TWELVE DISCIPLES IN LABELLE

12 DISCIPLES IN LABELLE

follow the shepherd

Three years ago, tiny Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in LaBelle was struggling. By 2018, the congregation had dwindled to 19, further diminished to 15 by the next year on an average Sunday, with a $44,000 budget. The congregation, which had been established in 1976, had previously grown to an average Sunday attendance in of 57 at its peak in 2009, with a budget of $121,000. Seeing that the church had become unsustainable, they came to Bishop Smith for help, and ideas: they were mostly out of them. Among the many suggestions, including help with budgeting and operations, was a plan to have the congregation hold Morning Prayer services on Sunday, led by parishioners rather than clergy. This was not a viable long-term solution; since the 1979 revision to the Book of Common Prayer, it has been the practice that Episcopal Churches offer a Holy Eucharist on Sunday. Instead, this would be an interim measure, to keep the church alive until the right priest came along to lead it. The idea, while uncommon in today’s church, was something out of the past. In the early days of Southwest Florida, there were not always priests available, and when Episcopalians gathered, they pulled out the Book of Common Prayer and held a service, using the prescribed readings. As the group grew, it could afford to hire a priest. “Morning Prayer is a legitimate service of the Book of Common Prayer,” said Smith. “They are not creating something that is brand new.”

COWBOY COUNTRY

LaBelle, which is situated due east of Ft. Myers, is critical to the future of the diocese. It is the only Episcopal Church in rural Hendry County, and sits at the easternmost point in the diocese. LaBelle is even closer to Palm Beach than Tampa, and Hendry County is best known for the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum and the Big Cypress Indian Reservation, one of six reservations of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. It has two cities, LaBelle to the west, and Clewiston, located on Lake Okeechobee, to the east. Clewiston is known for both fishing, and the mammoth U.S. Sugar facilities there; they are the largest vertically-integrated sugar refinery in the world, and its holdings include a private railroad, and restored Sugarland steam engine.

LaBelle’s location is key as well; it is situated on the Okeechobee Waterway, the main connection point between both coasts for boats. As a result, the once seemingly scrubland shores on the waterway are now beginning to sport mega-mansions, eager for a view of what is Florida’s Panama Canal. As Florida’s West Coast development cannot go any further west, it has to head eastward, and part of Hendry County is the massive Babcock Ranch, which will be built out over the next century.

In prior decades, Episcopal churches in the area have closed, including St. Barnabas in Immokalee. Because Good Shepherd is the only Episcopal church in Hendry County, closing it was not an option.

The church was founded in 1976, operating out of a double-wide trailer on Bryan Avenue, that they admit was “not very appealing to visitors.” Their first full-time vicar was the Rev. Wiliam D. McLean III. A church profile in 2001 noted that the “small congregation of faithful plodded along from Sunday to Sunday with visiting clergy and no growth to speak of.” But in 1997, and through the efforts of McLean, the church moved to their current 8.5 acre lot in the giant Port LaBelle development. Like so many other developments in Florida, there were great hopes for the neighborhood that would eventually surround the church; hopes that failed to materialize as it was part of Port LaBelle, a project of Florida’s General Development Corp., which went into bankruptcy.

“The church was expected to be at the center of a really hot growth area,” said Bishop Smith. “That didn’t happen.”

In recent years, things have finally begun to change, albeit from a macro level. A new developer is building houses on the empty lots. And three years ago, the city welcomed their first Walmart. Today, the town best known as a home to Florida’s cowboys is now home to a craft brewery.

Just last month, the church, which has largely operated under the radar in the diocese, was thrust into the media on May 6, 2021 when the grounds of Good Shepherd were hit by a private plane. A Piper Aerostar 600, taking off from the nearby airfield, crashed just a few yards from the church, and very close to the columbarium. One person was killed, another survived. The congregation came back that Sunday to worship, with prayers for the victim, and an even more determined mission to their county.

