Hall. The office and Sunday school classes were held in a rented house until the landlord decided to sell. Hewitt Johnston, a friend of Neustadt’s father and then rector of St. George’s, graciously allowed St. Mark to hold its Sunday classes at the Episcopal church, and even- tually invited St. Mark to make its home there. As the two churches continued growing, the need for a new building increased. Robison said the new church was built to accommodate both Lutherans and Episcopalians. St. George’s, which owns the building, was responsible for the cost, but smaller St. Mark helped by buying four city lots kitty-corner from the church for a parking lot. Since the remodeling, to this day the two churches are living and growing together, which both Coleman and Robison called “an amazing thing.”
A growing church
Now the church under one roof, which serves between 800 and 900 people, holds Lutheran and Episcopal wor- ship each Sunday morning led by Robison and Coleman. Since both congregations worship in the same area, service times are staggered. Episcopal worship is at 8 and 10:30 a.m., with Lutherans worshiping at 9 a.m. If a ser- vice runs long, the others just wait to enter the sanctuary. Rarely do they knock on the door to tell them to hurry. On feast/holy days such as All Saints, Epiphany and Good Friday, they worship together, with the clergy shar- ing presiding and preaching leadership. “It’s a meaningful worship service for both groups, whether you are Episcopalian or Lutheran,” said Kathy Rothgangel, a St. Mark member. “I think it’s a wonderful way to share word and sacrament together.” The two congregations also manage a food pantry and a financial crisis fund.
Churches that attempt this type of partnership aren’t always successful, but Robison said this rela- tionship is different. “We live in the house with them,” he said. “I think that’s the big difference. We don’t have a room in the basement or in the garage that they made up for us. We don’t have to bring our stuff in and then take it back out.”
The sign says it all: St. Mark Lutheran and St. George’s Episcopal churches in Belleville, Ill., have enjoyed shared ministry on the same corner, and under the same roof, for 30 years. Their clergy, Lutheran Brian Robi- son (left) and Episco- palian Dale Coleman, call their relationship “a model of Christian love” and “an amaz- ing thing.”
Despite living in the house together, there is no official rent agree- ment. What was written
on a piece of paper when Johnston and Neustadt brought the churches together holds true: “There is no rent, but we hope that St. Mark will contribute financially to offset some of the cost to St. George’s for operating the parish.” This contribution was just a few hundred dollars in the beginning, but it has grown to nearly $25,000 a year, Neustadt said. Without the pressure of paying monthly rent, St.
Mark’s parishioners can focus more on strengthening their relationships with members of St. George’s. The pastors lead by example. Johnston and Neustadt were friends before the initial partnership. When Coleman took over at St. George’s, the relationship became even more crucial.
Coleman, who referred to Neustadt as “the cat’s
meow,” said the Lutheran pastor played an important role in his life. “I came here really, really low and demoralized from my last church experience,” he said. “[Neustadt] not only became a very good friend, but a confessor and a counselor.” There’s a similar strength in the relationship between Coleman and Robison.
When Robison took over for Neustadt, the interview process included the Lutheran pastor meeting with Cole- man to assure they could work together. “He’s a good friend and I appreciate having a minis- terial colleague right in the building,” Robison said of Coleman. “I think he appreciates the same thing. I think that’s always been one of the strengths in this relationship through the years.”
Their alliance began more than a year ago, and neither is expecting it to end any time soon.
No end in sight
St. Mark has come a long way since holding worship in the Philharmonic Hall every Sunday, and now it’s looking to continue a steady path of growth. Coleman and Robi- son say the two churches help each other grow. “I can’t think of anything that would be big enough that would cause this partnership to splinter and fracture,” Robison said. “We’ve both been through the various controversies that all churches had to go through … after 30 years of this relationship they’ve gotten really good at respecting each other’s integrity.”
Robison believes this relationship has become a model of success not only for joint churches but for churches everywhere: “In an era of declining church membership and with so many congregations teetering on the edge of survival, as well as a world with so much division, we lift up our arrangement here as a model of cooperation upon which other congregations may build in the future.”
February 2013 35
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