"Unity is a gift given to us in Christ. When we join with other Christians in worship we witness to that oneness we share in Christ."

Dear Friends in Christ,

As we celebrate the Epiphany season we are reminded of our call as disciples to "make Christ known" to the world. One of the ways we do that is to join with other Christians who are not a part of the Lutheran family to witness to the unity we share in Christ.

Unity is a gift given to us in Christ. We are all sisters and brothers because of what God our Father has done for us in our brother Jesus. When we join with other Christians in worship we witness to that oneness we share in Christ.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church and its predecessor bodies have taken that mission seriously through the years. Because of this, the ELCA has become known as a "bridge" denomination. We have been able to "bridge" the gap that separates many Christians from one another. We now have "full communion" relationships with five denominations: Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ; Moravian Church, and the Episcopal Church.

A full communion agreement means that we can take communion at each other's altars, and clergy can preside and serve as pastors in each other's congregations. Long gone are those days when the rallying cry was "Lutheran pulpits for Lutheran pastors only!"

Last summer, the ELCA placed another plank on its "bridge." At the Churchwide Assembly we entered into an "Interim Eucharist Sharing" agreement with the United Methodist Church. This is an important step toward establishing a full communion relationship and the result of nearly 30 years of dialogue. In Indiana the Lutheran/Methodist dialogue was very fruitful and went on for nearly 15 years.
During this time of Eucharist Sharing we are to pray for each other, study scripture together, and worship and serve together.

To mark this new relationship we are holding a joint Lutheran/Methodist worship service, January 29 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Luke's United Methodist Church on 86th St. in Indianapolis. Bishop Michael Coyner of the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church will preside and I will preach for that gathering.

By worshiping together we are witnessing to the gift of unity that we share in Christ. By joining together to do mission and ministry we are also sharing the gifts that God has given us. Joining with other Christians does not diminish us; rather, we are strengthened and made whole by these relationships. From the Methodists we can learn more about the gift of sanctification, and what it means to be made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. From us, the Methodists can learn more fully of what it means to be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Another gift that we share is pastoral leadership. Especially in many of rural and small town settings, there will now be opportunities to join with United Methodist partners in providing pastoral leadership for congregations. There are nearly 1,200 United Methodist congregations in Indiana and we have less than 200. That means for every one ELCA congregation, there are six UMC congregations. That ratio is nearly the same in Kentucky. I hope this new relationship will open many doors for mission and ministry.

May God's blessings rest upon us as we endeavor to witness to this gift of unity.