From a Pastor's Desk

Bridging Differences in Our Communities

 

Dear friends in Christ,

 

As a predominately white (85%) congregation in the whitest denomination in the USA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 99% white), St. Lydia's desires to deepen its journey in seeking spaces to tell stories, to understand others, and through those actions, build a path from repair from the harsh divisions the scar our national landscape and find pathways to a possible reconciliation. We are slowly seeking a partnership with a more conservative Lutheran congregation. As we are a Dinner Church where we tell our stories, we plan to structure spaces - virtual at first, and eventually, in person--where we share meals and tell stories as a way to know each other better. Hopefully, this can be a replicable model for others to learn from and try on across the synod, an extension of the Dinner Church movement to address this national moment and its troubles.

 

This October 19, 2022, we invited Irish theologian, poet, and experienced leader in spaces of division and conflict, Pádraig Ó Tuama, to work with us. Ó Tuama draws from his perspectives on Scripture, faith, and poetry, especially the story of his influential poem Shaking Hands. This event will inspire leaders from the congregations around the synod on their journeys of truth-telling toward the promise of reconciliation we know in Christ, who calls us to be one in the Spirit.

 

— The Rev. Christian Scharen