CHICAGO (ELCA) - As members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) commemorated the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, many gathered for prayer and remembrance with ecumenical and interfaith partners.
"My prayer is that we dedicate ourselves to a common mission of reconciliation and restoration, focusing on the larger issues of peace, justice and interfaith encounter," said ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson in a pastoral letter to the church in anticipation of the anniversary.
"Our local communities can be places of healing. Let us show the world that dialogue is possible and that there is room for voices that represent faith without rushing to judgment and closing off discussion," he said.
Services at St. Peter Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Manhattan, commemorated the anniversary with faith groups in their surrounding community.
"In the aftermath of the attacks, we noticed quite a bit of collaboration among of houses of worship in midtown Manhattan," said the Rev. Kaji R. Spellman, a pastor of St. Peter.
The congregation observed the anniversary yesterday with Muslim, Jewish and other Christian neighbors.
"We felt that we could not spend the day without each other. We don't understand acknowledging the anniversary without our partners in faith," she said.
At the conclusion of St. Peter's 11:00 a.m. worship service, members of the congregation moved in a silent procession to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, where they were joined by people and clergy of Admiral Family Circle Islamic Community and the Mosque of the Islamic Brotherhood. They were also joined by members of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, Christ Church United Methodist, Temple Shaaray Tefila and Central Synagogue. A brief interfaith service of readings, prayers and hymns followed.
The Rev. Amandus J. Derr, a pastor of St. Peter, recalls the time after the terrorist attacks in New York.
"In the immediate time and several days after the attack, St. Peter was packed with thousands of people every day who gathered for prayer and Eucharist," he said.
The church is near a main subway route, where commuters traveled from the north near the World Trade Center. "We ended up with a lot of people who were evacuating that day," he said.
An image that remains with Derr is "seeing people coming from the World Trade Center enter the church covered with dust. Many of them washed themselves in our baptismal font, which is a deep pool large enough for full immersions," he said. At the end of the day, "I remember seeing a layer of white ash that rested on top of the baptismal font. It symbolized what we were living with then."
Commemoration at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Manhattan, hosted a "Prayer and Remembrance" organized by Lutheran Social Services of New York. Members of the ELCA, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the public gathered to remember lives lost, acknowledge survivors who are moving forward and celebrate the response efforts of both denominations in New York.
"I felt great warmth, especially in seeing the relationships of collaboration and shared service that the ELCA and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod displayed while responding to Sept. 11," said the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, program director for Lutheran Disaster Response.
"We gathered at Holy Trinity to commemorate 10 years passing. The lost are remembered. The tears often flow anew. While time assuages some of the sting of the pain, the ache remains. We will always miss those whose absence leaves a space in our souls," he said.
The commemoration included speakers and participants from the ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod including Hanson, the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, executive director of ELCA Congregational and Synodical Mission, and the Rev. David Benke, president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Atlantic District.
The Rev. Robert A. Rimbo, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, participated and noted that the service was patterned after a worship service that took place at Holy Trinity shortly after the attacks.
"The service was very moving," said Rimbo. "It provided a time to remember and reflect what happened 10 years ago here."
"The service propelled us to move into the future together. While we will never forget what happened, there is new life as God's people move forward," he said, adding that the anniversary is a turning-point and gateway to engage in new opportunities for service.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Manhattan, hosted a "Prayer and Remembrance" organized by Lutheran Social Services of New York. Members of the ELCA, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the public gathered to remember lives lost, acknowledge survivors who are moving forward and celebrate the response efforts of both denominations in New York.
"I felt great warmth, especially in seeing the relationships of collaboration and shared service that the ELCA and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod displayed while responding to Sept. 11," said the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, program director for Lutheran Disaster Response.
"We gathered at Holy Trinity to commemorate 10 years passing. The lost are remembered. The tears often flow anew. While time assuages some of the sting of the pain, the ache remains. We will always miss those whose absence leaves a space in our souls," he said.
The commemoration included speakers and participants from the ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod including Hanson, the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, executive director of ELCA Congregational and Synodical Mission, and the Rev. David Benke, president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Atlantic District.
The Rev. Robert A. Rimbo, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, participated and noted that the service was patterned after a worship service that took place at Holy Trinity shortly after the attacks.
"The service was very moving," said Rimbo. "It provided a time to remember and reflect what happened 10 years ago here."
"The service propelled us to move into the future together. While we will never forget what happened, there is new life as God's people move forward," he said, adding that the anniversary is a turning-point and gateway to engage in new opportunities for service.
