Partners

Please use the links below to learn more about our community partners who help support our outreach, mission, and vision.

Want to know more about our partnership with Faith Lutheran Church?

Our Current Status:

At the February 2023 vestry meeting it was unanimously voted to move forward with clergy sharing with Faith Lutheran. In July of 2023 clergy sharing started. We are currently searching for a new Rector and are happy that both churches want to continue the arrangement.

One Sunday a month, typically the fourth Sunday, Morning Prayer services are conducted by our Deacon, Lisle.

The Background:

Since 2001 there has been an alliance between the Episcopal and Lutheran churches to allow full participation of members in the services and church life of the other.

Lutherans are members of congregational churches. Episcopalians are members of parishes of the diocese. In the Lutheran church the congregation is the basic unit of operation. In the Episcopal Church the diocese is the basic unit of operation.

We are both liturgical (the Mass) and sacramental (such as baptism and communion), although the mechanics are somewhat different. We both have ordained priests (who are able to celebrate each other’s liturgies), both have Deacons (ordained in the Episcopal church and consecrated (or empowered without ordination) for the Lutheran church).

Both the church of England (the parent of the Episcopal church) and the Lutheran Church started in the 1500’s, one in Germany by Martin Luther and the other in England by King Henry VIII. There are four major synods of the Lutheran Church in the United States. There are differences in views between us over the precise nature of how the sacraments work and the nature of faith by justification.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran church body in the United States (which is the synod for Faith Lutheran), allows for LGBTQ+ marriage and ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy as well as ordaining women. Those beliefs line up nicely with those of the Episcopal Church and St Ann’s.

Faith Lutheran and St Ann’s already have a long history of informal sharing in terms of activities and outreach.

Post COVID, both parishes saw lower attendance when in-person services resumed. St Ann’s experienced the loss of multiple major donors during COVID and FLC also saw membership losses. Then FLC‘s pastor received a new call. During this time Bill Barter, ELCA leader, and Father Tim, knowing each other for many years, started conversing. FLC had been covering their Sunday services with various Lay Ministers and Supply Pastors so they were looking for better continuity in this coverage. They needed a contact Pastor who could provide pastoral care for funerals, homebound members and hospital visits.

In September 2022, Fr Tim began leading discussions and exploration of how we could help each other. In July of 2023, we contracted to clergy-share for 12 months. St Ann’s rector provided a 75/25 time and financial split between St. Ann’s and FLC. He led worship one Sunday/month at FLC and St. Ann’s deacon led Morning Prayer at St. Ann’s during this one Sunday/month when he was at FLC. The agreement also provided for pastoral care and office hours for FLC at 1/4 of the clergy’s time. Office hours for both churches were held at St. Ann’s. The contract ended on Fr Tim’s last day, June 30, 2024.

After a year of this arrangement, we’ve continued to see collaboration between our parishes with some ministries and events. The partnership to share clergy with FLC has been positive and it has been agreed we will continue the arrangement with another contract when a new clergy is called.