Erie County Christians celebrate unity
Paul Vallimont, a member of St. Boniface Catholic Church, talks about the Week of Prayer service at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, in Greene Township, where people from the two faiths united in hymns and prayers Jan. 23. ROB ENGELHARDT/ERIE TIMES-NEWS
If you go
- What: Ecumenical Christian Unity Service sponsored by Inter-Church Ministries of Erie County
- When: Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
- Where: St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, 236 E. 11th St.
- Information: 454-2411, 456-4011
A Catholic priest welcomed worshippers Sunday to a service inside a Lutheran Church in Greene Township.
"This week is a time to remember we have more in common than we have apart," the Rev. Jay Schultz, pastor of St. Boniface Catholic Church, told nearly 20 people at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.
They had gathered to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Churches and other groups hold observances during and around the week that runs Jan. 18 to 25. The annual celebration is promoted internationally by the World Council of Churches and the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Inter-Church Ministries of Erie County will hold its event this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church.
"We're hopeful folks from a variety of churches will be able to attend," Diane Edwards, executive director of Inter-Church Ministries, said.
The Ecumenical Christian unity service will feature Sister Mary Miller sharing "stories of breaking bread at Emmaus Ministries," Edwards said.
The program also will include the choir from St. James, which is hosting the service for the first time, she said.
St. Boniface and Prince of Peace, which are less than a mile apart, held their second Christian unity week service this past Sunday.
"It's important to work together," Schultz said.
Prince of Peace member Cindy Kirsch, who was filling in at the service for the Rev. Bill Cox, said one reason the Greene Township churches hold the service is to provide an option for people in the county, particularly on the eastern side.
Members of both churches said many of the faces are familiar from other places in the community.
"Now we can be together when worshipping," said Pat Melpolder, a Prince of Peace member who did one of the Bible readings during the service.
Paul Vallimont, who attends St. Boniface, said it's nice to get to know one another at church.
"We can recognize the fact we're all here for the same reason," he said. "It's all about God."
Although some of their beliefs and practices differ, Vallimont said the two churches have been working together for some time.
They met for a Thanksgiving service at St. Boniface.
Each hosted half of a two-day class in November titled "Lutherans and Catholics Together in Faith."
On Good Friday, they celebrated the Stations of the Cross together. In the summer, they hosted a joint vacation Bible school. And both support the St. Boniface Food Pantry.
Schultz told Sunday's worshippers that there's still a ways to go before the goal of unity among Christians is met. But the two Greene Township churches show that Christians with different backgrounds can work together and love one another.
DANA MASSING can be reached at 870-1729 or by e-mail.
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