Ecumenism blossoms in Georgia F
By Charles Austin
ull fellowship between Luther- ans in the ELCA and Episcopa- lians was declared in 1999 and
has resulted in many cooperative ministries and the sharing of pastors. In the last few years, that coopera- tion in the Southeastern Synod has blossomed like magnolias in May. • A retired ELCA pastor serves an Episcopal congregation in Tybee Island, Ga., and an ELCA pastor is now vicar of St. Mark’s Episco- pal Church in Woodbine, Ga.
• Another ELCA pastor, John Pearce, serves St. Mark’s Episco- pal Church, a mission in Colum- bus, Ga.
• Te Southeastern Synod now works closely with the Episcopal church in campus ministry. It’s a relationship that reaches
back many years, even before the formal agreement, said H. Julian Gordy, synod bishop. “Te biggest obstacle at the beginning was our different polity,” he said, referring to the decision-making processes of both churches. But the ecumenical commitment
in the synod is strong, said Randy Jones, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, Montgomery, Ala., and the synod’s ecumenical officer. Seven synod pastors are serving in con- gregations of ELCA ecumenical partners, he said, and nine pastors from those denominations lead ELCA congregations. Jones credits David Yeago who
taught at Lutheran Teological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C., for instilling “a strong ecumenical spirit” in its graduates. In a region where Episcopalians
outnumber them, Gordy said he has found that Lutherans are ready to
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cooperate. At times there was hesi- tancy, he said, but “we work closely with congregations to prepare them for these kind of ministries.” One of the most unusual partner-
ships took another step forward last February when St. Patrick’s Epis- copal and Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Albany, Ga., dedicated a sanctuary for both parishes. Te new building has both a
Lutheran and Episcopalian cor- nerstone. A smaller room in the building is named the “Our Saviour Chapel” for the Lutheran congrega- tion. And an outside altar was built in honor of Bill Diamond, the ELCA pastor who until his death was key in forming the alliance between the two parishes and had been designated “Lutheran-pastor-in- residence” for the congregations.
Earlier this year on the Feast of St. Brigid of Ireland, Scott Benhase (left) and H. Julian Gordy, bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia and the ELCA Southeastern Synod, respectively, consecrated the new building shared by St. Patrick’s Episcopal and the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Albany, Ga., a sign of growing ecumenical relations since “Called to Common Mission” was passed 15 and 16 years ago by the two church bodies.
But it’s more than just sharing
a new building, said Joy Davis, an Episcopal deacon at St. Patrick’s. Jay Weldon, St. Patrick’s rector, leads a Lutheran service at 9 a.m. and an Episcopalian one at 10:45 a.m. People are encouraged to attend whichever service is convenient for them, and there is much crossover, Davis said. Davis also said that she and Wel-
BOB PARKER
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