THE FAITHFUL REMNANT

Senior Warden Phil Redmond came to LaBelle first as a part-time resident, and later full timer, with his wife Kathryn. Redmond, a retired pharmacist and lifelong Episcopalian, had attended Good Shepherd since the first day that they arrived. After a time, it became obvious that they were not growing as a church, and the leadership began to be very conscious about their finances, which had deteriorated. At the same time, they were losing staff. Basic indicators regarding the overall health of a parish - such as generating budget reports - were flashing red. At one point, Redmond had to write the ledger accounts by longhand to report to the vestry.

LaBelle, like many places in Florida, is an area where much of the development promised has not yet come to fruition, and empty lots still abound. Most of the industry is agricultural, and a large part of the population are transient farm workers with no ties to a local church. While the area

provides a large evangelism and outreach opportunity, because the population is not stable, it’s nearly impossible to grow the congregation, which provided a continual challenge to the church.

COMMON PRAYER SAVES THE DAY

When the church went without a priest, Bishop Dabney Smith discussed the matter with the Rev. Michael Rowe, the then rector of St. Mary’s Bonita Springs and the Rev. Canon Richard Norman. Along with the St. Mary’s deacon, the Rev. William Gilmore, they put together a plan.

“In effect, we identified four to six people who expressed an interest in Morning Prayer,” said Redmond. “We all learned how to put the Morning Prayer service together.”

This was familiar territory to Redmond, who grew up in Maryland attending an Episcopal Church in North Baltimore. Before the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, Morning Prayer was often held three Sundays a month, with a communion on fourth Sunday. Gilmore and Rowe trained the volunteers to perform the service. Once a month, there would be communion, and the rest of the time, the church would hold services themselves. “We really got it,” said Redmond, who enjoyed figuring out details like the lectionary years ABC, and other finer aspects. “I really enjoyed it because it reacquainted me with the Prayer Book.”

John Hollingsworth, a member since 2008, was one of the dozen stalwarts who pitched in. “It worked out fantastically,” said Hollingsworth. “Twelve people, so it was. We slid into the Morning Prayer service.”

Holy Communion was not ignored. The church was blessed in 2019 with the temporary arrival of the Rev. Eddie Gibbons. Gibbons, who now leads St. Monica’s, is an Ireland native who was first a Catholic Priest. He came each month to give Communion after he had been received into the Episcopal Church.

There were challenging times, however. During the summer, when seasonal residents were away, they were lucky to get 8 or 10 people on a Sunday.

But even with an increase in people, there is no easy road. For a city of about 4,000 residents, there are 40 churches. Which means that if every resident attended on Sunday, there would be, maximum, 100 at each church on a Sunday.

A PRIEST ARRIVES

Enter the Rev. Elizabeth Nelson, who Bishop Smith knew from their time in the Diocese of Central Florida. She had been leading St. Francis of Assisi in Lake Placid, but after retirement, she began looking around for a church home. As she lived in Lehigh Acres, a possibility was Good Shepherd, LaBelle, which was about 20 miles to the west. “When we visited Good Shepherd, it was obvious they needed help,” said Nelson. “It was just going along, keeping

From top, original rendering of the hoped for campus; only the two buildings on the right were built and the church building awaits. Founding members in the Port LaBelle field. One of two buildings. Bottom, pioneer group with then Bishop John Lipscomb.

ELIZABETH NELSON ON HER JOURNEY

God has a plan. I think if anyone asked me what my strongest belief is…that’s what I’d say. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be here today.

It was 1979. I was 31 years old, married, with a full time secretarial job, four children at home, and I attended Cursillo #18 in the Diocese of Rhode Island. My life changed forever: I heard the call to ordination and the journey began. Having been married right out of high school, I had no college degree. So the journey began with night school, two nights a week, for eight years. I graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1991 and began the discernment process. I attended Virginia Theological Seminary, graduated in 1996, but because of issues that could not be resolved, I was released from the ordination process five days before graduation. This is where my faith in God was really tested. I had dedicated 13 years of my life for a goal that seemingly wasn’t going to happen, and I was angry with God…for about six months. Then, through a series of supporting phone calls and lots of “candid conversation with God,” I was led to the Diocese of Central Florida where I participated in a discernment process at Trinity Church in Vero Beach. The result of this 10-month process was an ordination date of January 16, 1999.

