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LC/NA RELEASE
Holy Trinity Lutheran, Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a caring, outreaching, welcoming congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). It is a church that sees harm done by or to others, wrongs that need righting, and does what it can to provide relief.
Its mission in outreach to assuage the ills caused by the actions or inactions of others includes a commitment to affordable housing. Some years ago, Holy Trinity built 120 project-based Section 8 units. With a recent addition, there are now a total of 144 units on the Holy Trinity campus.
Holy Trinity participates in Bread for the World, Lutheran World Relief, serving meals through Loaves and Fishes, and Habitat for Humanity, among many other outreach mission commitments to help others. Holy Trinity is a Reconciling in Christ congregation.
Therefore, when the congregation saw the withholding of benevolence by some congregations and individuals, angered by the decisions taken by the August 2009 Churchwide Assembly, it came as no surprise that the congregation would act to help relieve the wrongful harm done.
The subject came up at a congregational meeting, and a member of the Finance Committee suggested that the congregation increase its benevolence to the ELCA to provide both a response and some relief.
The Rev Jay Carlson, Lead Pastor at Holy Trinity, said, "The Finance Committee announced their intention at our annual stewardship breakfast on Sunday morning, saying that it could be both an opportunity to show our support for the August vote and to help with the financial challenges that the synod is now facing. Immediately, the speaker was interrupted by a hearty round of applause. I knew that Holy Trinity members were generally supportive of the decision, but I was surprised by how eager they were to increase their financial support in response."
The congregation will vote on its budget in January, at which time the size of the increase will be decided.
Pastor Carlson continued, "Holy Trinity has a long history of generous mission support, and this decision to increase their giving reflects the extent to which the congregation values the breadth of mission we can do together, locally and globally, through the larger church."
Pastor Carlson can be reached at
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, office phone is 612-729-8358.
Obviously, the exhortation passed by the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to live together in the midst of disagreements has a vastly different meaning for those like Holy Trinity who believe that Lutherans should do no harm to each other or others over a disagreement in interpretation of Scripture.
About Lutherans Concerned
Working at the intersection of oppressions, Lutherans Concerned / North America (LC/NA) embodies, inspires, advocates and organizes for the acceptance and full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities within the Lutheran communion and its ecumenical and global partners. LC/NA is based in St Paul, Minnesota. |
