Towaco’s Good Shepherd Episcopal Church: A Merger of Joy

by Elsie Walker, staff writer

It is said in a marriage that two become one. Towaco’s Good Shepherd Episcopal Church at 9 Two Bridges Road came to be as the result of a marriage, a merger of two churches: St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and Church of the Transfiguration. Once small separate congregations located in close proximity to each other, a merger made sense financially. but also coming together has meant they could further their outreach to the local area and beyond. “[You] can do more with more people,” noted church administrator Kim Rizzo of Pequannock.

The two churches which became Good Shepherd Episcopal Church were started by summer residents looking for a nearby place for Episcopalian worship, according to histories shared by Dean Witty of Montville and Susan Leeds of Lincoln Park. Long ago, the area was a summer vacation place for people from the cities; it was a rural farming area known for its lakes and rivers. However, it was missing a place for the vacationing Episcopalians to worship. In 1913, a group of Episcopalians from New York, who spent their summers in the area, started worshiping together using the Methodist Church in Towaco as a meeting place. They named their congregation Church of the Transfiguration after their home church in New York. In 1917, a small congregation of Episcopalians started worshipping at the local firehouse in Lincoln Park. They decided to name their congregation after St. Andrew, the disciple who was a fisherman. Over the many years since each church’s origin, things changed. Church buildings were constructed. The churches’ congregations were no longer solely summer residents; much of the farms gave way to houses. The congregations welcomed families which had settled into the area and outlying areas.

However, in recent decades, both congregations came to see what many small churches have seen: membership starting to dwindle. In 2007, with both congregations dwindling, and being only about a mile apart, the churches decided to link the parishes to save resources (shared priest, music directors, etc.) and shared in activities. In 2014, they moved from being linked to being one, taking the name: Good Shepherd Episcopal Church.

Deacon Gail Kertland, of Lincoln Park, preaches at the lay-led the morning prayer service each Sunday at 10:30am. Kertland noted that when she was first called to be a Deacon she didn’t know everything that entails and did research into it, including asking as many clergy as she could about their call. She discovered that a deacon is “a mix of social worker, community organizer, and church leader.” As for her own experience in the role, “I was licensed to officiate in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, which encompasses all of central and northern New Jersey, in July of 2022. I have been an ordained Deacon for almost 25 years and have served in seven Diocese throughout the country; serving 15 parishes; and functioning on nine diocesan boards, commissions, and committees.”

When asked what she likes most about the ministry, Kertland shared, “I love talking with people and helping to match needs and resources. As a trained spiritual director, I enjoy hearing their spiritual journey, helping them discern God’s Call, and working with them to bring it to fruition.”

Kertland is married. She and her husband, Keith, have a Shitsui-mix dog, Phoebe, named after the first female Deacon of Biblical times. They have a son who lives nearby with his wife and daughter. The Deacon’s hobbies include crocheting prayer shawls, reading, and exploring various spiri- tual prayer modalities.

The church’s morning prayer service is held each Sunday at 10:30am. “The style of worship would be considered traditional, as it follows Morning Prayer Rite Two as prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer. The congregation is flexible and open to the needs and interests of all who might choose to worship here, so may adopt a more contemporary style when warranted,” shared Rizzo. The weekly service is live streamed via Facebook and Rizzo noted that online followers continue to grow weekly (GoodShepherdEpiscopalChurchMontvilleTwp/Lincoln Park).

While the choir has not sung since COVID 19, Rizzo noted that the church has a gifted music minister who is not only an organist but a vocalist as well. “The music minister takes continued on page 25

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church...

continued from page 24 care to select hymns that encourage congregational singing. She intersperses congregational singing with her own vocal solos. Each service begins with an instrumental prelude and ends with a postlude,” said Rizzo. She went on to share that “on two recent occasions, the music minister performed several music selections on Facebook live as a form of outreach to spotlight our church on social media, and also to strengthen the connection with our congregants who are not able to attend services in person.”

For children attending worship, the church has a supply of child-geared worship aids (coloring pictures, crayons, etc.) for them. “When children are present at worship, they are always acknowledged and made to feel welcome,” said Rizzo.

A fellowship time of coffee and refreshments is held after the service. “Our members are enthusiastic about community-building and socializing,” shared Rizzo.

Outreach is important to the church and it reaches out to the local area and beyond in a variety of ways; one of which is the St. Andrews Thrift Shop. The store is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm and is located at 211 Main Street, Lincoln Park. Keith Kertland shared that it is staffed by parishioners and volunteers, and it sells gently used clothing, housewares, books, and decor, all at affordable prices. “This year our Thrift Shop also provided warm clothing for the people of the Ukraine thanks to a financial donation from the Lincoln Park Lions,” Kertland shared.

