wfn.org | Service of Reconciliation Marks ELCA Decisions on Same-Gender Relationships

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

Title: Service of Reconciliation Marks ELCA Decisions on Same-Gender Relationships
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>September 15, 2009  

Service of Reconciliation Marks ELCA Decisions on Same-Gender Relationships
09-199-FI

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A Saturday afternoon "Service of Reconciliation"
drew about 150 people to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Charlotte, N.C.
The special Sept. 12 worship brought together those who welcomed and
those who were troubled by recent decisions of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA).

Voting members at the August 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in
Minneapolis approved a series of proposals to change the denomination's
ministry policies, including a policy to allow Lutherans in lifelong,
monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in
ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers.

The Rev. Nancy Kraft, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, called
the service "glorious." Those in attendance were Lutheran, Roman
Catholic, Mormon, Jewish and Buddhist, she said. "There were some people
who were thrilled with what the ELCA has done and other people who aren't
so sure about this," she said. "They came, so I thought that was
wonderful."

"This is a historic time for our church," Kraft said, and
the "radical inclusion" that the ELCA adopted includes those previously
excluded and those who disagree.

"It was reconciliation in a lot of different ways, not just where we
are right now as a church with people who stand on both sides of an issue
but also for people who have in the past felt shut out," she
said. "People are hurting in a number of different ways right now."

L.D. Shockley, a bottling company employee and member of Advent
Lutheran Church, Charlotte, said upbeat hymns and the sermon of the Rev.
Richard C. Little, retired pastor of Advent Lutheran Church, set the tone
for reconciliation.

"There's been a lot of information in the news recently about this
(decision) causing a fracture, but the way it was presented Saturday was
that this was an opportunity for the church -- the whole church -- to
come together," Shockley said.

After the service, several worshipers gathered in the church's
social hall for coffee and dessert. Shockley said he was impressed by a
man from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"He felt comfortable enough to stand up and say, 'My views are
different, and yet we can worship together here today,'" Shockley
said. "I thought that was very affirming."

Kraft said several members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church are gay
or lesbian, and the congregation began planning the Service of
Reconciliation in July. "We knew that whichever way the voting went,
those who had a lot invested in the outcome on either side were going to
have some strong reactions," she said.

"It was an important time for us to gather around the Lord's Table
together, to focus on all that unites us rather than what divides us."

Kraft attended the assembly as an observer. She said the importance
of reconciliation was evident there, when debate on the ministry policies
was interrupted every 20 minutes for prayer.

"Sometimes you were in a small group, praying with people, and you
had no idea where they were, how they stood on this, but it didn't
matter. We're praying about this," Kraft said.

>---

Information about Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is at
http://www.htlccharlotte.org/HTLC/Home.html on the Web.

For information contact:

John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog