Peace Lutheran Church set to officially begin

Members of Peace Lutheran Church gather around its temporary new sign.

On Sunday, Oct. 29, Lutherans, Roman Catholics and other Christians around the globe will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. On the Eve of All Saints' Day in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Concurrent with the invention of the printing press, this new movement swiftly spread throughout northern and western Europe, leading to other protestant reformations throughout the church catholic. Much healing has occurred through the centuries, and since the Second Vatican Council of the early 1960s, which ushered in the start of the modern ecumenical movement, Lutherans and Roman Catholics have come to realize their oneness in faith.

Here in Cleveland Heights, Lutherans and other Christians will come together to celebrate the newest Lutheran congregation in the Northeastern Ohio Synod: Peace Lutheran Church, at 3740 Mayfield Road. The congregation of Peace is the result of a merger between the former Hope Lutheran (soon to be the home of Calvary Hill Baptist Church) and Bethlehem Lutheran, where the Peace congregation will reside. Because of church closures and mergers, Peace will be the one congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in the entire Heights community.

At 10 a.m. on Oct. 29, Bishop Abraham Allende of the Northeastern Ohio Synod will lead the congregation in a service of Chartering and Reception of a Congregation, as well as the installation of its two co-pastors, the Reverends Don King and Jessica Shields. King had served Hope Lutheran since 1999, and Shields recently celebrated her 10th anniversary with the Bethlehem community. Following this special service, all attending will be invited to a reception in honor of this new ministry.

All members of the Heights community are invited to participate in this service, which will celebrate the past through the lens of the Reformation and the prior ministries of Bethlehem and Hope, as well as look to the future and the opportunities this new ministry brings. For more information, go to www.peacelutheran-clehts.org.

Don King

The Reverend Don King is Co-pastor of Peace Lutheran Church on Mayfield Road and an active participant in the Heights interfaith community. He has served in local congregations since 1999 and has lived in Cleveland Heights since 1985.

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Volume 10, Issue 10, Posted 1:43 PM, 09.29.2017