A 30-Year Journey

At a recent Ministry Partner gathering hosted by Reformation Lutheran Church, Tom Ertel (leader at Mt Zion, Wauwatosa) and Thaurra Stallings (leader at Reformation, Milwaukee) shared the story of their 30-year journey as prayer partners—a partnership that reveals the heart of what it means for churches, and the people within them, to walk together in Christ.

“She’s been my prayer partner for close to 30 years,” Tom reflected. “She was the first one to pray for me when I was in the hospital. She came to my father’s funeral. And when we were in the hospital for her husband, I’ll never forget how the doctor questioned if I could stay for a private conversation. Thaurra simply said, ‘He’s my prayer partner. He can hear anything I hear.’”

Thaurra added, “It wasn’t just him. It was his wife and others who believed God sent them to walk with our family during that time. But Tom stood out. He was sent to walk on the side of me. I could not have made that journey alone.”

Over the years, they have accompanied one another through grief and joy, hospital visits and holy moments. Tom recalled driving Thaurra’s husband to physical therapy appointments and being shaped by the experience: “You taught me so much—how to walk with people, when to say yes, when to say no.”

“We had to protect each other,” Thaurra responded. “I couldn’t let anyone take advantage of my brother in Christ who walks beside me.”

Like the congregations they represent, their partnership is rooted in daily prayer, mutual care, and deep spiritual trust. “It goes both ways, baby,” Thaurra smiled.

Church partnerships like theirs are more than programs or shared events—they are vital relationships that create space for learning, healing, and transformation. As Tom’s wife, Linda Ertel, shared: “Partnerships allow us to walk with people down different paths that we are not accustomed to, and so we share our stories, and we share our lives and gain strength in our faith journey through our partners.”

When congregations intentionally journey with one another across lines of difference—be it race, neighborhood, tradition, culture, or lived experience—they become living testimonies to the body of Christ. They not only serve together but also grow together as they learn what it truly means to love your neighbor and carry one another’s burdens.

These deep and enduring relationships don’t happen by accident—they are the fruit of long-term commitment between congregations like Reformation and Mt. Zion, who have walked alongside one another for decades. Through worship, service, shared meals, and mutual support, these two churches have built a bond rooted in faith and trust. It is out of this church-to-church partnership that the personal relationship between the Ertels and Thaurra was born—one that has grown over 30 years into a profound example of what it means to live as the body of Christ. Their story is a testament to the power of partnership: when churches show up for one another, people are transformed.