Mary Queen of Heaven Info
On Wednesday, August 21, we were informed by the Milwaukee Archdiocese that the Mary Queen of Heaven property will be taken off the market and the property will NOT be sold at this time. We were given no further reasons or information for the decision. We will continue to keep lines of communication open with both the Archdiocese regarding the MQH property and the city of West Allis regarding any other alternative single site options that may develop.
What does this mean with regard to the JEC discussion regarding unification? As we have stated before, the decision regarding ministry unification is a separate issue from any combined location decision. Joint ministry and unification discussions continue to progress due to the support the proposal has found in the congregations. We also continue to ask for your prayers and we seek to best serve the Lord and His Kingdom here in West Allis. The JEC is currently working on a mission/vision for a unified ministry and will continue to look for alternative locations for a unified ministry. Going forward, we see this as an opportunity that God has given us to do due diligence with our ministry planning, and to give us the appropriate time craft a unified ministry vision.
Note that the FAQ below has been adjusted to remove questions re: MQH.
The presentation below also addresses joint ministry in the first half, so there is still good information available there.
Additional Q&A/comments from the open forums (updated as of 7/15/19):
Question: How many pastors do other congregations with 1000+ members have?
Answer: That number varies, but the norm seems to be 3-4.
Question: Have Fairview or Nain been approached about our joint ministry discussions?
Answer: Not directly – right now the conversation is focused on Good Shepherd’s, Wood Lawn, and Jordan. It is likely that Fairview and Nain are aware of the plans. The only other congregation that has expressed interest in our activity to date is Divine Peace on 76th St south of Oklahoma Ave.
Question: Is the synod involved in this decision?
Answer: The synod has resources available for just such decisions/actions, and this is something that is happening more commonly in WELS. There is no directive from the synod regarding decisions like this - that is left to the individual congregations.
Question: do all three congregations have to agree to this or only one or two?
Answer: The prayer is all three agree together.