Icy weather with sleet raining down did not stop parishioners from Good Shepherd in Terrell, from processing from the church to an adjacent house to join Bishop George Sumner as he blessed the newly purchased property.

“The church has wanted to buy since 2011 when the house was for sale, but couldn’t afford it,” said the Rev. David Faulkner, rector of the church. “The man who bought it approached the church when he was ready to sell, and we were thankful to be able to buy it.”

The building is now called the Portmess House, named after the church’s first rector, and was purchased in part with money from parishioner Marie Ballard who left a generous bequest. Parishioners gave the house, which was built in the late 1800s, a makeover and turned rooms into a bridal suite, a study/counseling room, and two small meeting rooms.

“It was the exact right amount of project,” Faulkner said. “A lot of people gave meaningful things to put in the house.” He said Terrell doesn’t have a lot of spaces for community gatherings, and expects the house to also serve a revenue stream for the church, in addition to being a gathering space for the parish and community.