Another project is the food pantry. Kertland noted that donations are brought in each Sunday by parishioners for the Kiwanis Montville Food Pantry. Once a month a team led by a parishioner also helps distribute food. In addition, the church encourages donations to the Lincoln Park Food Pantry.

Making prayer shawls is another way this church touches the community. Kertland explained that shawls, made by parishioners, are “given to people who are at a point in their life when they need to know they are loved, supported, and remembered… those who are ill, mourning, apprehensive, dealing with stress, or in need of comfort.” Kertland shared the shawls are prayed over with each stitch and finished shawls are blessed by the congregation. “Our shawls are a tangible reminder that we are never alone. God’s Grace and the loving community of Good Shepherd are with them even in the darkest times,” noted Kertland.

The church also lends its support to four other programs which help people both near and far. Kertand explained that four times a year, parishioners of the church help with St. John’s Boonton “Drop in” Lunch which is held every Saturday.( It offers a hot meal to anyone in need of food or fellowship.) Quarterly, parishioners of the Good Shepherd purchase food, cook, and serve this hot meal for those who choose to come. The church also gets involved in CROP Hunger Walks. Kertland explained that is an annual walk to fight hunger with 25% of the funds raised returned to the host community to support local hunger-fighting efforts. It is supported by Good Shepherd parishioners and others in the community through donations and participation. “Grains of Hope provides sustainable solutions to help relieve poverty worldwide and to connect people with global response efforts,” shared Kertland. “Parishioners donate and raise money for this ministry. Parishioners along with other volunteers help pack thousands of meals to be sent to Ukraine and [other] countries,” he explained. And, the church donates supplies to North Porch Women & Infants’ Centers. “[The center] provides emergency aid of baby supplies to mothers and infants in northern New Jersey, helps them stabilize, and improves the quality of lives. At each visit, clients receive one week’s supply of diapers, wipes, formula, baby food and toiletries,” he shared.

Besides helping others, the congregation of the Good Shepherd enjoys getting together. “The church plans frequent social gatherings, with very good success: St. Patrick’s Day dinner; Mardi gras, Seder Supper, Chicken Dinner, Beer and Wine Tasting Event (social and fundraiser), annual church breakfast, and Christmas dinner,” shared Rizzo.

For more information on the church, visit www.goodshepherdtowaco.weebly.com.

NJ Starz: Eric Klenofsky Hometown: Lincoln Park

By Katie Bohn

The power and appeal of soccer is universal. Just ask Eric Klenofsky, the head of academy goalkeeping for the Houston Dynamo professional soccer club.

“Soccer is a universal language,” says Klenofsky. “It goes across race, ethnicity, location, any kind of barrier that may stand in the way of any other type of societal structure. Soccer is in every country in the world. Do I speak German? No. Do I speak French? No, but I can dribble a soccer ball with you. That is what is unique to soccer as opposed to many other sports, it’s global.”

Klenofsky’s personal list of soccer experience and achievements is extensive. He played high school soccer for DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne all four years where he was goalkeeper for the DePaul Spartans. “I was the captain my senior year and my junior year we won the first ever county championship in the history of the high school which was awesome.” He was first team all state his junior and senior year and from there was selected for the high school boys soccer All American team where he went and played at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Klenofsky, 28, was the first ever representative in the history of DePaul Catholic High School at the All American soccer game. Post high school, he first committed to Southern Methodist University but when that fell through he ended up at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, near the Jersey shore. Klenofsky says his time playing soccer as a starter at Monmouth was an “amazing” experience. “I graduated early because I did summer classes and I ended up getting drafted 34th overall in the 2017 MLS draft to D.C. United. My junior and senior year of college I was Goalkeeper of the Year for the conference.”

