Ambassador of Reconciliation - Holy Cross Lutheran Church

It is with deep sadness that Holy Cross Lutheran Church announces the departure of Pastor Lionel Ketola from the position of Associate Pastor of our congregation and as our Ambassador of Reconciliation to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

We are grateful to Pastor Lionel for this ministry which embodied the inclusive vision of so many and offered hope to all those who are working to make the ELCIC a church where all God’s children are free to respond to God’s call to ordained ministry. We give thanks to Pastor Lionel for his willingness to share his considerable talents in this important ministry.

We pray that God will continue to bless Pastor Lionel in whatever ministry he undertakes in the future.

We trust that the model of inclusiveness that this ministry of reconciliation bore witness to will continue to inspire hope in those who work for justice in both the church and the world.

We wish to thank all those who supported this vital ministry with their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their talents and their treasure. We give thanks to God for each and everyone of you! We also offer our thanks to our partners in this ministry, for without the support and guidance of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and Lutherans Concerned North America our vision of inclusive ministry could not have become a reality.

Holy Cross will continue to heed God’s call to be ambassadors of reconciliation. We trust that God has great things in store for our congregation as we seek opportunities to work with our sisters and brothers in the ELCIC to make our church a place where it can truly be said, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians.3.27-28)