I look forward to this time of gathering. It’s more than just the business meeting of our organization or a version of ELCA Synod Assemblies with a gay and lesbian flourish. It’s a time to come together as friends and family—to be who we are: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and yes, even straight. We gather as people who love Christ and who want to share and live in God’s love, grace, and understanding. Assembly is a time for us to come together in worship, in praise, and in fellowship. It is a time to conduct business, a time to learn, and a time to have fun!

If you have never been to an Assembly (or even if you have), you’ll find the business sessions lively and engaging. The LC/NA Assembly does not “vote,” but instead works on the principle of consensus. The “consensus wave” was informally adopted at Assembly 1994 in Charlotte, when co-chair Jon Nelson waved “yoo-hoo” to a friend in the audience and everyone followed suit. It is certainly a sight to be seen!

The Assembly speakers and workshops are sure to be worthwhile as we explore the theme “Knock and the Door Will Be Open,” from Luke 11:9. I had the wonderful privilege of hearing The Rev. Corrine Chilstrom at the RIC 2001 Conference in San Francisco and was moved by reading her book, Andrew, You Died Too Soon, about the death of her son. The Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr is also an eloquent speaker and author, and I look forward to hearing them both.

The worship and prayer times at Assembly are wonderful, with services ranging from “High Mass” to simple Taize chants. These are times to feel centered with God and to hear the “good news” delivered through meaningful song, liturgy, and sermons. The service of prayer and healing has always been a highlight of the weekend and should not be missed. Dan Hooper (a good friend of mine from L.A.) and Donna Simon (from Kansas City) will be our co-chaplains. Their words and presence will be powerful, thought provoking, and full of the gospel.

Assembly is also a time to meet people—old friends you haven’t seen for a while and new ones that you’ll be glad to know. I’ve always enjoyed talking over a meal with my roommate or someone from across the country. Who knows, you may even meet that “special someone” like I did at Assembly 2000 in Columbus.

For me, one of the highlights of Assembly has always been the banquet and dance. This is a time to party with friends, “dress up,” and be the belle of the ball. This event in Baltimore will be slightly different from past assemblies, but just as fun. On Friday night there will be a dinner cruise and crab fest on the Baltimore’s beautiful Inner Harbor and Chesapeake Bay, and on Saturday night, an awards banquet.

The Rev. James M. Childs Jr. will direct a four-year study on homosexuality for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The study is meant to help the church answer questions about the ordination of homosexual clergy and the blessing of same-gender relationships. The study will also feed into the preparation of a social statement on human sexuality.

Childs, 62, is the Joseph A. Sittler Professor of Theology and Ethics and director of academic development at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. On Feb. 1 he will become director of the ELCA studies on sexuality and work out of the church’s Chicago offices, while on leave from the Trinity faculty.

In August the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly asked the Division for Ministry and Division for Church in Society to lead a comprehensive four-year study of homosexuality and report back to the 2003 and 2005 Churchwide Assemblies. The assembly also asked the Division for Church in Society to prepare a social statement on human sexuality.

The two divisions developed a six-point “protocol” to coordinate the assembly mandates. The protocol outlines how leadership in the projects will be shared, the selection of a study director, how the director is to be supervised, the selection of a task force, how and when study reports will be issued and how study documents will be authorized for distribution.

“The sexuality studies that the church has mandated are of critical importance,” said Childs. “There is a great deal at stake for our witness to the gospel, our understanding of authority, our capacity for moral deliberation, and our care for one another in maintaining ‘the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,’” he said, citing a biblical letter from St. Paul to the early Christian church.

“I want to assure the church that these study processes will be attentive to God’s Word, open, fair, rigorous, and as representative and participatory as possible,” said Childs. “I pray we shall all be one in constant prayer and one in trusting our Lord’s promise of the Counselor, who will provide us with the guidance and strength we need to be faithful in seeking to discern the will of God,” he said.

“I’m very excited about the fact that James Childs will be the director of the study,” said the Rev. Joseph M. Wagner, executive director, ELCA Division for Ministry. “He brings a very strong knowledge of the church,” Wagner said.

Childs is “a respected theologian. He is open-minded. He has been a seminary dean for 20 years, so he knows how to work with people. I think he has just the right blend of qualities for the director of the study,” said Wagner.

Wagner called Childs “a friendly, competent person, who makes others feel at ease when he is around them. At the same time he’s very efficient. He’s very bright, and he is fully aware of the complexities of this study.”

Childs is past chair of the board of the ELCA Division for Church and Society. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion; he is a member of the Society of Christian Ethics and serves on its board of directors.

The Rev. L. James Wylie, interim executive director, ELCA Division for Church in Society, said Childs “is well-known to this segment of our church, and he has the full confidence of all those people who know him and know his work well.”

Childs, a pastor of the ELCA, earned degrees from the former Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; Union Theological Seminary, New York; and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Ordained in 1966, he served as pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church, Richmond, Va., a congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).

In 1968, Childs joined the faculty of Concordia Senior College. In 1976 he became a visiting professor of theology at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind., and in 1978 he joined the faculty at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He served 20 of his 23 years at Trinity as academic dean and 1989-1990 as interim president.

Childs wrote the chapter “Ethics and the Promise of God: Moral Authority and the Church’s Witness” in “The Promise of Lutheran Ethics,” which the ELCA Division for Church in Society commissioned in 1998.

In 2000, Childs authored What it Means to be Lutheran in Social Ministry for Lutheran Services in America (LSA). The 32-page booklet was designed to help board and staff members of Lutheran social ministry organizations define their agencies’ Lutheran identity. LSA is the largest human-service network in the United States and Caribbean—an alliance of the ELCA, LCMS and their 280 social ministry organizations.

Childs is author of more than 20 journal articles and has contributed chapters to seven different books. He wrote seven books, including Faith, Formation and Decision: Ethics in the Community of Promise (1992), Ethics in Business: Faith at Work (1995), Greed: Economics and Ethics in Conflict (2000), and Preaching Justice: The Ethical Vocation of Word and Sacrament Ministry (2000). ‚

Redeemer Lutheran Church—Cupertino, CA

It’s an amazing community
that’s full of heart!

It was a natural progression for this congregation that first called me over four years ago. A call committee of six strong leaders of the church asked if I would perform covenantal ceremonies for same-sex unions, and I was asked how I felt about the ELCA’s national policy toward gay and lesbian people, and where I stood on various issues of this nature.

The conviction of this church was strong as it was called to particular ministries. One, for example, was to open its doors for weddings in cases where people had no place to go. This conviction did not exist to “make money,” but because individuals in this congregation knew what it was like to want to be married in a church and not be welcomed—either for their children, their friends, or themselves. Members of this congregation believed this was a specific area where the church could more fully live out the gospel of Jesus Christ . . . and they intended to do so.

As our ministry progressed, we adopted the following mission statement:

This statement and embrace of grace is our foundational value and continues to shape who we are and how we believe we are called to live out the gospel in our particular context. As we developed our welcome to gay and lesbian peoples, we had discussions in forum, bible study, and leadership groups about the rights denied to gay and lesbian peoples when they cannot legally marry. The tragic story of Diane Whipple’s death, and the plight of her partner in seeking justice, affected our perceptions of what was “right” and “wrong.” Folks within this congregation who had long ago been indoctrinated with the idea that homosexuality was a sin could not help but take a stand for the sake of righteousness and reevaluate old perceptions.

By the time we discussed a written affirmation of welcome for gay and lesbian peoples, it was unanimous that we would make such a move. There are a few who struggle individually with the issue of ordination, yet there is a willingness to discuss and hear what’s at stake in this issue.

This congregation has many in ages and life stories, but all agree that grace through Jesus Christ is a gift meant to be shared with others—ALL others. Thus, we gladly welcome our brothers and sisters of various sexual orientations into the family of God and into full inclusion in our church. ‚