Bishop Bob Humphrey has appointed the Rev. Terrie Sternberg as the Ecumenical Representative for the Virginia Synod. Her term began in November.
Pastor Terrie will represent the bishop at various functions, co-chair the Virginia Lutheran-Episcopal Joint Committee consisting of five judicatories, serve as a member (and at times chair) of the Virginia LARCUM (Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic-United Methodist) Conference, sit on the Coordinating Cabinet of the Virginia Council of Churches, promote inter-faith conversation and cooperation, and lead the Virginia Synod’s Ecumenical Relations Committee. She is not alone in doing this work. Strongly supported by Bishop Humphrey, Pastor Sternberg has an active committee and a host of partners throughout Virginia who serve in ecumenical settings, as well as many congregations that work with other traditions for the sake of their communities.
Pastor Sternberg succeeds the Rev. Eric Moehring, who has served in this position since 2009. He often says he has been a part of Christian unity since birth because his father, Pastor Theodore Moehring, worked to bring a sense of understanding and cooperation among the Christian traditions wherever he served. Pastor Eric continued that legacy throughout his ministry and has always considered it an honor to serve three bishops as their ecumenical representative. He believes it is a good time to bring new leadership to the office in the person of Pastor Sternberg, who offers new gifts, goals and strategies to increase awareness, understanding and involvement for the sake of our churches and our communities.
Pastor Terrie Sternberg received her M. Div. from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (1995) and served Trinity Lutheran Church in Pulaski, VA, from 1995-2022. Upon first coming to the Virginia Synod, Pastor Sternberg was eager to join the Ecumenical Relations Committee since she had studied ecumenical theology during her time at LTSS and was a voting member at churchwide assembly when two of the agreements were being voted on. After a hiatus from the committee, she rejoined it in 2018 and has been mostly involved in the Virginia Lutheran-Episcopal Joint Committee, which is dedicated to living out the full communion agreement between these two church bodies. She looks forward to working with the committee members and many new ecumenical connections across Virginia. Pastor Sternberg has been an active member of the Pulaski County Ministerial Association throughout her time in Pulaski. Now retired, she resides in Pulaski with a couple of fun four-leggeds – Theophilus and Ziggie.
We welcome Pastor Sternberg to this important position and know that through the breath of the Holy Spirit she will bring a new chapter into Virginia Synod’s strong history of answering our Lord’s prayer “that they may all be one.” Feel free to contact her at: terrie.sternberg@gmail.com.
