May 1, 1922—Aug. 17, 2009

The Rev. Robert E. Grimm, who pushed for understanding and cooperation among people of various faiths in Western New York, died Monday in his Buffalo home. He was 87.

Mr. Grimm was a key leader in efforts to foster better relations among the area’s many religious traditions.

From 1976 to 1987, he was executive director of the Buffalo Area Council of Churches—a forerunner of the current Network of Religious Communities—and he was active in other area ecumenical and interfaith organizations.

The Chicago native was a graduate of Denison University and served as an officer in the Navy. Following seminary at Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, Mr. Grimm was ordained in 1949 in the Congregational Church, now known as the United Church of Christ.

He began his ministry at a community church in Pickstown, S. D., before embarking on a life’s work in ecumenism and interfaith relations.

“My dad was always a person who wanted to bring people together,” said his daughter, Leslie Archer.

His work was based on the belief that “the church needed to be more inclusive and tolerant of other belief systems,” she added.

Mr. Grimm was executive secretary for the South Dakota Council of Churches from 1951 to 1957, and from 1957 to 1976 he served in executive posts at councils of churches in Erie, Pa., and Syracuse.

He took over in 1976 as head of the Buffalo Area Council of Churches, an ecumenical organization that later merged with Buffalo Area Metropolitan Ministries to form the Network of Religious Communities.

Passionate about peace and justice, Mr. Grimm participated in downtown prayer vigils for victims of the .22-caliber killer and was involved in other efforts to alleviate racial tensions in Buffalo following the shootings targeting black men.

“He was a very energetic and faithful Christian in terms of both doing justice and loving kindness in his walk with God,” said the Rev. M. Bruce McKay, pastor of Pilgrim-St. Luke’s United Church of Christ. “He was deeply committed to the church, both to the United Church of Christ and to the broader Christian church, while at the same time being committed to interfaith dialogue.”

He also served on the Ecumenical Task Force of the Niagara Frontier, a group that advocated for victims of the Love Canal environmental crisis.

Mr. Grimm served without pay as director in his last year at the Buffalo Area Council of Churches, which struggled financially.

He continued doing volunteer ecumenical work on behalf of groups such as the Interfaith Housing Commission, Concerned Ecumenical Ministry, the Coalition for Economic Justice, Interfaith Peace Network and Vive La Casa.

“I personally am committed to this because I believe the church always has to be involved in building community,” he said in a 1987 interview in The Buffalo News. “My theory about one church is not one church, but somehow out of our diversity, we learn to respect one another and be supportive of one another.”

Mr. Grimm was known for his infectious laugh and his powerful baritone voice. He was active in various choral groups, including the Royal Serenaders, Western New York Chorale and the Pilgrim-St. Luke’s Choir. He also was an avid golfer and supporter of the arts.

In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife of 65 years, Roberta J.; two sons, Michael and Mark; two other daughters, Carole Barnes and Dr. Nancy; and two sisters, Mary Lois Peterson and Marcia Schultz.

A service of remembrance will be at 6 p. m. next Friday in Pilgrim-St. Luke’s Church, 335 Richmond Ave. A memorial service will be at 1 p. m. Sept. 26 in First Presbyterian Church, One Symphony Circle.

—Jay Tokasz