January 05th, 2017

It is GOOD to know that people want to know what it means to be a Reconciling in Christ congregation, because reconciling works; and it is at the heart of who we are as Christians of the Evangelical Church of America (ELCA) and Sierra Pacific Synod (SPS). As Coastside Lutheran Church, we have claimed time and again that our greatest value is to welcome all people, especially those who have felt excluded from the Christian church due to divorce, single parenting, gender, age, sexual orientation, race, etc. We have welcomed and embraced people who haven’t necessarily experienced such embrace. It is important to be able to let people know we are a welcoming community of faith not just to some, but to all. We can do so by becoming connected to the Reconciling Works network and by becoming a Reconciling in Christ Congregation. The council has proposed the following statement, a reworking of our catch phrase mission statement. CLC is a spiritual harbor where, without exception, all are welcome.

The second council-proposed statement expands on the first, explaining more specifically who is welcomed into the arms of Jesus according to the Word of grace in holy scripture and the life of Jesus. CLC is a member of the ELCA, a larger group of churches, which has spent over 100 years merging to finally unite as one in 1986. In the years that followed, through prayer, study, and sharing, as laity and clergy together, we recognized the limitations of our welcome to those who fall outside the societal ‘norms’ of gender and sexual orientation. In 2011, as an assembly, we decided we would be fully inclusive recognizing all of God’s children as beloved, called, and a full part of the body of Christ. We are also a part of the Sierra Pacific Synod (SPS), a more localized gathering of ELCA congregations that span the state of California from its Oregon border to Bakersfield and includes Nevada. We as members of the SPS have been at the forefront of sharing the important Christ-centered call of inclusivity, especially for those deemed unacceptable and outcasts in the basic core of who they are. It is critical for those who fall outside the heterosexual gender “norms” to hear once and for all they are indeed welcome. It is our call as a congregation of the ELCA and the SPS to let them hear that! Therefore, council suggested this further expanded statement for our website and other publications and documents as deemed appropriate: We seek to provide a loving community to everyone regardless of sex, race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, physical or mental ability, age, or station in life.

Learn more about what it means to be a Reconciled in Christ (RIC) congregation by going to http://www.reconcilingworks.org/resources/ric/

Come and talk more about this together whether you are an official member of Coastside Lutheran or not, THIS Sunday, January 8th @ 9 am in the conference room or Tuesday evening, January 17th in the West Wing from 7-8:30 PM. Come with your questions and to talk story as we continue to discern what it means to be a welcoming congregation—an identity we deem very important as part of this faith community. We’ll also talk as a congregation at our annual meeting on Sunday, February 12. We will only have one worship that day at 9:15 AM followed by our meeting and a meal together. Don’t hesitate to connect with me or any member of the council to ask questions about what it means to be a RIC congregation. I spoke of ‘negative repercussions’ at the Budget meeting, only to say that as members of the ELCA and SPS, we have from time to time gotten a letter or call challenging our stance of full inclusion. But, to me, that’s all the more reason to stand out in the larger community of HMB and beyond because there are those here who need to hear that the Jesus we know is a Jesus of grace, welcome and love to all people.

P as to r Da w n