In September 1998 I received a phone call from Bishop John Howe, asking me how my job search was going and he read me the profile of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lake Placid, Florida. And as they say, the rest is history. I had a phone interview, an in-person interview on Columbus Day weekend of 1998, I was offered the job as Deaconin-Charge for six months, followed by ordination to the priesthood. My diaconate ordination was December 1, 1998 and I was ordained priest June 13, 1999. I was the rector of that church for 21 years until mandatory retirement at age 72, December 31, 2019.

My story is filled with strange happenings, failed marriages, Match.com, and a firm belief that “with God all things are possible.” I’ve been married for 10 years to a man who believes as I do…that God is in control, that God has a plan, and it’s up to us to find and follow that plan. Did I expect to be a priest-in-charge after I retired? No. I did hope to do supply work, because I couldn’t imagine being without an altar upon which to celebrate. But when my husband and I visited Good Shepherd church—the very first time—we knew. Actually, my husband was familiar with the area and he knew before I did. Good Shepherd needed us…and we needed them. The dozen people who are the heart and soul of that church met us that first day…and we knew.

God has a plan for all of us. His plan for my husband and I is to grow this church. Twelve has grown to almost 30 on any given Sunday. We are redoing a screen room and making it a parish hall. Our present building functions as both sanctuary and parish hall, but that is going to change. We have received a loan from the diocese to fund this project and the parish has almost doubled the amount with their generous donations and pledges.

We are doing what God wants us to do. It’s as simple as that! When you follow the Shepherd, good things happen.

the doors open. I couldn’t stand to watch what was going on.”

She came to talk to Bishop Smith, which she thought was more of a check-in. But Good Shepherd was on his mind. “That little church had a special place in my heart,” said Smith.

What Nelson noticed most about the congregation was the enthusiasm, even among just 12 attendees. There was absolutely no apathy. Instead, the dozen were holding on with vigor, which gave her encouragement.

“They depended on God to send somebody,” said Nelson. “There wasn’t one of those persons in that church that hadn’t had some sort of excitement. They just were not going to leave.” Her response was to come, no matter what.

“Please let me do this,” she asked. “I don’t care if they pay me.”

Nelson arrived in 2020, just before the coronavirus shut the church down. The first Sunday she put together a bulletin was the last Sunday they were able to worship in person. During the time of closure, they held services by car. She, along with the congregation, mastered Zoom. By May, she had been named Priest-in-Charge, and they held their first in-person worship on Pentecost Sunday, 2020. A robust 25 showed up. “They depended on God to send somebody,” said Nelson.

The congregation might have just relied upon God, but Nelson also acted. Nelson, for instance, made up promotional cards for the parish, and gave them out everywhere she could think of. Last fall, she encountered a family at the LaBelle McDonald’s, with grandparents, parents and three young children. Approaching them, she found out that the family had left New York State after their house had burned down. She invited them to Good Shepherd.

“I baptized those three little kids last week, 6, 2 and 1,” said Nelson. She also re-invited others who had dropped off the rolls.

“Elizabeth is not afraid to see someone in the McDonalds and to invite them to church,” said Ivy Somerbell.

The family, in turn, brought others, including ones from other denominations that did not have in person worship during coronavirus.

At Good Shepherd, they are not overly obsessed about attracting youth. “We do the best we can,” said Nelson. “God needs a place for older people too. With three kids, you do the best you can.”

One of the stalwart members of the church is Ivy Somerbell. Born in Jamaica, she left and moved to the U.K., where she was a nurse midwife. She later moved to New York City, and came down to LaBelle, Florida, purchasing a small house for an investment in 1986 . She is now a full-time resident. In spite of growing up and time in countries of the Church of England, she had attended the Adventist Church.

“I knew about the Lord. I knew about the Bible. I knew about the scriptures.

After moving back to New York and then returning to LaBelle in 1999, she heard a sermon from the then-priest-incharge, the Rev. Alan Kelmereit. She returned to the church. What she heard was that it was time that she “really started moving with the Lord.”

The time doing Morning Prayer made them work together, so that they were ready to begin, when God dropped her right in their lap.

