August 7, 2007

Goodsoil booklets at ELCA 2007 Churchwide Assembly

Two booklets are being offered to the voting members at the 2007 Churchwide Assembly.

In the Devotional Booklet, A Place Within My Walls, are found devotions for each day of the assembly by Bradley Schmeling and the stories and pictures of eleven gay and lesbian clergy and two would-be pastors. Twelve are serving in congregational or specialized ministries. One is a seminarian just leaving for internship. Some are partnered. Some are not. All are called by God to the ministry of Word and Sacrament. All have prayerfully discerned the call of the Spirit to be part of introducing the ELCA to its LGBT pastors. At the end of the booklet, the names of 83 ministers who are introducing themselves to the ELCA are listed.

View an HTML version of A Place Within My Walls in a new browser window.

The Ministry Booklet, Ministry Rooted in Gospel, focuses on congregations and ministries rather than individuals. All of the congregations featured in this booklet are congregations of the ELCA, except for St Francis Lutheran Church of San Francisco. Of the four specialized ministries highlighted, three are supported by ELCA congregations and one is supported by an ELCA synod. St Francis Lutheran Church is an independent Lutheran church because it was expelled by the ELCA, effective December 31, 1995, for having called a lesbian clergy couple not on the ELCA clergy roster.

View an HTML version of Ministry Rooted in Gospel in a new browser window.