 Bishop Gary Gloster prepares to dedicate Iglesia El Buen Pastor. September 25, 1998. Iglesia El Buen Pastor: A Chronology 1993: In May, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is closed, and Bishop Robert W. Estill explores the idea of using the space to launch a new Hispanic Outreach Ministry program. In June, Rev. Martha Clark-Boothby begins to offer Sunday afternoon bilingual Eucharist and a six-week summer camp for twelve children. 1994-1997: With support from several community organizations, the building becomes El Centro Hispano de Durham, offering a wide range of services for Latino families: ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, an after-school tutoring program, a youth group, a women’s support group, summer camps for children and youth, workshops on health, immigration, and education, counseling and referral services, and pastoral care. 1 January 1998: The Diocese of North Carolina decides to formally establish a permanent Episcopal Mission with a full-time priest. They offer Nicolás Menjívar, a Salvadorian, the post as vicar of the new church. 8 February 1998: Father Nicolás begins his work in Durham. He starts conversations with the Hispanic community in laundromats, stores, and gas stations. He blesses homes, prays, and sings with the families he visits. | |||
9 February 2000: The Diocesan Convocation officially recognizes El Buen Pastor as meeting canonical requirements. 4 March 2007: The last Sunday of Father Nicolás at the head of El Buen Pastor. Bishop Michael Curry appoints a committee to lead the church during the transition period. The search for a new vicar begins. End of July 2007: The Diocese offers Christy Laborda the post as new vicar. She accepts the offer. August 6 is her first Sunday at El Buen Pastor. 9 December 2007: Ordination of Christy Laborda. “We are family! We are family! We are family!” exclaims Bishop Michael Curry after ordaining Mother Christy. | |||
26 April 2008: A short article in Durham's News and Observer mentions the progress experienced by Iglesia El Buen Pastor in the last few months. “Christy Laborda, the vicar, began her work in Durham this past August after graduating from Virginia Theological Seminary,” the article says. “Having grown up near Philadelphia, she was sponsored for ordination by the Diocese of Pennsylvania.” “The congregation has doubled since she came and continues to grow with about 120 people attending the Sunday service, one-third of them children,” the article adds. “A second service is now being considered since the sanctuary is filled to capacity.” | |||
4 May 2008: The Buen Pastor children’s choir performs for the first time. They sing “Vienen con alegría” and other songs. Lead by Jesús, the choir begins to meet twice a week for rehearsal. | |||
1 June 2008: Mother Christy starts to hold a second service on Sundays afternoon. This helps deal with the lack of space (with every seat taken, people sometimes stood in the narthex during the morning services). With this additional service, attendance goes up. 22 June 2008: Assistant Bishop William O. Gregg visits El Buen Pastor, confirming and receiving new members and preaching. "I bring you greetings from Bishop Michael Curry, our Diocesan, and Bishop Chip Marble, our Assisting Bishop," said Bishop Gregg. "All three of us take great joy and delight in you, in your witness to the Gospel, in the mission and ministry that you do, and especially in the wonderful growth and development you have created here with you splendid Vicar, Madre Christy." | |||
Bishop Curry acknowledged the support other congregations gave to El Buen Pastor during the 2007 transition period before Madre Christy’s ordination. “The church is not the building,” said Bishop Curry. “The church is not the bank account. The church is not the neighborhood. We are the Church!” Bishop Curry said that Peter accepted Jesus’ calling to follow him because Jesus had a vision of what Peter could become, and today we have a church because Peter and the other disciples had a vision of what the church could become. Bishop Curry said God has a vision, a dream for our lives. “In God’s vision, we can all have a more abundant life,” said Bishop Curry. Bishop Lloyd Allen preached briefly in Spanish and said he was surprised by the number of attendees, which made El Buen Pastor the largest Spanish-speaking congregation he had seen in all his years visiting the U.S. After the service there was a fiesta in the playground with live music, abundant food, and five piñatas. | |||
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19 April 2009: The Rev. Laborda announced to the congregation that she has accepted a call in the diocese of El Camino Real in California. “I will be with the people of El Buen Pastor through Sunday May 10th,” she wrote. “It was a difficult and sad announcement, but I think that the leaders and congregation are handling it as well as is possible.” The senior warden read a letter from Bishop Curry in which he emphasizes how strong and full of life Iglesia El Buen Pastor is. |
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21 April 2009: The Rev. Michael Hunn, Canon to the Ordinary for Program & Pastoral Ministry, met with the vestry of El Buen Pastor in order to set up a plan for the transition period. It was established that the vestry will interview all the applicants to the position of vicar of El Buen Pastor. |
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In the past two years, Mother Christy has worked hard at developing a leadership group, and that group has worked hard, as well. The congregation will have a large role in their next major decision, recommending someone for the bishop to appoint as their new vicar. When Mother Christy came, a Sunday morning service would typically have 20 to 40 in attendance, leaving plenty of room for visitors. In about a year, the mission added a second service, on Sunday evening, because the church regularly filled to overflowing at the 11:30 a.m. service. A capacity crowd gathered to observe Mother’s Day and give Mother Christy a prayerful and grateful sendoff. She leaves the future of Iglesia el Buen Pastor in good hands with the developing congregational leadership and the support of the Durham convocation and the Diocese.
23 September 2009: Senior Warden Mauricio Segura announced to the congregation the appointment of Martín Juárez as new vicar of El Buen Pastor. Father Martín is a Mexican national and a former Roman Catholic priest. He comes from California, where he worked for the Episcopal Diocese of California and served at St. Andrews Church in San Bruno. Father Martín and his family are in the process of relocating to Durham. He will officially begin his service at El Buen Pastor on Sunday, October 18. Video Clip: Father Martín Juarez speaks in Spanish about his experience visiting the Episcopal Church for the first time. |
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For the sermon, Father Martín brought a box with five objects representing some of the challenges and goals of El Buen Pastor. The first object, a hammer, symbolized work. The second object, a ball, represented teamwork. The third object, a dollar bill, represented stewardship. The fourth object, a bottle of medicine, represented the community’s spiritual health. The fifth object, a rubber band, represented flexibility to adapt to new circumstances. During the announcements, Mauricio thanked Father Derek, Wren, and Hugo for their support during the summer. (During the summer, Father Derek celebrated the Eucharist almost every Sunday, and Wren and Hugo helped with the sermons). After the service, we had a delicious meal, which, due to the cold weather, was held in the basement. |
