New Episcopal / Lutheran partnership forms in Western Massachusetts

This article was co-authored by Nancy E. King, organist and choir director, and the Rev. Dr. Donald Scherling, president of the congregation council at Trinity, Great Barrington, Mass.

What an exciting Transfiguration Sunday on Feb. 18 when Trinity, Great Barrington, Mass., and Christ Church Episcopal in neighboring Sheffield, Mass., worshiped together for the first time as partner congregations!

Members of Trinity were moved to tears of joy as they arrived at Christ Church to see a huge sign on the front lawn that read, “Welcome, Trinity!” Just three months ago, it appeared our congregation was finished.

Trinity was founded 15 years ago as a mission congregation in Great Barrington for the tri-state area of southern Berkshire County in Massachusetts, northwestern Connecticut and eastern upstate New York. It became an independent congregation in 2000. Owning no property, Trinity rented space in various area churches and the Great Barrington Senior Center. While the congregation grew steadily for a while, as a number of members moved away, Trinity began to struggle.

In November 2006, Trinity’s council president, Dr. Don Scherling, an ordained ELCA pastor and director of the Berkshire Medical Center’s McGee Acute Addictions Unit in Pittsfield, Mass., contacted the Rev. Annie Ryder, the Episcopal priest serving Christ Church. Having been pondering a way to grow her congregation, she was immediately enthusiastic about the possibility of the two congregations entering into a mutual exploration of shared ministry to live out the “Call to Common Mission” agreement into which the Episcopal Church in the USA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church entered on Epiphany in 2001.

At their annual meetings early in 2007, both congregations voted unanimously to partner in mission and ministry. A steering committee composed of members of both churches began meeting to work on the myriad details of forming a partnership. With the full support of Bishop Margaret G. Payne of the New England Synod and Bishop Gordon Paul Scruton of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, Trinity and Christ Church have found much in common: worship, nurturing fellowships and shared missions (food pantries, Construct, Inc. – a South Berkshire agency dedicated to preventing and sheltering homeless persons, and Heifer International).

On Jan 28, at Trinity’s last worship with their pastor, the Rev. Steven Edmiston, who had accepted a call to serve in Jenera, Ohio, the Rev. Ryder and Christ Church’s lay leaders provided a gracious surprise, when they came to Trinity for “send-off” prayers and blessings with Pastor Steve and Trinity.

On Feb. 11, the Rev. Cyril Wismar, former AELC (Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches) auxiliary bishop for New England, who founded the Lutheran mission that became Trinity in 1989, presided at Trinity’s last worship as an independent ELCA congregation. At the first combined worship on Feb. 18, the Rev. Ryder, who will pastor both congregations, presided, and a joint choir of Episcopalians and Lutherans sang an anthem. Our Lutheran songbook With One Voice has already joined the Book of Common Prayer and the Episcopal 1982 Hymnal in the pews for worship.

Trinity’s music director, Nancy King, recalled a time when Bishop Payne visited Trinity and told the members that God has four possible answers to prayer: “Yes,” “No,” “Not yet,” and “I have a better idea!” King is convinced that this is God’s “better idea,” that the two small congregations make a strong witness for Christ TOGETHER in their local communities.

On April 4, the congregations celebrated their partnership at a special service at which Bishop Payne preached and Bishop Scuton presided.