By A.M. Kelley
Catholic Herald

Ecumenical service held on eve of Thanksgiving Mass

SUPERIOR -- At a Wednesday prayer service -- the eve of a traditional American feast -- Fr. Jim Tobolski reminisced about his Swedish mother's rich festive meals.

"She put a pound of butter in everything," he joked.

It was a story to bring home the point that bread (and butter) alone will not feed our hungers.

"We need the love of God," he said.

Tobolski, of St. Francis Xavier of Superior, was speaking at a Thanksgiving Eve service at Pilgrim Lutheran Church. He was joined by Rev. Bill Wilson of Pilgrim Lutheran, Rev. Dennis Anders of First Evangelical Covenant Church, Gloria Wahl of Faith United Methodist Church, and Rev. Randy Brodeen of Bayside Baptist Church.

They are all members of the Superior Area Ministerium. The group hosts the ecumenical event each Thanksgiving and throughout the year it brings church leaders together for talk and study. There are about 15 active members from 12 to 15 area churches.

"We have to do what we can to work for Christian unity," Tobolski said.

Wilson also emphasized the importance of the event and the work of the ministerium.

"We can be strong Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists or Baptists, but we can worship together. We can pray and sing," Wilson said. "We have differences in theology but we have more in common than we have things that separate us. It does no good for the witness of the church for us to be arguing or dwelling on our differences."

Wilson has been part of the ministerium for five years and said its members meet each month--excluding the summer months--usually at St. Mary's Hospital of Superior. They invite speakers from the government, or representatives from schools, hospitals or hospice programs.

"We seek to be informed about the community in which we serve," Wilson said. "We want to know what are the challenges in our area."

The interests of the ministerium range from health care, alcohol and drug addiction prevention, to programs for the community's youth.

An offering was taken at the service Wednesday night and the proceeds will be given to Harbor House Crisis Shelter of Superior, according to Brodeen, the current president of the ministerium.

"We cooperate as a faith community to help the needy," he said. "We've been bombarded by people in need this year more than usual. We want to be Christ's representative to the needy. It's a strong bond we in the ministerium have."

Besides supporting Harbor House, the ministerium's charities have included the Salvation Army, Lutheran Social Services and food pantries.

Although the group is currently an exclusively Christian group, any faith wishing to join is welcome.

"We want to strengthen the beliefs that we have in common," Wilson said.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2005