WICHITA FALLS ( KFDX/KJTL )— 140 years of service to the people of Wichita Falls is all it took, along with a little history lesson for the Texas Historical Commission to give the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd an official Texas Historical Marker.

“When they presented their story to us, we were so impressed by the impact they had had over the years,” said Robert Palmer, chairman of the Wichita County Historical Commission. “And so, we wanted to help them every way we could to help them get this marker.”

The church’s first service was held on December 8, 1884. By 1913, it had achieved parish status in the Anglican Diocese of Fort Worth. Charlotte Brunette has been a long-time attendee at Good Shepherd, and she says it’s an honor for the church to receive an official Texas Historical Marker.

“I got to meet the ones who started this church,” Brunette said. “And so, I felt very honored to be able to do that, and this church has continued to be a very important part in my life.”

Just a year and a half into his time as rector at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Father Elmer Miguel is already a big part of the church’s history. As a former high school history teacher, he feels the church’s story on a deeper level.

“I’m a brand-new rector, and yet I just happened to fall into this church that is doing something historic with the historical marker that’s been here for all these years,” Miguel said. “And so, it feels like… kind of like a dream.”

Now, with the historical marker sitting by the church’s cornerstone, the Church of the Good Shepherd stands ready to host services for years to come, hoping that members of its congregation, like Lois Fullerton, can take the lessons they learn into the future.

“It’s important to be good stewards of what God has given us, what our forefathers and the people that started the church gave,” Fullerton said. “And it’s our responsibility to be good stewards, to keep the church going.”

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