Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) is committed to the full participation of persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the life and ministry of the Lutheran church.

The Rev. Jay Wiesner

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Contact Info for the Rev. Jay Wiesner:
Phone: 612-332-2397
E-mail: j.wiesner@att.net

Jay is originally from New Ulm, a small German town in southwestern Minnesota. He graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota with a BA in religion. After college, he attended Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. During his senior year, he publicly came out to the faculty and students at Wartburg and left to take some time off. He finally finished his Master of Divinity degree in 2002 and immediately began work at Bethany. He has also worked at Mount Olive Lutheran in south Minneapolis and Central Lutheran in downtown Minneapolis.

Jay currently serves as the pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church , an ELCA congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is a co-director of The Naming Project.

The Naming Project is a faith-based youth group serving youth of all sexual and gender identities. The primary focus is to provide a place for youth who are gay/lesbian/bisexual/ transgender/ queer/questioning to learn, grow, and share their experiences. In this way The Naming Project is a space in which youth can comfortably discuss faith and who they understand themselves to be--whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender...or straight.

Camp Out (2006)
Follows 10 endearing teenagers at the first overnight Bible camp for gay Christian youths (The Naming Project). Caught in the culture war of religion, politics and the queer community, these teens refuse to turn their backs on God. The camp provides a safe haven as they struggle for truth in the unlikely marriage of their spirituality and their sexual identity.

Genres:	Documentary, Politics/Religion and Teen

Running Time:	1 hr. 18 min.