PALM Partnership

PALM (Piedmont Area Lutheran Ministries)

 In early 2024 the congregations of St Stephen’s Lutheran Church (Gold Hill, NC) and Mt Gilead Lutheran Church (Mt Pleasant, NC) committed to a new partnership of faith through a parish arrangement known as PALM (Piedmont Area Lutheran Ministries). 

While the congregations remain separate and independent, they also cooperatively work together by arranging for and sharing pastoral care and are blessed to worship, pray, study, fellowship, and serve together even as we also still retain our own unique congregational identities, traditions, communities and faith practices.

As congregations walking together in PALM we choose to value and prioritize

• Periodic joint worship together and continued worship in our own spaces and worshipping communities. We worship together in combined joint services on 5^th Sundays (alternating location), and select special service/festival days such as Ash Wed, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, etc. (also typically alternating location, as permitted by congregational schedules). We still worship separately for the majority of our services.
• Consistent joint discipleship together and some studies apart. Our joint weekly study group for exploring the Bible, theology, Biblical and Christian history, faith practices, etc  alternates hosting location on a monthly basis.  Likewise, combined Confirmation ministries, special classes, seminars and retreats are greatly valued.  Sunday School and other groups gather separately as the congregations choose to do so.
• Fellowship together and separate. We cherish the opportunity to build friendships, have fun, provide and receive support from our fellow Christian brothers and sisters, to celebrate joys, confront struggles, comfort griefs and more.     We live in fellowship together in our worship, our devotion and discussion times, with occasional dedicated joint fellowship and fun events and activities, etc.
• The unique ministries of each congregation, through which we serve our members and local communities. We appreciate the benefit and extended reach of cross-promoting each other’s ministries to reach larger audiences of interest.
• We commit ourselves to be open to considering possible joint ministries together, especially those that connect directly to our communities and which are made more viable and fulfilling through the combined participation and resources of our PALM congregations.
• Helpful administrative efficiencies including standardized worship, a single shared bulletin, cross-congregational teams for bulletins, websites, worship and fellowship planning, etc, all of which are helpful in stretching our resources of time, talent and funds.
• Flexible cooperation and coordination of schedules, events, pastoral care expectations and limits and similar considerations. We commit ourselves to communicate and work through challenges with mercy and grace.  
• We welcome inquiries from other local congregations that may be interested in joining PALM who embrace these values and priorities.