In 1882, the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company conveyed a parcel of its land at 65 Sagamore St. in Manchester to a Lutheran congregation of Swedish immigrants so they could build a church, then called Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Gethsemane Society.
The workers labored by day in the mills, and at night and on weekends built the church. Services were conducted in Swedish until about 1950, when the church, now called Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church, started conducting them in English.
Many of the younger people had left the church to go elsewhere to work or to worship in English. The church was associated with many different denominations of Lutherans, as they merged as national origins became less important. By the 1990s, Gethsemane was part of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
By the 2020s, membership at Gethsemane had aged, and decreased. After a long period of study and attempts to associate with other congregations, the membership voted to close the church.
This was a painful and emotional decision, done with the guidance of the ELCA. A final celebration service was scheduled for May 4, and a final service for May 18, two Sundays in the Christian season of Easter.
While this sad series of events was going on, another set of conversations were being held by the interim minister at Gethsemane, Don Larsen, and the priest in charge at Grace Episcopal Church down Pine Street about a mile toward the center of town.
Rev. Edward Cardoza, at Grace, had a vision for downtown ministry in Manchester. As he and Pastor Larsen discussed the possibilities, they then involved the leadership of their congregations, and then the Bishops of the respective denominations at the New England Synod and the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.
(It is relevant to note that the ELCA and Episcopal Church are in what is known as “full communion,” meaning they share clergy and other relationships, so joint efforts are not uncommon.)
Part of the closure process for Gethsemane was putting its land and building up for sale, and determining what entity or entities would get the funds left after paying the mortgage and obligations of the congregation.
Under the guidance of their pastor, the people of Gethsemane decided to contribute the funds to the new downtown ministry, now called the “Episcopal-Lutheran Collaborative,” so the ministry of Gethsemane and the ELCA could continue in Manchester in a new way after the church closed.
The celebration service on May 4 brought back many former members from far and wide. The final service on May 18, long feared to be one of tears and regret instead was one that celebrated both the end of the congregation and something new coming afterward. Happening during Easter season, many allusions to Christ’s burial and resurrection were made, when death had to precede the new life.
In a stroke of wisdom, the two clergymen proposed one more Sunday event, which was held on May 25, a week after the closure. Former members of Gethsemane gathered at the church, held a brief service, went in and gathered up the sacred items from the altar, and led by a member holding a cross, walked down Chestnut Street toward downtown.
At the same time, members of Grace Episcopal started up Chestnut Street from Lowell Street, led by Bishop A. Robert Hirschfeld, the bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. The groups met halfway, then proceeded back to Grace Episcopal Church where there was an outside service, and then all proceeded into the church to worship together.
The church was full, and enthusiasm evident. The assistant to the Lutheran bishop gave the sermon, and the Gethsemane members felt welcomed. At a reception after the service, people got to know each other or renew acquaintances.
The stage is now set for the development of the Collaborative, which has great potential for ministry in Manchester to the unhoused, immigrants and scores of people moving to town and occupying the many new apartments that have been built in new and renewed buildings.
Death again created the opportunity of new life, and what could have caused despair became a source of hope and looking to the future.
And, to complete the circle, the prospective purchaser of the Gethsemane property is a congregation of immigrants that speaks a foreign language, is working hard together and the leaders of which worry about keeping their children, now speaking English, participating in a church which conducts its services largely in the native tongue! The original Swedes would be proud.
A real Easter story, and a demonstration of extraordinary leadership by several remarkable leaders.
Brad Cook is a Manchester attorney. The views expressed in this column are his own. He can be reached at bradfordcook01@gmail.com.
