Christians have a long history of sharp disagreements about
their faith. Past centuries have seen wars waged over differences
in beliefs; people have even been burned at the stake in the name
of the Prince of Peace.
Christians have a long history of sharp disagreements about their faith. Past centuries have seen wars waged over differences in beliefs; people have even been burned at the stake in the name of the Prince of Peace.
Thankfully, that era is long past. In the early 20th century, many church leaders became involved in the “ecumenical movement,” an attempt to accept other Christians with differing beliefs as partners in faith. Some denominations began working with others on common goals; others actually merged structures, combining membership and resources.
In 1964 at the Second Ecumenical Council under Pope John XXIII, the world’s largest Christian group, the Roman Catholic Church, dropped centuries of hostility toward other churches by issuing a decree referring to non-Catholics as “separated brethren,” beginning extensive dialogues and joining common efforts with other Christian groups.
Perhaps symbolic of the great progress Christians have made in this regard was a ceremony held at Morgan Hill’s Advent Lutheran Church in June. The Rev. Lee Tyler, an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament of the Presbyterian Church-USA, was commissioned by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation to serve as parish associate.
Tyler grew up in El Segundo and Redwood City in a not particularly religious family. At an early age, though, she was impressed by the profound faith of her Baptist grandfather and attended Sunday School regularly.
Her first career was at IBM. During this time she supported herself and three sons while earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology at San Jose State University.
In 1980, she began feeling a call to ministry, but felt “God had to be kidding.” Eventually she began attending Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church because of the change in behavior she observed in a colleague who attended there. She also joined Faith at Work, a non-denominational group that empowers people in exploring their gifts.
In 1992, Tyler retired from IBM and focused on her ecumenical faith journey, seeking God’s will for her life. She earned a master’s in pastoral ministries from Santa Clara University, a Jesuit institution. At the same time, she completed a three-year program for a certificate in spiritual direction at San Francisco Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian school.
Later, when her ill mother died, Tyler decided her vocation was to be a minister and began studying for a M.A. Div. degree at the Pacific School of Religion, a multi-denominational seminary affiliated with Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union, famous for the connections developed among Christians of many traditions.
The Presbyterian Church-USA requires four years of seminary study. She spent one of those years as an intern at a church in Lee Vining, a small town in California’s Eastern Sierra. Although the congregation numbered only 18 when she arrived, she was able to add new members and also established a women’s studies class. As the only full-time minister in town, she became the “designated screener for emergency services.”
In 2002, she accepted a call to the First Presbyterian Church in DuQuoin, Ill. During her five years with this inter-generational congregation she enjoyed being able to engage in many activities with Christians of other traditions:
– Shared in Good Friday community services
– Participated in the installation of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Belleville
– Attended meetings of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland.
Heart surgery cut short Tyler’s Illinois ministry in 2007, and she moved to Morgan Hill to be near family. When a neighbor mentioned the many ministries offered by the local Lutheran church, she was intrigued, began attending and was “excited by the welcoming people” and their “ability to speak about their faith, including doubts.”
The Parish Associate position is new at Advent, and Tyler is looking forward to seeing how it develops. She wants to serve as needed: visiting the sick, acting as a resource for committees, preaching when needed.
“Perhaps I can be a kind of grandmother for the congregation,” she quips. As time permits, she hopes to become more involved with Morgan Hill’s other faith communities in creative ways.
For more information, visit www.advent-lutheran.org or call (408) 779-3551.
