ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 29, 2008  

Two ELCA Congregations Celebrate 'Mission Partners' Covenant in Ohio
08-149-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two Ohio congregations of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) -- one urban, one suburban --
will celebrate a "mission partners" covenant Sept. 6-7.  The
covenant commits Redeemer Lutheran Church, Toledo, and Zoar
Lutheran Church, Perrysburg, to several activities "for the
purpose of mutual support as we proclaim the Good News of Jesus
Christ in our own communities."
     "The two parishes are developing a reciprocal relationship
linking an inner city parish (Redeemer) and a suburban parish
(Zoar) for both to become strong centers of mission and stand in
the city for good," said the congregations' news release.  "These
two parishes will harness the gifts of both and mutually build up
the Body of Christ in both neighborhoods."
     Redeemer Lutheran Church is growing beyond the ability of
its members to support its building and programs, said its
pastor, the Rev. Lori A. Strang.  "We do have all we need to do
the work of mission, outreach and ministry, but it's not always
in the same place.  That is why mission partnership is so vital."
     Race, class and 10 miles separate the two congregations,
Strang said.  The covenant helps to break down cultural walls and
provide methods for urban and suburban Lutheran to pursue social
justice together, she said.
     "The people in our pews on a Sunday morning are the richest
asset of the church," Strang said.  "It is their lives and their
faith and their understanding of the Spirit's work among us that
causes the church to transform and be renewed."
     "We understood that each congregation has gifts, resources,
experiences and knowledge that the other does not," said the Rev.
Anita L. Marshall, Zoar Lutheran Church.  "We both view this
partnership as a way to be in mission in a different way
together."
     "Redeemer's members are committed to service in Christ's
name and to being a change agent for their neighborhood.  Zoar
has a large membership of generous people who take mission
seriously, providing financial support and people resources for
Redeemer and two other ELCA congregations," Marshall said.
     "Putting our commitment into writing not only clarifies our
expectations of one another, it also provides direction for the
partnership and it challenges the leadership and members of both
congregations to participate in its implementation," Marshall
said.
     "Historically congregations in the suburbs and in the city
have had little to do with one another," said the Rev. Marcus C.
Lohrmann, bishop, ELCA Northwestern Ohio Synod, Findlay.  "Part
of that may be attributed to the fact that each ministry has its
hands full.  Sometimes it may be attributed to judgmental
attitudes."
     "It does not need to be that way.  For a number of years
some of our urban and suburban congregations have met together to
explore greater cooperation and sharing of gifts of the sake of a
more vital ministry," Lohrmann said.  "The Zoar-Redeemer covenant
is moving this level of cooperation to a greater depth with
greater specificity and greater mutual commitment."
-- -- --
     The home page for Zoar Lutheran Church, Perrysburg, is at
http://www.zoarlutheran.com/ and that for the ELCA Northwestern
Ohio Synod is at http://www.nwos-ELCA.org/ on the Web.

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