Less than a year after moving into the Lutheran Church building, the Anglican bell rang out once more at 9:50 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 10.
As they continue to foster their agreement and shared space, the two denominations decided to bring a piece of the Anglican church to their new home. The bell from the Trinity Lutheran Church had been out of service for years, so as an act of mutual love and understanding, the Anglican bell was carefully removed, cleaned, and placed in the new church building.
At an astonishing 101 years old, Tom McConaghy, the long time Rector's Warden of the Saint Phillip Anglican Church in Westlock, was invited back to ring the bell in its new home.
“For a long time he had been the one that’s ringing the bells on every Sunday before service and so they said it would be good to have him be the first one to ring the bell over at the Lutheran Church when it’s put in.” said Pastor Peter Yeung from Saint Phillip's Anglican Church.
Yeung says that these changes were a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. “After COVID, the Anglican church lost a lot of members, especially the important pillars of the church. And so our daily operations are getting a little bit difficult to do.”
Around this time, the Lutheran pastor had retired and they were unable to find somebody to take the position. “Because I’m kind of well known in the community, and so one day they casually mentioned whether I would like to see about the possibility of looking after the Lutheran Church. So I presented it to my Bishop and also the Lutheran side. The two Bishops got together and agreed that it might be a good idea,” said Yeung.
The two churches started working together in June of 2024, with Sunday services being rotated on a weekly basis.
The Anglican church was found to be too small to accommodate the bigger congregation, so the boards agreed. “So the two church boards met and discussed the possibility of combining into one building and agreed that since the Lutheran Church building is much bigger, we’ll have the services combined with alternating worship," Yeung said.
While talks were in place about the Anglican Church working with the Westlock United Church, Yeung said that the Lutherans and Anglicans had an easier time respecting each other's doctrine.
“The two had more success in coming together and recognizing each other.”
“Everybody’s been very happy about the coming together because the two worships are very close,” said Yeung, describing the Waterloo Accord that outlines the relationship between the two denominations that allows them to share ministry and joint worship while still maintaining their autonomy.
Saint Phillip's Anglican Church still stands as a designated historical building.
