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Moblie Bay Congregations Form Ministry Partnership
Two Mobile Bay, Alabama area congregations forged a partnership in ministry this past Sunday, forming a diverse parish that spans from downtown Mobile to the eastern shore of Mobile Bay.
At a 4:00 p.m. worship service on Sunday, December 11, friends of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Daphne and Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Mobile gathered at the Martin Luther campus to form the new two-point Mobile Bay Lutheran Parish. The Rev. Dr. Delmer Chilton, Assistant to the Bishop of the Southeastern Synod, presided at the service.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for these two congregations to partner in ministry," noted the Rev. Dr. Michael J. Huntley, who was installed as pastor of the the new parish. "We are crossing enduring social lines to embrace unity with diversity as we share resources and create new opportunities for working together in serving Christ and our community." Huntley expressed excitement at the potential for ministry that the partnership will give the two congregations across Mobile Bay.
Martin Luther is an established Lutheran congregation with an 89-year history of educational, health, and social ministry among the people of Mobile. The congregation previously hosted an elementary school in downtown Mobile, and they currently provide free after-school tutoring twice a week. Also, the neighboring Franklin Primary Health Center has roots in the ministry of Martin Luther Lutheran Church.
Holy Trinity is a relatively young congregation, with ten years of ministry on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. They hold monthly Bible studies at a local Alzheimer's unit and regularly provide housing to homeless families through the Family Promise program in Baldwin County.
Both congregations look to strengthen their ministry of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ as they partner together as a two-point parish.
"We are convinced that this new relationship will position us to better serve and connect with our community," noted Huntley. "This will allow us to pool our resources and better witness to Christ in our congregations and community as we seek to reach out with God's love to people who need a word of hope in a difficult world."
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St. John's Lutheran Church "T.E.L.L." Tutoring Ministry
T.E.L.L. (Teaching English Language Learners) is an outreach ministry at St. John's Lutheran Church, Nashville, TN.
T.E.L.L. was developed to meet a need in the community surrounding the church. English Language Learners are students in the public school who are not yet proficient in English. Many of their parents are not able to read English well enough to help them with homework. With T.E.L.L., these children can get free homework help.
Examples of how the tutors help include: listening to the student read, helping them sound out unfamiliar words, explaining definitions of words, asking questions about what the student read, and reviewing sight words. Families are referred to the tutoring program through the local elementary school's Family Involvement Specialist.
St. John's started this ministry as a result of the ELCA's workshop in May, "Talking Together as Christians in Cross-Cultural Ministry---Growing in Missional Hospitality."
Hospitality involves showing respect for one's guest, providing for their needs, and treating them as equal. God calls us to listen long and patiently to the needs of others. St. John's is practicing hospitality by attending to this need in their immediate community.
Listen,
Listen Long and Patiently,
God is calling,
T.E.L.L. the World!
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