Rev. Paul Cooper of New Life Anglican Church will hold services in the St. Killian's former sanctuary in Mars.

MARS — The road between Mars and Cranberry Township has grown increasingly well traveled for two churches in Butler County.

As of Sunday, the newly founded New Life Anglican Church will start holding services at the corner of Clark and Cherry streets, where it is renting space from St. Kilian Roman Catholic Church.

St. Kilian moved most of its activities in 2008 from Mars to Cranberry, where a larger worship site was built.

New Life Anglican is being started by the Rev. Paul Cooper, formerly of St. Christopher's Church in Cranberry. Like St. Christopher's, the new group is affiliated with the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, which is part of the Anglican Church in North America.

Reorganized as the Anglican Diocese in 2008, the group includes many former Episcopal churches that withdrew from their U.S. province because of growing theological differences.

As rector of St. Christopher's since 2000, Cooper was involved in the withdrawal. He also was involved in two church plant projects: Grace Anglican Church in Slippery Rock and College Hill Anglican in Beaver Falls — so starting the Mars church was a natural progression.

"I've been working with church plants to facilitate and help them," Cooper said. "I'm feeling the call to do this myself."

Although Cooper resigned from St. Christopher's to focus on the startup, he maintains an affiliation with St. Peter's Anglican in Butler, where he technically remains priest in charge.

"We like partnerships. We like doing ministry together," he said. "Doing ministry together is always making us stronger rather than competing or doing things separately."

According to the Rev. Ronald Lengwin, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, renting the Mars church to New Life Anglican is but one expression of partnership that spans denominations.

Lengwin said in 1996 the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh entered into a covenant with the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod that included sharing underutilized facilities and resources.Since a reorganization began in 1990, the Catholic Diocese also has consolidated some parishes, leaving some of its buildings vacant. Many of those have been sold or rented to other faith communities."It's not without precedent at all," Lengwin said."This is an opportunity to put Christian faith into action in a way that demonstrates what Christians hold in common rather than focusing on what divides us," said the Rev. Charles Bober, priest at St. Kilian."Mutual support of Christian communities is today more important than ever as all of us face the challenges of a world that is increasingly secular."Bober said with St. Kilian's new parish center on Franklin Road, Cranberry Township, used extensively, the Mars property will continue to house events like weddings sand funerals."It is also a beautiful and historical building with lots of memories for some parishioners," he added.The use should not conflict with services and other events hosted by New Life Anglican, which Cooper describes as a new church rooted in history, with liturgical services from The Book of Common Prayer.The services will include biblical preaching "with a strong commitment to the Holy Scriptures and traditional values" as well as Holy Communion, contemporary worship songs and traditional hymns, he added.Cooper speculates some of St. Christopher's approximately 150 members will attend services at New Life, since the group has traditionally embraced a "reaching out" mindset.Services will continue at St. Christopher's, where a new rector is yet to be named.Cooper, 37, was raised in Fombell. He attended the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston and was ordained in 2000 by Bishop Robert Duncan.Duncan formerly served as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, but was deposed before the majority of its churches withdrew. Duncan now serves as bishop of the Anglican Diocese and archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America.

<B>WHAT: </B>First service at New Life Anglican Church<B>WHEN: </B>10:30 a.m. Sunday<B>WHERE: </B>Corner of Clark and Cherry streets, Mars<B>INFO:</B> www.newlifeanglican.org

The Rev. Paul Cooper is starting New Life Anglican Church, which will hold its first service Sunday in the former Mars sanctuary for St. Kilian Roman Catholic Church, which now worships in a new building in Cranberry Township. Pastors from both churches say the agreement makes efficient use of the space while reinforcing Christian unity.