Contact Info for the Rev. Nate Gruel: nate@cjnewspaper.com

Nate Gruel became an ordained pastor within the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran church in 1972, after which he served two parishes in Indiana over a period of seven years. Since then, he has been employed as a graphic artist in the newspaper industry. He and his partner of 17 years, Paul Monaghan, moved to Florida in 2003.

Gruel is currently affiliated with Peace Lutheran Church, Lake Como, Florida, a congregation of the Association of Free Lutheran Churches (AFLC). With full support of the congregation’s current minister, he functions there with full recognition of his sexual orientation and his ordained and rostered status. In addition to leading a weekly Bible study and preaching, he served as Eucharistic celebrant on Reformation Sunday in 2006, the first time he had been allowed to do so in a congregational setting in over 25 years.

Gruel’s ministry recently expanded as he accepted the position of Lutheran’s Concerned Regional Coordinator for Region 9. He received official training in the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) program in September 2006, and he now shares the responsibilities of the Central Florida RIC core team. He also serves as chaplain for the Central Florida chapter of Lutherans Concerned.