About
The Church of the Good Shepherd is a vibrant church community that is inclusive, welcoming, and inter-generational.
We are a community of open and affirming Christians rooted in the tradition of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion whose lives are centered around the Good News of God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
Our mission is to proclaim this Good News, seeking and serving Christ in all persons in the Nashua community.
Clergy
Rev. Kathy Boss - Rector rector@cgsnashua
The Rev. Kathy Boss was ordained in the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire after earning her Masters of Divinity at Boston University School of Theology. Prior to being called into ministry, Pastor Kathy worked in nonprofit management and education for almost two decades. She is also the mother of three wonderful grown children.
Pastor Kathy grew up in Australia and Canada, and when she was in high school her family moved to the United States, where her parents had both been born and raised. She has lived in New England for her entire adult life and has been in New Hampshire since 1997. Pastor Kathy is an avid knitter and has a wide range of reading interests from literary fiction to speculative fiction, from theology to how the world works. She loves the contemplative nature of walking, and in 2016 completed the 500-mile Camino Frances pilgrimage across Northern Spain. She shares her home with her two fluffy, friendly cats, Levi and Momo.
George Swenson - Associate associate@cgsnashua.org
George Swenson is a 2024 graduate of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire School for Ministry and candidate for the priesthood. Raised in a family that had no formal religious affiliation, George found the Episcopal Church in his early 20’s and has found it to be a great spiritual home for him.
He graduated from SNHU with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has worked for eight years selling property and casualty insurance. He has also been an active volunteer with the New Hampshire Teen Institute for over a decade helping to facilitate a summer leadership camp for high school students in the state. He has spent that last year and a half at St. Andrew’s Hopkinton as an intern and has absolutely loved getting to preach and help with pastoral care and formation programs.
George grew up in Merrimack, New Hampshire and then moved to Concord where he now resides with his husband and their many animals. He likes to spend his free time either playing video games, watching the latest Marvel movies or getting outside for hike and some nature photography.
Staff
Music Director - Music Director music@cgsnashua.org
Emily Adams is a versatile musician who has worked and performed throughout New England. Prior to joining the team at CGS, Emily was music director at Main Street United Methodist Church from 2018-2021. Emily has also served as organist at the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Nashua, and at Allentown United Methodist Church in Allentown, NJ.
As an organist, Emily has been a featured recitalist at First Church in Nashua, Old West Organ Society’s summer recital series in downtown Boston, and All Saints Episcopal Church in Brookline, MA, in addition to recitals at Main Street.
Emily is also an experienced ballet pianist and has worked with Boston Ballet School, Boston Ballet’s apprentice company, BBII, San Francisco Ballet School, and the San Francisco Opera ballet corps. In 2015, she had the unique opportunity to work with AXIS Dance Company in Oakland, CA, to create and perform an original work to new choreography. She has also worked closely with BBII as a rehearsal pianist.
In addition to her work at the keyboard, Emily is also a classically-trained mezzo-soprano, and has performed in operas, oratorios, and concerts throughout Boston and southern New Hampshire. She has been a featured soloist with Cantata Singers and has performed operatic roles with Opera51, Cambridge Chamber Ensemble, Lowell House Opera, and MassOpera.
John Budzyna - Parish Administrator administrator@cgsnashua.org
John is excited to be on the Good Shepherd team. He has worked in non-profit settings for 25 years and comes to Church of the Good Shepherd from the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center in Newburyport, MA where he and his wife Deirdre live. When he is not at CGS, John supports other non-profits and small businesses through his company Solutions Bookkeeping. John’s wife Deirdre is a Professor at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, MA, teaching Early Childhood Education. Having met on stage in The Wizard of Oz in Summer Stock, John and Deirdre continue their theatre endeavors directing and producing community theatre that involve actors aged 4 to 84 through Acting Out Productions and The Actor’s Studio of Newburyport. They have three grown children; Colin, Erin and Maggie.
Johanna Graves - Special Projects connections@cgsnashua.org
Johanna Graves was born in Michigan but grew up in northern Indiana. She and her husband Allan moved to NH in 2001, fresh from college, and have lived in Nashua, then Manchester, and came back to Nashua to start their family. They began attending Church of the Good Shepherd in 2014. A dear departed friend voluntold Johanna to the choir 2017 which began a deepening of her commitment to the church and people of CGS. She has been involved in various activities and committees ever since and was confirmed in the Episcopal Church in 2023.
Johanna is an avid reader, gardener, artist, birder, and wife and mother. She has worked everything from retail to office to light industrial and she is glad to bring her skills to work on behalf of CGS.
Nancy Madeira - Youth Director youth@cgsnashua.org
Nancy is a cradle Episcopalian who has been a parishioner of Church of the Good Shepherd since the age of 6. She was active in the youth group (EYC), past member of the Vestry and was a Sunday School teacher for 17 years working with the 3-4 year olds and 5th and 6th Grade Riser’s. A graduate of Plymouth State with a BA in Art, she has worked in the print and packaging industry for over 30 years. Nancy is very excited to be involved with youth ministry and working with the youth, parents, advisers and clergy.
