CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Kansas City, Mo., will be the setting for a special Christmas Eve service to be broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The service will welcome guests and members of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from the Kansas City area. A congregation of more than 500 people is expected.
CBS selected the service to highlight the joint ministry that is now possible, since "full communion" between the two church bodies took effect this year. This will be the first national broadcast of a joint Lutheran-Episcopal service since the two denominations entered into their "full communion" partnership.
The one-hour telecast is set for Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24, at 11:35 p.m. Eastern. (Viewers should contact their local CBS-TV stations for the exact air time in their community).
Bishops from the Kansas City metropolitan area who will participate in the service are the Rt. Rev. Barry R. Howe, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri; the Rev. Gerald L. Mansholt, bishop of the ELCA Central States Synod; and the Rt. Rev. William E. Smalley, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas.
Howe will officiate during the opening "Liturgy of the Word," Smalley will preach, and Mansholt will preside during the celebration of the Eucharist (Lord's Supper).
Howe said the timing of the service was especially significant. "As people search for meaning in uncertain times, this shared service offers a sense of purpose and mutual support as we gather together at Christmas to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace."
Mansholt, whose synod covers Kansas and Missouri, said, "I hope people across the country will watch this service and see that unity is stronger than division." ELCA congregations are organized into 65 synods.
Smalley, who serves eastern Kansas, said the service is an important symbol of the new relationship between the two churches.
"There already is much we are doing together in mission and ministry, both in the Kansas City area and around the nation," Smalley added. "This joint worship service is a sign of the unity we experience in so many other ways."
Lutherans and Episcopalians, laity and clergy, will share roles in the service as lectors (reading Scripture), prayer intercessors, musicians, acolytes and as chalice bearers administering communion.
The ELCA Central States Synod and the Episcopal Dioceses of Kansas and West Missouri are producing the Christmas Eve telecast for CBS. The ELCA and Episcopal Church provided financial support.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
