April 7, 2009

CHICAGO – Nearly six years have passed, but grief continues for a Maine congregation where 16 people were poisoned in 2003 after drinking coffee laced with arsenic by a disgruntled church member.

Frances "Fran" Ruggles, 67, who drank the coffee, died April 4, ending her battle against the effects of the poisoning, according to news reports. A memorial service is planned April 8 at Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church, New Sweden.

Gustaf Adolph is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA New England Synod told the Associated Press that it "holds the Ruggles family close in prayers with Christian love and consolation during this time of loss."

Ruggles' death fell just days before the April 27 anniversary of the poisoning. One church member died and 15 others became ill. Some continue to suffer the effects.

Last year almost no one attended worship on the Sunday closest to the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, according to the Rev. James P. Morgan, an area Episcopal priest who provided pastoral care to the congregation for years.

"It was understandable. People are still doing grief work," he said. "Some of us had predicted that dealing with the trauma would be a five-year process. Most people have come to grips with the tragedy and offered forgiveness as they were able."

The Rev. Margaret G. Payne, bishop of the New England Synod, said the nature of the crime makes it difficult for members to heal. Arsenic resides in human organs and can destroy them over time.

"They are still being treated medically," Payne said. "They can't put it behind them."

A 58-year-old church member who killed himself days after the poisoning confessed to the crime in a suicide note. Three years passed before law enforcement ruled that he'd acted alone.

"Living with that uncertainty added to the pain and grief of this community," the bishop said.

The congregation was searching for a part-time pastor at the time of the poisoning. After the tragedy, pastors across the New England Synod volunteered to serve the congregation for one week at a time. The synod also brought in trauma specialists.

A new minister arrived just before Christmas last year. Gordon Compton isn't an ordained pastor, but a synodically authorized minister appointed by the bishop to lead congregations in New Sweden and nearby Stockholm.

Compton holds a divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He served 20 years with A Christian Ministry in the National Parks (ACMNP) before retiring from that ministry last year.

"He told me that the day he heard about the poisoning on the news, he felt drawn to get on his knees and pray for the church members and somehow serve them," Payne said. "He's just a very pastoral, healing kind of presence."

Compton declined to discuss his ministry out of respect for church members' privacy.

On a recent Wednesday, he prepared fish chowder for a Lenten supper and service at Gustaf Adolph. Perhaps at no other congregation in America is eating food prepared by others more an act of faith.

"Even though they got over the immediate trauma, these situations leave terrible scars and wounds," Payne said. "They need to heal from the inside out. I feel Gordon has the gift and skills to be an instrument of life for them."

Information about Gustaf Adolph is at http://www.galc.org/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service