August 29, 2008

CHICAGO – 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.

ELCA News Service