Author: Sharei Green

The Philadelphia Gay News has published an article highlighting ELM roster members Rev. Steve Keiser (left) & Rev. Jay Wiesner (right) thoughts and feelings on the ELCA decision and their paths to ministry.

“It was the most liberating, amazing day of my life,” he said. “The idea that I could finally be recognized as a pastor by the ELCA — after I’ve already been a pastor for so many years — was really exciting.” -Wiesner

“Justice had finally been served.”-Keiser

The article also touches on the future of GLBT pastors and the difficulties still ahead. Read the full article here

Sara Thomsen will be playing in Chicago on Saturday Oct 24 at Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ located at 615 W Wellington Chicago, IL.

Proceeds will benefit Voices for Creative Nonviolence and Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ.

Sara’s song ‘By Breath’ is on the ELM benefit CD- Out of the Extraordinary. The CD is still available for purchase and it makes a great holiday gift! Click here to read more about the album, find out what artists are on it and order. There is a button on the right-side of the page that says “order online” that takes you to the purchase page. All proceeds go to ELM!

ELM Rostered Rev. Jen Rude works for the Night Ministry in Chicago, IL and they are taking part in Citgo’s Fueling Good Project. Winning the prize of a years worth of gasoline would make a huge difference to them.

Today is the last day to vote! Follow this link to vote, all it takes is entering your email address. Thanks!

Representatives from Goodsoil, ELM, and Lutherans Concerned/North America attended the ELCA Conference of Bishops on Oct 1-6, 2009 in Chicago, IL. The Conference discussed implementation of the changes in ministry policies passed at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

Click here to read a press release about the weekend from Lutherans Concerned/North America (LC/NA).

One important result of the meeting was commitment from ELCA Churchwide staff to talk directly with Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries pastors throughout this process. For many years, the ELCA has made policy about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people without those affected in the conversations. We celebrate this development!

A recent news release by the ELCA focused on two Lutheran congregations in San Francisco and their reactions to the ECLA decision. St. Francis Lutheran Church and First United Lutheran Church were profiled as well as ELM rostered pastors Rev. Susan Strouse, Rev. Robert Goldstein, Rev. Ruth Frost, Rev. Phyllis Zillhart, Rev. Jeff Johnson are quoted giving their reactions in the article.

“What does this mean?” was a question asked at council meetings for both San Francisco congregations. “At this point there really were just more questions than anything else,” said the Rev. Susan M. Strouse”

Read the full news release here.

ELM Roster member Rev. Robyn Hartwig is featured in an article on the GLBT Communities response to the new ELCA Resolutions:

“I recognize for many people it’s not going to have a significant impact on their lives, but there are many people I meet who are interested in a faith community,” says Hartwig. “For them, a significant obstacle has been removed.”

Read the Just Out article here. Just Out is an independent newspaper published in the Portland, Oregon area.

The Mission Local, an enewspaper from San Fransisco published an article about local Lutherans take on the ELCA policy.

The article features several ELM roster members- Rev. Jeff Johnson, Rev. Susan Strouse and Rev. Dawn Roginski and mentions ELM’s candidacy process. St. Mary’s and St. Martha’s is one of the four churches that is issuing a call to Rev. Megan Rohrer (ELM roster) for her street ministry. Read the full article here.

Rev. Dale Poland approved as Board Certified Chaplain, First for Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries announces that Rev. Dale Poland has been approved as a Board Certified Chaplain by the Association for Professional Chaplains.

In February of this year Poland received ecclesiastical endorsement from Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) in his pursuit of becoming a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association for Professional Chaplains (APC), a multi-faith association established to certify and serve its membership and to promote professional chaplaincy. Poland was the first Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries- rostered clergy to receive ecclesiastical endorsement from ELM.

Rev. Dale Poland serves as a chaplain with HospiceCare of Boulder and Broom field Counties in Colorado. He also serves as a chaplain to the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Roster. “This has been a long process for me and a long process for Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. I would like to personally thank Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and those who worked so hard to make it possible. Since joining this roster in 2003 I have received nothing but support and encouragement for my sense of call to hospice chaplaincy and for that I give thanks to God. It is my hope now that other chaplains on the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries roster will feel free to pursue board certification.” Rev. Dale Poland.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries credentials and rosters openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people for Lutheran ministry; supports these pastors by working with congregations that will call them and providing mission grants to support their ministry; and provides a network of support to the congregations and pastors.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries is recognized as a credentialing and endorsing body by the Association for Professional Chaplains, The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and the American Association for Pastoral Counselors.

Halleluiah! What an amazing time to be a Lutheran!

Immediately following the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s historic votes to allow congregations to recognize same-sex relationships and to allow ordination of people in same-sex relationships, many people have asked: “What does this mean for Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries?”

We express our profound gratitude to Lutherans Concerned/North America and the Goodsoil coalition for their hard and successful work to organize within the church to enact policies that welcome and support people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We joyfully celebrate together during this time of watershed change in the Lutheran church!

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries is the result of a twenty year movement within the Lutheran church to affirm the calls of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. For a long time, we have been saying yes in the face of church policies that said no to the gifts and talents of gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual pastors. We express our deep appreciation to the members of the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Roster and the congregations that have opened their call process to our roster, and all those who have demonstrated for many years what it looks like to affirm the calls of lesbian, transgender, gay and bisexual people.

We remember and grieve the loss of those who resisted these policies as long as possible, but who left our denomination, or the Church, or did not live to see this day. We recognize that there are still pastors for whom the possibility of coming out is tempered by the reality that they may be serving in a congregation or synod that may not affirm their call based on sexual orientation or gender identity. We pray that someday all people may live and serve openly and authentically without fear of rejection from their church.
We will continue to keep you informed about further developments for ELM.