Bishop Seabury Church

About Bishop Seabury Church

We Believe

We are a community of Christians who gather each week to hear the Gospel, to learn the Faith, to share the Sacraments, and to participate in the fellowship so that we may carry Jesus Christ into all the world. Our statement of faith can be found in the Creeds of the Church, and in the proclamation of Jesus in the Gospel of John 3:16 "God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." We believe in the full power of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church today. We believe that the Congregation are the Ministers of the Church, and are called to exercise their ministry in the full life of the Parish

Our Clergy

Rev. Ronald S. Gauss - Senior Associate Rector

Uncharacteristic of most Churches, Fr. Gauss has been at BSC since Spring, 1975. Fr Gauss helped BSC fulfill its dream started long before his arrival by completing the present building and Sanctuary. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, God has used Fr. Gauss to bring spiritual renewal, and biblical perspective, to this 127 year old parish church. Fr. Gauss brings a unique perspective (for an priest) to our parish. Jewish by birth and ritual, he had an encounter with Jesus Christ at an early age, like the very first New Testament Christians . Fr. Gauss is a Jew who believes that Jesus is the Messiah. His background and learning has given in-depth understanding of the Jewishness of the church and insight to the Old and New Testaments. Like St. Paul, he has brought the light of Jesus to the Gentiles.

Rev. Milton Cheney - Assistant Rector

Fr. Cheney grew up in Westboro, MA near Worcester. He went to High School in Worcester, attended Hobart College in Geneva, NY and Seminary at Berkeley in New Haven, CT. Fr. Cheney served parishes in Western, MA for 21 years and served 21 years at St. Marys’ Church in Warwick, R.I. He retired March of 2003 and settled in W. Greenwich, R.I. Fr. Cheney first met Fr. Ron at a Promise Keeper’s Meeting in Worcester ten to twelve years ago. When it was known that Fr. Gauss was seeking an assistant, Fr. Cheney was recommended. They met and talked and now we are blessed with his ministry at Bishop Seabury Church. Fr. Cheney said when he and his wife Lois first visited on Sunday, June 5th, they were overwhelmed by the friendliness of our Parish and, “...unlike many Churches, we were intrigued by the size and the life and enthusiasm of the worshippers. One of the things that attracted me was the possibility to work with another gifted Priest which I haven’t done in over thirty years. At that time I served with The Reverence Alfred Whisler who was Rector of St. Marks’ in New Canaan, CT in the late 1970s and 1980s.”

They have six children and eleven grandchildren who live from Massachusetts to Hawii. Their son, Michael, is also a Episcopal Priest. They live on a two acre lot in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. One of his hobbies has been landscaping his property and also restoration of used boats. 

This building

We believed and believe that “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Ps 27:1). God has been the provider for every phase of this building which has been in process for more than 34 years and we have only been in this building since Bishop Seabury's birthday in 1998. It has been awesome to see the outward physical results of the Lord's work as the new building took shape. We are using our new Sanctuary and Chapel to expand the proclamation of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This new facility was paid for entirely by God and is a debt we owe only to ourselves. As Holy Scripture says, we owe no man. This building belongs to God and is a place of worship and glory. The stained glass windows next to the Orthodox baptismal font are from the original Bishop Seabury Church on Thames Street in Groton, as well as the altar and chairs in the Sanctuary. This church is made up of the old and new just as the Gospel is an age old message set to new life.