Merger News

Better Together

When First Lutheran opened its doors in 1944, it was the first Missouri Synod congregation in Greenwich, though not the first Lutheran church. St. Paul, a member of the Slovak Synod, had been formed some forty years earlier. In those days, the Slovak immigrants of St. Paul held services in Slovak, while the membership of First Lutheran consisted mostly of English-speaking Germans.

Nearly 80 years later, much has changed. With the merger of the Missouri and Slovak synods, St. Paul has been a member of the LCMS since 1971. Services at St. Paul have been conducted only in English since the retirement of Pastor Ballas about twenty years ago. For the last six years, First Lutheran and St. Paul have been served by a single pastor. No longer divided by language or synodical affiliation, the members of both churches have increasingly considered a joint future as a merged congregation. In May of this year (2021), the voting members of both churches made the unanimous decision to merge. Even though many details still need to be worked out, it is clear that First Lutheran and St. Paul will be better together.

Merger Roadmap

The Merger Committee has identified a working draft of items to be addressed. (This list is not necessarily exhaustive or in order. Target dates are subject to change.)
Completed:

• Formation of Merger Committee (December 2020)
• Declaration of Intention to Merge (April 2021)
• Decision on Church Name (September 2021)
• Decision on District Affiliation (September 2021)
• Approval of New Constitution & Bylaws (Winter 2021/2022)
• Professional Assessment of Properties (Fall 2021)
• Election of Officers (June 2022)
• Obtain peaceful release from the SELC District (May 2022)
• Decision on Church Properties (Summer 2022)

In Progress:

• Retain Legal Counsel (September 2021)

To Do:

• Signing of Legal Documents (Winter 2022)
• Transfer of Active Members into Merged Congregation (Winter 2021/2022)
• Consolidation of Bank Accounts & Assets (Q1 2023)
• Final Service in Retiring Building (Winter 2022)
• Possible Formation of Legacy Trust Fund (Fall 2022)