Embracing Celtic Spirituality and Respecting the Earth as God's Creation Yreka, California Rev'd Christien Kensley CCS, Vicar shepherdofthewoods@yahoo.com Br. Paul Leeman CCS, Lay Minister graywolf@4fast.net

SHEPHERD OF THE WOODS CHURCH is a group of believers that meets for prayer and Communion on Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM. Services are currently being held in the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene located on the grounds of St. Mary Magdalene's Retreat at the end of Schulmeyer Gulch. All seekers are welcome to join us and all baptized may receive at the Communion table. Please feel free to view our current newsletter for a schedule of upcoming services and events.

Who We Are:

Currently under the oversight of the Right Reverend David Anderson, Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), Shepherd of the Woods Church seeks to balance Word, Spirit, and Sacrament. We hold the Holy Scriptures as the divinely inspired and inerrant Word of God in written form and believe the Bible to be the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice. Our uniqueness as a denomination rests in the fact that we seek to combine the historical "Three Streams" of Christianity in a vibrant and living Church experience. In other words, we stress the evangelical preaching of the Word in the context of sacramental worship within a body of believers who operate through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. We believe strongly in the power of the Sacraments, administered in the tradition of the Church, to form and transform the lives of sinners. We follow the Book of Common Prayer as the basis for our worship.

What We Believe:

We embrace:

• The belief in one God, the Sovereign Creator, Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• The priority and authority of the Holy Bible as the source of the knowledge of God.
• The Creeds: Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed, and the Creed of St. Athanasius.
• That all people are guilty of sin and worthy of condemnation by God, but are offered salvation through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.
• The truth that salvation is the gift of God and is obtained by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
• The use of liturgy, faithful to the Scripture, embodying the experience of the historical Church in worship. The accepted form is the Book of Common Prayer.
• The historic episcopate, the order of bishops, as a sign of unity of the one church of God.
• The three-fold ministry of bishop, presbyter (priest or pastor), and deacon as the ministry defined by Scripture.
• The two Sacraments of our Lord, instituted by teaching and example of Jesus Christ: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion in which Christ is truly present.
• The Sacraments of the Church: Holy Unction (healing prayer with anointing); Holy Matrimony, Confirmation (impartation of the Holy Spirit upon reception into the Church); Holy Orders and Reconciliation of a Penitent.
• Regular celebration of Holy Communion as instituted by Christ.
• The need for regular preaching and teaching from the Scriptures, as drawn from the Common Lectionary of the Bible insuring that the entire Bible will be read publicly at least every three years.
• The priesthood of the believer as a worshiping and praying society.
• Human beings are not God, but were created in His likeness and image. The creation serves and is sustained by the Creator. We were created for communion with God and one another in purity according to the Holy Scriptures, but having fallen into sin we removed ourselves from the appointed perfection requiring an act of infinite Grace and the death and resurrection of the Son of God to restore us to favor.
• We affirm and accept basic Biblical principles of social action and witness involving: a pro-life posture; opposition to all forms of bigotry; refusal to ordain practicing homosexuals and heterosexuals engaging in sexual behavior outside of marriage; marriage defined as the union of one man and one woman. We acknowledge that all people have sinned and are deserving of the Godly consequences of that sin. Thankfully, God in His infinite Grace and Love extends forgiveness and acceptance to all who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and make a confession of that sin with a penitent heart. All baptized Christians are invited to the Lord's table.

Liturgy:

Holy Communion is primarily said using the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. We occasionally use any one of various historical Anglican and Celtic liturgies as well as some more modern works relating to seasonal celebrations and special days. The 1940 and 1982 Hymnals are used at all services.

Service Schedule:

Sunday Worship:
6:00 PM Prayer and Communion Service

Clergy:

Clergy at Shepherd of the Woods Church, as well as most other independent Old Catholic and Anglican churches, are non-stipendiary. This means that clergy are usually worker-priests who work regular jobs and pursue their ministries on their own time and with their own financial resources. Ministries can vary greatly and, while some pursue congregational worship, many offer services in nursing homes, or work as shelter, hospital, fire, police or jail chaplains. In all cases they are usually non-paid and offer their services on a volunteer basis, frequently paying for ministry related expenses on their own such as rent and/or utilities of a church building, church furnishings and supplies, and literature to distribute. A self-supporting parish may decide to support it's priest, with permission of the bishop, but this is rare. All priests work to support themselves at least through their formation and training, and most remain worker-priests for the duration of their respective careers.

Christien Kensley, the priest of Shepherd of the Woods Church, director of St. Mary Magdalene's Retreat, and Prior of the Community of Christ the Sower, is originally from San Diego. She earned her B.A. at San Diego State University, her M.S. at the University of Wisconsin - Stout, and worked for 25 years in the field of vocational rehabilitation. Rev'd Kensley has lived in 12 different states and has resided in Siskiyou County for the past 20 years. She completed her M.Div. in 1998, was ordained to the priesthood shortly thereafter, and opened the doors of Shepherd of the Woods Church to public worship. Rev'd Kensley completed her certificate in Alcohol and Drug Studies at College of the Siskiyous in December, 2005, and continues to pursue a degree in law. On May 5, 2007, she accepted the appointment of Prior with the Community of Christ the Sower. Her primary function is to handle the business details of the Community and oversee its administrative obligations.

Paul Leeman, our Licensed Lay Minister, is a brother in the Community of Christ the Sower. He is originally from Bucksport, Maine, and moved to Oxnard, California, in 1968 where he was stationed with the United States Navy Seabees. He is retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Br. Leeman has resided in Siskiyou County since December, 1997, where he now lives with his wife, Grace, who is also a member of the Community. They enjoy gardening, bowling, black powder shooting and are involved in many local charitable groups. He has been active in Shepherd of the Woods Church since its re-opening in 2001. Br. Leeman conducts services when Rev'd Kensley is out of the area. The communion service follows the Little Gidding format used by the Community of Christ the Sower in conjunction with the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.

Church Fundraisers:

Organ Hymn Accompaniment CDs - Two volume set of organ accompaniment music featuring forty Anglican Episcopal hymns.

Anglican Prayer Beads - An assortment of individually crafted Anglican Prayer Beads at an attractive price. Perfect for assisting your personal prayer life or to give as reasonably priced gifts. A free "mission" rosary is sent with each set of Anglican prayer beads purchased.

"Cause" Bracelets - Green or red silicone "cause" bracelets. The green, size large, say "BE A TESTIMONY" and the red, size medium, say "LIVE FOR HIM". Sale of these bracelets will raise the last of the money for the roof fund.

Information:

For more information or directions to the chapel contact the vicar, Rev'd Christien Kensley or Br. Paul Leeman, Lay Minister.

Donations to Shepherd of the Woods Church are tax deductible.
This page last updated on 15-apr-2008

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SHEPHERD OF THE WOODS CHURCH
Embracing Celtic Spirituality and Respecting the Earth as God's Creation

Rev'd Christien Kensley CCS, Vicar shepherdofthewoods@yahoo.com

Br. Paul Leeman CCS, Lay Minister graywolf@4fast.net

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Retreat Works	Church Links
CCS Yreka, Shepherd of the Woods Church	Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA)
Hymn Organ Accompaniment CDs	Community of Christ the Sower (CCS)
Anglican Prayer Beads ~ Anglican Rosary	CCS Anglican Communion Affilitation
Peacock Feathers & Feather Quills	CCS Alabama, St. Charles Mission
Shire Draft Horses	CCS Portola Valley, St. John's Chapel