Kate Engle - Sunday School Director sundayschool@cgsnashua.org
Kate Engle has been a member of Church of the Good Shepherd for over 15 years. She started teaching Sunday School in 2015 and has always enjoyed all the interesting conversations with the kiddos about the Bible stories and God. She is excited to continue working with the children and their families as Sunday School Coordinator.
Kate has a B.A. in Russian language and culture from St. Olaf College and a Master of Social Work degree from UNH, and has worked with children and families as a Social Worker for a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization for over 15 years. She is a wife and mother of three, and her main hobby is learning ethnic dances from around the world.
Vergers
John Townsend, Howard Titus & John Rowntree
Our Vergers
John Townsend vixca@comcast.net
John Townsend is a lifelong Episcopalian who came to the Church of the Good Shepherd in 1986 and became involved in many aspects of parish life. He has served as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and a Eucharistic Visitor and is on the Altar Guild. John has served on various committees, including a three-year term on the vestry. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire and Rivier College, John has completed the Vergers’ Training Course offered by the Vergers’ Guild of the Episcopal Church. He trained under the late Paul Jauron after being appointed Verger in April 2001. Working with John as assisting Vergers are Howard Titus and John Rowntree.
Howard Titus
Howard Titus is a life long Episcopalian, baptized in St. John's Episcopal Church in Winthrop, MA. He has been a member of Good Shepherd since 1989. He is a retired engineer for BAE Systems, and has been privileged to travel extensively both within the USA and overseas for his work. Married to Sharon, they have one son, Prescott, who currently lives in Quincy, MA. Howard enjoys reading history and biography as well as umpiring baseball.
John Rowntree
John Rowntree has been a member of the parish for over 20 years. In addition to his role as verger, he represents Good Shepherd in the Nashua Interfaith Council. He is a co-mentor of our Education for Ministry group for Adult Christian Formation. In the past he served two terms on the vestry and as a Diocesan delegate for nine years.
Vestry
OUR VESTRY
Vestry members are elected by the congregation at the January Annual Meeting as the governing body of the parish. The Vestry gives support and guidance to the Clergy and Congregation.
Our Vestry is comprised of about a dozen at large members who serve alongside four Executive Committee Members: Senior Warden (President), Junior Warden (Vice President), Clerk and Treasurer. For a current Vestry listing and their assigned liaison ministries please see our Newsletter.
Sue Corman, Senior Warden
Sue has been a member of CGS since 2001. She and her wife Mary have lived in Merrimack since 1992, and have twins, Aris and Ross, who are currently away at college. Over the years she has been a Vestry Member and Vestry Clerk. Sue has been co-coordinator for the Parish Photo Directory and served on the Worship and Stewardship Committees. Currently, in addition to serving as our Senior Warden, Sue is an Usher, and she is also on the Fellowship team and Co-Chairs the Fundraising Committee. Sue loves to spend her leisure time with family; RV-ing, time at the lake, going for a paddle in the canoe, hiking…and “Empty Nest” traveling.
Don Yelton, Junior Warden
Don has been a member of CGS since 1997. He is a member of the Stewardship Committee and the Fundraising Committee. Don is also a Lay Eucharistic Minister (LEM) and serves on Finance Committee and the Communication Committee. CGS and our fellow parishioners are an important part of our family’s life. CGS and other churches are at a pivotal point and I want to contribute to making this church an important beacon of light for our congregation and for our community.
Location
Church of the Good Shepherd
214 Main Street Nashua, NH 03060
(603) 882-5352
Visit
Parking:
Parking on Sundays and Holidays is available on the street and in the two bank parking lots on Main Street south of the church.
Parking on weekdays (Mon-Sat) is available on the street and in the Elm Street parking garage. Elm Street is reached by traveling west from Main Street on West Pearl Street or on West Hollis Street. The routes are indicated with red arrows on the map above. Both of these streets are one-way west bound. Parking meters must be used from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday - Saturday. The bank parking lots are available after 5pm (6pm on Thursdays and after 12 noon on Saturdays). There is free parking on Saturdays at all City off-street parking lots and garages. For more information visit City Maps/Downtown Parking | Nashua, NH (nashuanh.gov)
Handicap Accessibility:
The Church of the Good Shepherd offers accessibility to all persons through the use of two access ramps. All elevators comply with accessibility standards. If you have further questions or concerns, please call the church office at (603) 882-5352.
A) From Main Street, the ramp on the left side of the church offers access to the sanctuary where there are locations for wheelchairs, and to the first floor of the parish house. Located there is a bathroom, the auditorium and lounge and an elevator to the lower basement level where there are additional bathrooms, meeting rooms and the choir room.
B) From Spring Street, the ramp on the right at the rear entrance to the office area provides access to the church office and the elevator to the second floor meeting rooms and nursery.