During the past couple of months, it has been delightful to follow the dialogue between Ms. Helen Mildenhall and the Rev. F. Dean Lueking. Not only do they explore important subjects, but they also provide welcome relief to all the words about the Colt building, shopping or the lack thereof in Downtown Oak Park, taxes, and all the condo buildings being built or debated.

Because Pastor Lueking is away at present, we agreed that I will respond to a couple items in the last round of the Wednesday Journal dialogue. I am an ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) pastor, ordained in 1973, now retired due to disability, and am a member of Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, from which Pastor Lueking is retired.

First to Ms. Mildenhall's question about whether one needs to be a member of a Lutheran church in order to partake of the Lord's Supper, a brief ecclesial excursus is necessary. For reasons of history, biblical interpretation, and polity, there are several Lutheran churches in the United States. The largest is the ELCA, mentioned above. It was formed in 1988 by the merger of two large and one smaller Lutheran bodies. Then, in addition to a number of very small Lutheran bodies, there is the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, quite conservative in every way, and not in communion with the ELCA. (It should be mentioned that Grace is now an independent Lutheran parish, having broken off from the Missouri Synod some years ago. Thus I will refer mostly to the ELCA, since both of our pastors are rostered in the ELCA.)

All of this is an embarrassment to most of us in the ELCA, for we believe that there is "one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all" (Ephesians 4:5-6a)-and dare I add, therefore, one Lord's Supper, in which Christ is truly present.

All that is required, according to the ELCA's statement on sacramental practices, is Baptism: "Believing in the real presence of Christ, this church practices eucharistic hospitality. All baptized persons are welcomed to Communion when they are visiting in the congregations of this church." In addition, the ELCA has theological agreements with a number of other denominations in the United States, which allow official intercommunion with (in alphabetical order) the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the Moravian Church in America (Northen and Southern provinces), the Presbyterian Church USA, the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. So ... no one needs a membership card to commune in an ELCA church, but one does need to be a baptized Christian. As the Lutheran Book of Worship put it, "Communion is the birthright of the baptized."

Second, to the question by Ms. Karen Scafidi about Pastor Lueking: As the editor indicated, the Rev. Lueking is the retired pastor emeritus of Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest. He had a long pastorate there, and remains beloved by the congregation, where he still worships (and occasionally preaches) when he is in the area. But he would not want the emphasis to be on himself, so please permit me to say a word for Grace itself, for we have an active, energetic, warm and caring congregation; two excellent pastors; a wonderful worship life with absolutely superb music (including an outstanding organ, several fine choirs, and other instruments on festival days and for the monthly Sunday-afternoon Bach cantatas); a parish nurse who ministers in a wide variety of ways to all of us; an active Sunday church school simultaneous with a wide variety of adult forums; great attention to serving the needy (including, in the past year, four group trips south to help Katrina victims); Stephen ministers; a chronic illness support group; other groups for all ages for Bible study, fellowship, and learning; a good and well used library; a beautiful neo-Gothic worship space ... one could go on and on. Please, come visit us some Sunday morning at either 8:30 or 11, and/or at one of our Bach cantatas (call the church office at 366-6900 for schedule and details). You will be most welcome!