RECONCILING IN CHRIST SUNDAY—JANUARY 29, 2012

     Although every Sunday is a welcoming Sunday at Gloria Dei, January 29rd will be special for people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, and their allies. The ecumenical community, which welcomes people of all sexual orientations and gender identities celebrates the last Sunday of January each year as “welcoming” Sunday. In the Lutheran tradition, we call this day Reconciling In Christ (RIC)* Sunday.  Even after the decisions and actions of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly to have more inclusive policies, RIC Sunday continues to be an important outreach - intentionally welcoming members and allies of the GLBT community, as many have been and continue to be intentionally unwelcome in churches.

     Gloria Dei has been a welcoming congregation to people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity for many years. Over the years, Gloria Dei has taken a leadership role in advocating for the full inclusion of GLBT persons in all aspects of the ELCA.  We have been thankful to be in conversation with other churches about full inclusion, and in January 2010 Messiah Lutheran in Mountain Iron became the second congregation in the Northeastern MN Synod to become RIC.  This year, we are pleased to welcome Rev. Ellen Taube, pastoral associate of Messiah, who will be preaching at Gloria Dei. Ellen is in the process of being reinstated to the roster of the ELCA in our synod.

     Be sure to be at worship on the 29th and make a special effort to invite others to this service of welcome and reconciliation. In addition to emphasizing inclusion in our morning worship, our adult forum in the Hillside Room will include a discussion on inclusive welcome in the ELCA, Gloria Dei, and our community.  Additional information about the RIC program, including a complete listing of RIC settings and resources for personal and congregational use, are available on-line at the website www.lcna.org. The effort to bring about a full welcome in the church is never finished. We pray and work for the day when there is no longer a distinction between God’s people because of sexual orientation or gender identity.