Dear Beloved Members of Church of the Good Shepherd, 

We're thrilled to announce that Rev. Becky Zartman Carpenter+ is joining us as our new Priest in-Charge! This is a wonderful moment for our parish, marking the end of a waiting period and the start of a new chapter in our spiritual journey.  

We're so grateful to the Vestry, Diocesan leadership, and everyone who has supported our parish during this time. Your prayers, patience, and commitment have been a source of strength and inspiration. 

Priest Becky+ brings a wealth of experience and a passion for ministry that will undoubtedly enrich our parish life. We're particularly excited about her gifts in adult and youth formation and her commitment to pastoral care. We look forward to being nourished by her scripture based sermons, which will deepen our understanding of God's Word and strengthen our faith. 

As we embrace Priest Becky+ into our community, let's come together in prayer and support, rejoicing in this new beginning. Her first Sunday will be October 6, when we’ll also celebrate Saint Francis Day. We hope to see everyone in the pews to give her a warm Good Shepherd welcome! May God bless our parish and guide us on this exciting journey.  

In Love and Gratitude, 

Britt Myers

Senior Warden

Emily Dwight

Junior Warden

Dear Good Shepherd, 

I am so excited to be joining you as your priest-in-charge on October 1, and as your collaborator in ministry.  

A little about me: I grew up in a small Episcopal church in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, and I’ve always known, even when I was very young, that I was supposed to be a priest. I’m the oldest of five siblings (who have given me ten niblings!) and my mom and dad are still both very involved at St. Matt’s.  

I graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2013, and have been working in an ordained capacity in the church since then. I’ve worked in primarily young-adult congregations, been a college chaplain, a developer of curricula and classes for various Episcopal institutions, a canon at the Cathedral in Houston, and an interim priest. My call within a call is to Christian formation, or put another way, helping Christians reach maturity as people of faith. This means teaching, of course, but also, well, everything else, too. The Ignatian concept of cura personalis (care for the whole person) really rubbed off on me while I was working alongside the Jesuits at Georgetown University.  

My time with you is going to be structured a little differently than you’ve experienced with priests before. I will be your priest, and available for pastoral emergencies whenever emergencies arrive, and I will be working three-quarter time. For us, that means 30 hours a week, with a different priest covering the third Sunday of the month while I am out of town visiting my daughter in Virginia. My husband (the Rev. Les Carpenter, rector of St. Andrew’s) and I are working hard to make our blended family work, and this arrangement allows us to do that, for which I am very grateful. I’ve signed on for two years as your priest-in-charge, and together we’ll be discerning what’s best for all of us moving forward.  

As far as other passions, I love gardening and learning about native landscapes, history (ancient and medieval, mostly), film, art and playing with our very good boy Boomer.  

I am so looking forward to getting to know all of you! 

In peace, 

Becky+