Gloria Dei Church, Philadelphia, one of the oldest continuous congregations in the United States, and a church with common Lutheran and Episcopal roots, was the site of a celebration of the adoption of Called to Common Mission (CCM) Sept. 29.

Bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania and of the Lutheran Synod of Southeastern Pennsylvania participated in the celebration of the document which establishes full communion between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). National conventions of both churches have approved CCM, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2001.

The host congregation, also known as Old Swedes', was founded in 1642 by a Swedish Lutheran pastor. Lutherans worshiped in the current building, built in 1700, for more than a century. By 1762, use of Swedish had died out and the congregation began using the Book of Common Prayer. In 1845 it became part of the Episcopal diocese.

The two jurisdictions involved in the celebration share the same five-county regions in metropolitan Philadelphia. They have approximately the same number of congregations, and many of their churches are in close proximity to each other.

Earlier this year the diocese and synod merged their work in public education to create the Lutheran/Episcopal Public Education Task Force. For years many Episcopal clergy have received part or all of their education at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. The seminary recently designed a special curriculum for the training of Episcopal deacons.

Many Lutheran seminarians are doing their field education in Episcopal churches.

The Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Bishop of Pennsylvania, has offered ELCA Bishop Roy G. Almquist the use of the Cathedral of the Saviour as his cathedral, and has raised the possibility that if the Episcopal diocesan staff eventually moves its offices from center city Philadelphia to the cathedral, that the Lutheran staff move there also.

At the Sept. 29 celebration, Bishop Almquist celebrated Holy Communion according to the Lutheran rite, and Bishop Bennison preached.