Faithful Neighbors

An Ecumenical Ministry

Faithful to Pope Francis’ call to fraternity and following Bishop Bambera’s leadership of the Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Inter-faith Relations, the Church of St. Luke has begun an ecumenical ministry for lay people to be “missionary disciples.” This helps fulfill our parish’s service of the Gospel. About once a month, members of this ministry visit a neighboring house of worship in small groups of six to twelve parishioners. We began in June of 2023 with a visit to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Stroudsburg, and we expect to visit with Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians and others -- including our Jewish and Muslim neighbors who share faith in the God of Abraham. We tour their house of worship, then sit down in small groups with their congregational members to listen and engage in a friendly dialogue. We focus on what we already share, what we can learn from each other and opportunities for collaboration to make our community a better place in which to live our faith. We invite these “faith-filled” neighbors for a future visit to our Church of St. Luke as follow-up to our ministry of understanding and cooperation. We help represent our parish at inter-faith events in the Stroudsburg area by working with the county’s Inter-Faith Leaders.

Contact Dr. Anthony Stevens-Arroyo for any questions or call 570-421-9097