Blessed Alliance Lutheran Parish  (BALM)

Blessed Alliance Parish Joint Call Team

Trinity - in partnership with Rider, Emmanuel and St. John's Lutheran churches - is in the process of calling a new pastor.  The candidate will join Pastor Joel in a shared pastoral leadership team in a parish partnership.  The joint call team has representation from all four churches, and has met several times.  Some of you may have questions or concerns about this initiative or the process.  If so, please feel free to reach out to any of our Trinity representatives on the team:  Pastor Benson, Scott Petrak (chair), Hallie Mikes, Bob Walker, Chrissy Pollock, Mitch Hammer, and Pat Wuenstel.  

                The purpose of the Blessed Alliance Lutheran Parish is to provide, maintain, and grow a Lutheran Christian presence in the Butler and surrounding area. Blessed Alliance Lutheran Parish includes the following congregations:  Emmanuel, Prospect; Evangelical, Worthington; First English, Butler; Rider, West Sunbury; St. John’s, Connoquenessing; Trinity, Butler; and Camp Lutherlyn in Prospect in cooperation with Southwestern PA Synod (ELCA).  They have responded to the 2013 priority statement of the Synod that states “Belonging to each other in Christ Jesus, we steward the Gospel, and care for our neighbors.”

                In response, Blessed Alliance Lutheran Parish members have formed a covenant relationship with one another.  In this covenant relationship the participants commit to work together so that they may demonstrate that they belong to each other; so that members may receive stable pastoral care and be nourished by the Word and Sacraments for their baptismal vocation in the world; and so that, along with them, their neighbors may be blessed with the fruit of faith: love, welcome, respect, material assistance, public advocacy, hope, peace, and meaningful community.

                Blessed Alliance Lutheran Parish will provide stable pastoral care, including: visiting, funerals, weddings, and baptisms; provide stable, quality worship leadership; facilitate and encourage shared, wider ministries including: faith formation, lay leadership training, youth and children activities; and outreach.