Bethany Lutheran Church recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. Reformation Lutheran Church is nearing that milestone. But when you add them together, you turn back to the clock.
It’s Day One for Faith United Lutheran Church.
The new congregation is a merger of the two long-established neighborhood churches, initiated by members who for years have worked closely with each other and who say they’re stronger together in ministry. Faith United celebrates its inaugural service at 10 a.m. Sunday at the former Reformation Lutheran Church, 4543 Douglas Rd., in West Toledo.
“There’s long histories at these churches. And there are wonderful histories at these churches, where both of these churches were models of faith and service to the community,” said the Rev. Tom Schaeffer, the pastor who oversaw the long-discussed merger.
“I think what they’re doing here is being a model again,” he continued. “Where we’re at now in the church, it’s important for churches to deal with sometimes tough decisions. These churches decided that rather than just fade off into the sunset, let’s get together, because we can do ministry more successfully together than we can apart.”
“I think that’s something that a lot of other churches will be able to learn from,” he said.
Bishop Daniel Beaudoin of the Northwestern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America spoke similarly in an email. He sees the local merger reflecting a broader reality: As congregations grow smaller, he said, we can expect to see more consolidations.
The bishop also commended the West Toledo congregations and their pastor.
“For many years these two independent churches have shared a pastor, but still worshiped in different buildings. Over time, the Holy Spirit nudged both congregations to move from two into one,” he said. “We are all One Body in Christ, and the Holy Spirit knows that we do God's work best when we do it together.”
Bethany and Reformation have long operated as sister churches, as Bishop Beaudoin indicated. Bethany is at 3274 Upton Ave., roughly two miles from Reformation, and the two have shared a single pastor for at least a decade.
There has also long been interaction between members.
“Reformation would help with community dinners, Bethany would help with the rummage sale,” said Donna Morrin, council president at Reformation. “It was back and forth, working together.”
Discussions of a possible merger have percolated for years — well before Pastor Schaeffer, who also owns Black Cloister Brewing Co., was called to pastor both churches in October, 2017. His appointment, and the stability it brought to both communities, was a catalyst of sorts to start a serious discussion about what they would look like as a merged congregation.
Pastor Schaeffer and others characterized the merger as not a forced one, but as a long-in-the-works acknowledgement that they can serve better as one. Neither congregation faced an imminent closure, the pastor said, and, although an approximately 50-person congregation at each church had meant limited resources, the numbers weren’t unsustainable.
Pastor Schaeffer said ministries from each church are expected to be carried over and blended, including the community meal that Bethany Lutheran Church has long hosted each Wednesday. That free meal will continue at the new location at 6 p.m. each Wednesday, and early signs seem to suggest community members who partake are willing to make the move.
“That was a really significant ministry that Bethany was doing,” he said. “We’re really glad that it looks like we’re going to continue to be able to do that successfully here at Faith United. And honestly, we might be able to grow it, because the space is larger for that kind of thing.”
Because Bethany is an older facility and consequently not accessible for those with disabilities, it was understood that a merger would mean physically moving to Reformation.
The facility is on the market.
That has been an emotional reality throughout the process, even as congregants try to focus on the opportunities that are opening through the merger rather than the building they’re losing through it, said Cindy Bartley, the congregation president.
Her husband, Craig Bartley, grew up at the church.
“Five generations have been through these doors. All their baptisms and their weddings and births and deaths,” she said. “They tell you all the time that the church is not the building, it’s the people. But part of it is the building, because it’s where you’ve gathered and you make memories. So letting go of that emotional part is hard.”
Both congregations celebrated a final service at Bethany Lutheran Church on Dec. 30.
At Reformation Lutheran Church, to a lesser extent, Mrs. Morrin said longtime congregations members are also recognizing the end of an era. But there’s also a sense of energy and excitement as members of both churches look forward to a new chapter and new opportunities.
“We’re not closing and dissolving,” Mrs. Bartley said. “It’s a marriage, and we’re expanding.”
They’re excited for the “wedding” on Sunday.
First Published January 5, 2019, 12:54 a.m.