“We are going to have to keep our eyes open, our ears listening and see who comes,” said Somerbell. “Good Shepherd is placed where it is for a reason.”

“Elizabeth [Nelson] is a soul-winner,” said Somerbell.

FUTURE OF THE CHURCH

The situation at Good Shepherd is being played out across the U.S. and indeed Anglican Communion, as churches struggle with attendance and giving. Many churches, including Episcopal Churches, are closing. Redmond did not come to Good Shepherd to create a master plan for what to do with small rural Episcopal churches who are struggling, but his 12 disciples have come up with a template.

“I would encourage them to stay the course,” said Redmond. “It’s important to come together as a community, if we can.”

“It’s going to grow,” said Hollingsworth, whose youngest son moved into his house near the church. He and his wife moved into a condo, overlooking a marina on the Caloosahatchee River, which is the Intracoastal connection between Florida’s east and west coasts.

It helps that Nelson has inspired the remnant who kept the congregation alive.

“The Lord blessed us by sending Elizabeth over a year ago,” said Redmond. “She basically believes that the Lord is leading us and if we believe that things will work out.”

During COVID-19, Good Shepherd went to a drive-thru service model, setting up a canopy and table with flowers and a cross.

Today, there is new optimism, even as things are still small in size, they are big in heart. Nelson started a Wednesday newsletter/inspirational email entitled the Wednesday Clothesline. The church put up a tent canopy at the Night on the Town event in LaBelle, with a raffle and baskets, and met the community.

With these new undertakings, there is the everpresent worry that it is the “same people doing it all”, and if these efforts are paying off: in short, they are. New members are holding a take-out fish fry, which has brought in volunteers who do not attend the church, and others who were not in regular attendance.

Internally, and with help from the diocese and a bookkeeper, they have brought the financial reporting up to date. They de-cluttered the church, which had accumulated many trinkets over time. Each improvement, however small, builds and encourages the confidence to have a follow up

improvement. “All of a sudden, we start to look like we know what we are doing,” said Redmond.

One issue that the church had is the need for larger facilities; the church is also the parish hall. And for a church that was struggling to stay open, the money to fix that was thought to be hard to find. They also raised money to enclose an outdoor area, which has yet to be done, although the money needed for the project has been raised.

“Elizabeth came here, and she dove right in,” said Redmond. “She’s making a believer out of me.”

Nelson, who plays the organ and sings, plans to stick around, until God sends someone else. By age 78, she hopes she can finish five years, though she jokes that it will only happen if she “still has all her marbles.”

“I might not like it all the time, but when God drops something in your lap, guess what,” said Nelson. “When there are only 15 people, does it make me a little sad? Yeah.”

That is not to say that there are places where they need to understand and accept their limitations. As an aging congregation, they realized that heavy lifting involved in running a thrift shop was beyond them.

Nelson admits that it is disappointing that people know that there had occasionally been 130 there, and all of a sudden at times, there were 12. While the two or three gathered is Biblical, it is still difficult.

They just had to be the right 12. Which are now about 30, each Sunday, and slowly growing.

“The people that needed to be there wanted it to succeed,” said Nelson. “God has just provided too many things. He’s not going to pull out the rug from under us.”

“He has a plan for us,” said Redmond. “We’ll just keep going.”

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QUESTIONS FOR GODLY DECISIONS

To turn around a struggling congregation, the most important element has been the trust between the congregation and the priest. Because the numbers were so small at Church of the Good Shepherd, it was important that every decision made was understood by every person in the congregation, to ensure buy in.

In the 1980s, the Rev. Elizabeth Nelson attended a sermon at Trinity Church, Newport, R.I. that continues to inform how she makes decisions. She wrote down the message, though she does not recall which preacher preached it. It has guided her through every church decision. And it can apply to any bit of leadership, really, even outside the church. God is in control, and either you don’t think he works, or you do think he works.

• Is it Biblical? Because if you believe what you preach, it cannot be any other way. • Do circumstances make it possible, or are you trying to manipulate? Are you trying to cut the jigsaw puzzle pieces again, to make the puzzle pieces fit? • Do you have God’s peace when you make this decision? Or are you contemplating a course that you blessed well know you should not be doing.