Matthew James was ordained on April 26 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester, MA.  Matthew has been called to serve as Associate Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester, MA.

Matthew  is a member of Proclaim, the professional community for publicly-identified LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leaders and seminarians, a program of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.  

Matthew shares these words about his ordination and first call:

I do not have the words to express how humbled I am following my ordination on April 26th.  I kept saying as things moved along that after waiting for three years, it was amazing how quickly everything happened.  I still have to remind myself that all of this has finally happened!  The Spirit was most certainly moving in the assembly that night through wonderful music led by my spouse, Cantor John Weit, powerful preaching by my internship supervisor, The Rev. Dr. Andrea Walker, leadership by our bishop, The Rev. Dr. James Hazelwood, and my sponsor and mentor, The Rev. Marsh Drege (all pictured below).

I am extremely blessed to have been called by the people of Trinity, a community that I have already grown to know and love.  There are many exciting and hopeful things happening at Trinity and I am grateful to be called to be a part of it all.

The prayers that I know came from all over the country, that surrounded me all throughout the wait for a call and in the midst of the process,  truly helped to carry me through and I give thanks to God for all of you!  

And I cannot help but think of all who made Friday possible through their ceaseless work and witness to God’s far-reaching love throughout the years through Proclaim, Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, and all the organizations that came before them.  I am just one of a multitude, indeed, the whole Church, who are blessed to have benefited from the dedication of so many.  May the Spirit continue to guide the Church toward greater and greater inclusion until all God’s people are welcomed and celebrated at Christ’s table.

Matthew was approved as a candidate through the Extraordinary Candidacy process prior to the ELCA ministry policy change.  Matthew was selected by Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries as a Joel R. Workin Scholar in 2009. Congratulations to Matthew as he continues changing the church through his ministry as a publicly-identified LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leader.