by Jen Rude, program director

A Monday morning email inbox.  You know the feeling, right?  But sometimes there are surprises.  Yesterday morning I got a delightful email from Rev. Amy Current.  Amy is the the Dean for Vocation at Wartburg Theological Seminary and she is also an ELM Seminary Advocate.  Through Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries’ Candidacy Accompaniment program we have connected with a staff or faculty member at each of the 8 ELCA seminaries and several divinity schools to serve in this role. They serve as allies for LGBTQ students in the seminary process, as a connector between ELM and the campus, and as people who are committed to the educational and vocational development of LGBTQ students.

In this Monday morning email Amy was letting me know that she had shared ELM’s Candidacy Guide with an LGBTQ student on campus. This student then shared the resource with their candidacy committee and now the whole committee is meeting together to discuss how they can be the best advocate for this student and for other LGBTQ students in the candidacy process in their synod.  The ripples are spreading.

It’s a wonderful thing to think about all the little (and big!) pockets of goodness that exist seeking to support and affirm LGBTQ leaders in our church, and to celebrate their unique gifts.  In fact, it’s extraordinary! If you are reading this blog, it’s because we consider YOU one of these pockets of extraordinary goodness.

by Rev. Jen Rude

The little pockets of extraordinary goodness that Jen celebrates today include – warm fall sunshine in Chicago, the now 168 members of Proclaim, winter squash and fall apples, all those who worked to put together ELM’s resource for candidacy committees, and the special people who read the ELM blog –  all the way through to the end.