I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. (Jeremiah 29:11, The Message)
by Elizabeth Burgess
In 1988 at age 39, I was baptized at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Augusta, Maine, along with my then-young children. This is the same year the ELCA was founded.
In March 2019, I became a charter member of Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church, now a federated congregation–two denominations that join as one congregation.
How did that happen? Four years ago, two congregations began a 40-month journey to federation thanks to a lone Lutheran pastor who dreamed of a vibrant future with a crowd of Episcopalians. Could crusty, stand-offish New Englanders come together to form something new?
“Come try it for the winter,” Prince of Peace Lutheran Church pastor, Erik Karas, said to St. Mark’s, the Episcopal congregation in Augusta since the late 1800s. They did, and they stayed until we became one! On March 30, the Lutherans and Episcopalians celebrated becoming One in Christ with a new name: Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church.
Not quite sure how that works, but God knows.
Wandering the desert
The Lutherans had a more accessible building and no leaks in the roof. The Episcopal folks had beautiful worship accessories and thriving outreach ministries that needed more volunteers. We worked together to move the ministries to a different neighborhood.
And then there was the coffee hour. We went from no coffee hour to a bountiful spread and super gracious hospitality. Now, roughly half the congregation is involved in serving either at coffee hour or our outreach ministries or both.
The journey reminded me of the chosen people wandering the desert for 40 years. Some people wandered away during the journey. There were gifts, troubles, secrets revealed, and hurts healed.
I cannot help but wonder that lessons learned from my congregation’s journey might apply to the future of the Women of the ELCA. I have a deep longing for something new in our future.
Perhaps it will be an old thing coming together in new unity to give the world hope. It might be as simple as an invitation to the women members of our communion partners to join us in our mission of mobilizing women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ.
What ideas do you have for a new future for Women of the ELCA? Share your thoughts here.
Elizabeth Burgess serves on the Women of the ELCA executive board and is a member of the newly formed Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church.