Glidden, 57, had led East Concord's cozy Grace Episcopal Church for just over a year when he died suddenly last Sunday at his Nashua home. Despite his short tenure, he'd already formed close bonds with the congregation and the community. In April, the church asked Glidden to stay for good, ending Grace's search for a new vicar and satisfying his desire to return to the pulpit full time.

"After waiting for the right time and the right place, he really found it with the people of Grace Church and was really rejoicing with that opportunity," said the Rev. Canon Tim Rich, who works for the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. "It's just sad that it was so short-lived."

In the days since his death, parishioners have learned that Glidden's time at Grace Church was the end of many decades spent helping others learn, reason and reach their goals. Glidden completed divinity school in 1980, but worked much of his adult life as a teacher, most recently in the aviation program at Daniel Webster College in Nashua.

There, he taught students how to fly, interpret weather patterns and navigate the aviation industry. Shirley Phillips, a professor at the school, recalls how students always remembered what Glidden taught because he delivered information with humor and, on at least one occasion, with kitchen utensils as props.

Glidden and his wife, Jane, had no children of their own, but they made young people a prominent part of their life, inviting students, especially those from other countries, to their home for holiday meals. Baking thrilled Glidden, and he would sometimes host bread-making classes for students so they'd be ready when they had kitchens of their own.

On Sundays, Glidden would serve as a substitute priest at churches throughout the state. He came to Concord in January 2006 to help with services after Grace Church's previous pastor left. His sermons were as popular as his lectures had been at Daniel Webster.

"Did you ever go to church and think I'm looking forward to the sermon?" said Warren Geissinger, a church member who lives in Concord. "That's what we did. He has a way of enlightening scripture, a way of storytelling."

Glidden helped the church, which is frequented by many retirees, welcome younger families. Small children toddled around during Sunday services and acolytes were never in short supply. More times than not, the bread used at communion had been baked by Glidden.

"He would have been a good fit for any congregation; he embodied what the priesthood was," said Donna Muir, the church's administrative assistant. "He really liked the intimacy (of a small church.) He really liked to get to know the people one on one."

Regulars at the Friendly Kitchen knew Glidden, too. Muir, who is also the kitchen's executive director, remembers how he passed out fresh-baked bread and pushed the boundaries of soup kitchen cuisine.

"We have many good cooks at the kitchen," she said. "But Scott always really wanted to create."

Glidden's funeral was to be held this morning in Nashua, but his welcome letter remained on Grace Church's website. There, Glidden describes his congregation: the "nonagenarian pushing her walker adorned with Tibetan prayer flags," "the silence of heads bowed in prayer, followed by energetic singing," and "the exclamation of a four-year-old on his way back from communion: 'Dad, this is the best part!' "

About a month ago, Glidden brought a small herd of children into the church kitchen to bake one of his famous loaves of alter bread - whole wheat, with ¼ cup of honey - for an upcoming baptism. Tiffany Dodd, a parishioner from Dunbarton, said it was hard to tell who was having more fun, Glidden or the kids.

"He was so happy," she said. "He had flour everywhere. He let the kids roll out the dough, put their fingers in it."

Dodd helped clean up and left with a copy of Glidden's recipe. This week, she used it - along with his handwritten notes in the margins - to bake bread for communion at Glidden's funeral.