OUR HISTORY
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd was established in 1963 largely to meet the needs of American servicemen and their families who were residing in Taiwan. In the beginning, there were no ordained clergy. Lt Col R.E. Ham Merauiest of the U.S. Army served as the Lay Reader. Having no permanent home, the congregation gathered at different locations for Sunday worship services.
In 1965, the congregation bought this site on Zhong Zheng Road with a $35,000 loan from CCSEA and a $5,000 loan from an overseas Chinese congregant. Construction of the current church building was completed in March 1966. The first English service in this building took place on December 21, 1966. Mandarin Chinese services began in January 1967.
The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Taiwan at the time, Bishop Wong, very proud of the new church, had a large entrance sign made according to the style of the famous Ming Dynasty calligrapher Chu Tzi. The sign says ç‰§æ„›å ‚ (Mù ài táng) which literally means "Church of the Shepherding Love".
1968 - The kindergarten began with twelve children.
1977 - The church paid all outstanding loans
1981 - With the help of the parents of kindergarten students, the Good Shepherd Friendship Group was established to carry out community services
1982 – A small library was established to serve the community
1996 - Asked by the Taipei City Government Social Affairs Bureau and with the help of two social workers, the church began providing services to senior citizens in the area through social activity, meal delivery and visitation programs
1999- The Rev. Elizabeth Wei served as Priest-in-Charge and later as Rector; A residence for the English Congregation's priest was purchased in Tianmu
2000 - A near-by property that is now called "Green Pastures" was purchased to expand services to the elderly and the community
2010 - The Rev. Dr. Herbert J. Barker arrived from the USA and served as priest for the English Congregation until 2023.