By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse

Since I came here 614 days ago (as of Friday, May 16), I’ve had very little interaction with clergy colleagues, either in the Presbytery or in neighboring congregations. For most of my church career, each town or neighborhood has had something like a ministerial association. Almost all of them planned ecumenical services ranging from Thanksgiving and Good Friday to Baccalaureates for local high schools. Some of them met regularly for fellowship and professional support. In Poplar, Montana, I got to double dip. We had a Presbyterian group of clergy working on the Fort Peck Reservation as well as a local community ministerial. 

Participation varied from town to town. Usually, the established “liberal” churches joined together, while newer or more fundamentalist churches did their own thing. The Farmington, Minnesota ministerial had a pulpit exchange, and my experience preaching at St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church then sitting out the Eucharist remains vivid. I wasn’t boycotting, I was in fact respecting their rules. Some people even cried over it. I reached out to pastors from non-participating churches. Some were open, and I even became good friends with a PCA pastor. Those churches and clergy who were not open had their reasons.

You already have some partnerships here. The Thanksgiving service at Inskip Baptist introduced me to new friends for which I’m grateful. One of their members helps with Grandma’s Pajamas and repaired my tattered pulpit robe. Fountain City Ministry Center connects us with several neighboring congregations. I wonder what more could be done with stronger collaboration among our neighbors. What other needs in our congregations and in our community could be better met if we worked on them together?