‘It was like God had sent them here’
Episcopalians from shuttered church bring new life to Charlotte, N.C., Lutherans By Tim Funk, photos courtesy The Charlotte Observer
T
he story of how Holy Trinity Lutheran, a once strug- gling church in Charlotte, N.C., was reborn began on a Sunday in June 2013. As the 11 a.m. service was about to begin, about 20 newcomers walked into the sanc-
tuary and bunched into two back pews. “Like sardines,” recalled Nancy Kraſt. Te pastor of Holy Trinity was
surprised, but delighted, that they had accepted her off-the-cuff invitation to worship. Te group was made up of former members of nearby St. Andrew Episcopal Church—many had worshiped there for decades. But a few weeks earlier, the church had closed unexpectedly, its locks changed. Tey were grieving and angry. St. Andrew’s closure, aſter more than 100 years, had also leſt them spiri-
tually homeless and eager to find another church where they could stay together. So here they were at Holy Trinity. When Kraſt invited worshipers, including the visitors, to take commu-
nion, she was surprised again. Looking into the faces of those kneeling at the altar, she saw that the St. Andrew refugees weren’t the only ones feeling
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www.thelutheran.org
Ruth Alden (second from left) has found her home at Holy Trinity Lutheran (and a place in the choir) in Charlotte, N.C., where Lutherans and their pastor, Nancy Kraft (right) have welcomed Episcopalians from a local shuttered church.
emotional. Te eyes of Holy Trinity members were brimming with tears of compassion. Since then, dozens of other
former St. Andrew members have flocked to Holy Trinity. Most stayed. Te size of the choir has doubled; the congregation is more diverse; and weekly offerings are way up.
Resurrection story On Easter, their first together, Holy Trinity’s sanctuary, once half-empty, was full—and then some. Te new Holy Trinity is a testament to how “resurrection is all around us. And it’s always a surprise,” said Kraſt, whose sermons have soothed the St. Andrew souls. “Tis is not the same church at all.” St. Andrew members last wor-
shiped at their church on May 26, 2013. At a meeting three days later, the church-elected vestry, or board, announced it was handing over the
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