From The Carroll County Times:
People will reflect on history, enjoy the present and look forward to the future in Manchester Sunday, when Trinity United Church of Christ and Immanuel Lutheran Church celebrate their 250th anniversaries.“We will celebrate who we are as members of the family of God,” the Rev. LoisAnn Furgess-Oler, of Trinity United Church, said.
The hour-long service, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, will include sermons from both churches’ pastors, both choirs and the oldest member of Trinity United Church of Christ will recite the Lord’s Prayer in the original Pennsylvania Dutch/German.
Furgess-Oler said that the service is a nonthreatening way for people to go to church and experience what it is to worship God, even if they do not normally attend either church. Though always two separate congregations, one Lutheran and one Reformed, the two shared a building from 1760 until 1864.
“Our two congregations are the descendants spiritually and, in some cases, through family lines, of the worshippers who made up those two early groups of German settlers who wanted to have a place in which to worship their Lord,” said Jane Leister, a member of Trinity United Church of Christ and an organizer for the event.
Congratulations to both these congregations on reaching such a milestone and for their ecumenical spirit. They remind us that while there are different denominations we together are part of the whole Body of Christ.
This story also reminds us of the rich history of the United Church of Christ. Many believe that story began with the formation of the UCC in 1957 - but we trace our roots in the United States back to the Pilgrims and are part of the long history of the Christian tradition that began with the birth of the church on Pentecost.
Our Faith Is 2000 Years Old.
Our Thinking Is Not.