Dear Friends, We at Holy Trinity are beginning a new and as yet unknown path to live our faith in a world that knows little stability. Over these past several months since we voted unanimously to call Pastor Luther Zeigler as our permanent Pastor, we have been “dipping our collective toes” into the unknowns of the future. We know that Pastor Luther has been called to lead two congregations with somewhat different polities and traditions: Episcopal and Lutheran. Even though no builder of houses would begin a new project without architectural plans for guidance, it may feel like we are doing just that.
But we share some basic tenets. Lutherans and Episcopalians have walked together more and more closely over the years. We have entered into this process knowing that:
- one of the highlights of our community is a strong shared bond of ministry;
- mutual trust is a critical ingredient;
- the love and support of each partner in ministry is essential; and
- the way we’ve always done things won’t necessarily work in the future.
We will be challenged to find new ways to shape our ministry. We will find new pathways, new relationships, new avenues to share our joy. We also know that the future is an unknown, and that we will need to practice patience and resilience. We are also confident that joy and love await us as we move ahead.
I believe that I would not be able to find any person in 2023 who would tell me that his or her life is unchanged since the pandemic. In fact, in many of our conversations, we still hear phrases like “it used to be” or “before the pandemic we did….”. The notion that our world is spinning rapidly is as true of the church as it is in every other arena of our lives. However, the constant in the story of Holy Trinity is the bedrock of God’s love for us. We are truly blessed to share our faith, love, and trust in the risen Christ with each other and the world around us! Our faith emboldens us to act courageously and walk confidently together into God’s future for us, even when we see change on the horizon.
There is a role for everyone to play in this exciting new ministry model, and we invite each of you to share in a celebration to honor this new era of ministry as Pastor Luther is installed as the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. This “Celebration of New Ministry” will be held on Sunday, October 1 at 4:00 PM, followed by a reception in our gathering area. We invite you to share in this joyful ceremony.
Sincerely,
Judy Evans,
Holy Trinity Congregation Council President