has been a defining and exciting moment in the history of our parish, offering opportunities for service and growth and challenging our parish to reach beyond the Windsor campus both physically and in spirit. The rich history of Good Shepherd invites its parishioners to share in traditions built over the past 80 years and to create their own. We receive communion on kneelers needlepointed by parishioners decades ago, and in our contemporary service, we worship at an altar hand-built only recently with care by our current facilities manager. While the congregation has experienced seasons of joy and seasons of sorrow, our commitment to an honest and heartfelt faith continues to carry our community forward. 1944The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd (GS) organized.First worship services prayed. 1945Parish Hall completed.First Good Shepherd Episcopal School (GSES) classes held. 1990sAdjacent Moffett Street properties purchased and incorporated Windsor campus footprint. 2002Master Plan developed for Windsor campus. 2003Moffett Street purchased from city and on-campus parking provided. 2004Underground infrastructure repaired and improved for Plan’s completion. 2005Current Administration Building and Plan’s first-phase completed. 2012Building, Capital Campaign, GSES, Outreach, and Worship Task Forces convened. Campaign to Build the Beloved Community Begins. 2013Second campus at 1700 Woodland Avenue acquired from Diocese. 2014Redevelopment of Woodland campus completed. GSES moved to Woodland campus for the 2014-2015 academic year. 2015Education Center and Parish Life Center completed. GSES returns to Windsor Campus.
 Renewal and expansion of Church Building begins. 2016First Sunday of worship prayed at second campus, Good Shepherd on Woodland. Strategic plan completed for outreach-focused, early-childhood center at Woodland campus. 2018Hillside Early Childhood Center enrolls first students. 2020First online worship services offered. 2024The Rev. Stanford Adams called as acting rector of Good Shepherd. 2025The Rev. Stanford Adams called as rector of Good Shepherd.