There seems to be no shortage of successful soccer goalkeepers who hail from New Jersey. Klenofsky shares memories of playing against Premier League club Arsenal and United States National Team goalkeeper Matt Turner in both high school and college. “Saint Joseph’s was in our high school conference when I was at DePaul Catholic and in our college conference was Fairfield University and Matt Turner was a goalkeeper at Saint Joe’s when I was in high school and he was a goalkeeper at Fairfield as well.” Klenofsky calls winning Goalkeeper of the Year accolades over Turner “incredibly ironic” considering the direction Turner’s career took. “There is absolutely something in the water in New Jersey in terms of goalkeepers,” laughs Klenofsky. “The 1994 World Cup had Tony Meola [who is from] New Jersey. After that came Tim Howard who went to Montclair Kimberley Academy in New Jersey and played for Manchester United and is arguably the greatest American goalkeeper in the history of the country.” Howard played goalkeeper for the United States soccer team in both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. “In the last eight World Cups, about seventy percent [featured] New Jersey goalkeepers,” says Klenofsky. Klenofsky’s lengthy accomplishments in the soccer world did not come without some hurdles and challenges. “One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was my own selfdoubt. You have challenges, you either succeed or you don’t. There’s a voice in your head that says ‘Yes, you can do it.’ There’s another that says ‘Maybe you shouldn’t’ or ‘You probably can’t’. That stemmed from my own self-awareness of what my actual level was as a player. I had three knee surgeries in my first four years of playing professionally. Every time I took a step forward, I would get knocked back. I would definitely say that was probably one of the biggest challenges I had to get through. Having two surgeries in my rookie year was really difficult. Another difficult time was my senior year at DePaul I was already committed to Southern Methodist University. The day before signing day in May of my senior year I got a call from the coaching staff saying that I wasn’t admitted to the school academically. I had gotten some senioritis and gotten metaphorically punched in the face a couple months before my senior year was over [with the news.]. Those were two really hard moments for me.” However, Klenofsky goes on to say, “I really needed to get metaphorically punched in the face at that age. I needed to taste a little bit of adversity. Sooner or later I was going to have to taste a bit of adversity so I’m glad that it happened then. I’ve been able to approach a lot of challenges following that with a lot of resilience and logic.”

Helping the DePaul Spartans win their first ever Passaic County Championship in 2012 is on Klenofsky’s list of greatest accomplishments in his soccer career. His time spent playing NCAA Division I men’s soccer at Monmouth University is also on that list. During Klenofsky’s freshman and sophomore years in college playing for the Monmouth Hawks, he led the NCAA in goals against average, with the Hawks conceding the least amount of goals in the country two years in a row. “My freshman stat was 0.22 goals per game which I think is third or fourth all-time single season record for the NCAA. I am immensely proud of the longevity that I’ve had and the career that I’m building, whether playing or coaching. I’m proud of the person I’m developing into and that kind of stuff means more to me than just a singular moment [of career achievement]. It’s more about a collection of moments for me.”

One of those moments occurred during the time Klenofsky played in the MLS for D.C. United. A selfproclaimed “massive” fan of Tim Howard, Klenofsky found himself sharing a field with the man he respected so much.

“My rookie year playing for D.C. United I made the roster to go play against Colorado Rapids. Tim Howard had just transferred from Everton over to the Colorado Rapids. I’m warming up for the game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Denver and Tim Howard jogs onto the field and I’m thinking to myself that six months ago I was playing in West Long Branch and now I’m sharing a field with Tim Howard. A moment like that is the culmination of years of hard work.”

Klenofsky says the height of his career was being invited on trial (a soccer tryout or audition) with Premier League club Everton in Liverpool. “Being an American playing in Europe is what every soccer player wants to do,” says Klenofsky. “That was an amazing moment for me.”

When asked about future career goals, Klenofsky emphasizes the importance of one word in particular: longevity. “One of the things that Tim Howard talks about a lot in interviews is longevity. That is a main goal for me, to have longevity and to be a part of the fabric of a club. I’m with the Houston Dynamo right now. I want to be in Houston working for this club, growing with this club for years. One of the things I really want to accomplish is to put together a really strong body of work that is backed by years and years of evolution and productivity. I would also love to coach at the highest level I possibly can. I would love to say I was a first team goalkeeper coach in the MLS, in the Premier League, or in the World Cup.”

As Head of Academy Goalkeeping for the Houston Dynamo soccer club, Klenofsky now works with a younger generation on soccer skills that he grew up learning and playing. He is constantly amazed at the level of talent he sees on a day-to-day basis. When asked what he notices in a player with exceptional talent he replies, “Speed of learning is massively important. At the same time, you have to have a deep desire and a deep love for goalkeeping along with athleticism and coordination.”

When asked if he has any advice he’d like to impart on young people looking to be successful in the soccer world, whether as a goalkeeper or any other position, Klenofsky says, “You have to be doing it because you love it. We’re not in the business of forcing anyone to love the game. You’re always more likely to get better at things that you enjoy doing. Make sure you enjoy doing it because there will be a lot of sacrifices, a lot of ups and downs that you will have to manage as best you can. Also make sure that soccer is a part of you, but not all of you.”

For more information on Eric Klenofsky or the Houston Dynamo, please visit www.houstondynamoacademy.net.