Category: Blog

by Margaret Moreland, ELM Board Member

On January 20, 1990 my husband, Bennett Falk, and I attended the service of ordination for Phyllis Zillhart, Ruth Frost, and Jeff Johnson.

This was a life changing day for me. I had gay and lesbian friends and relatives, but it had never occurred to me that I could or should take a public part in opposing the discrimination that they faced. Listening to the prayers offered by the congregation at that service woke me up to the pain that the church caused so many gay and lesbian people and their families. I decided right then that I could not remain part of a church that turned away so many people for being themselves unless I worked for change.

I did not know Jeff, Ruth, or Phyllis at the time they were ordained. Over the next year or so, I got to know Jeff a bit. When he and some others had the idea of setting up an alternative candidacy process for gay and lesbian seminarians, they asked me to participate. I was not sure just what a chemist could offer to this project, but I enthusiastically said yes.

Since that time I have been on the boards of the Extraordinary Candidacy Project, Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries, and Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries for all except about 4 years. Ruth, Jeff, and Phyllis were the first of 18 pastors who were extraordinarily ordained. Bennett and I attended every one of the extraordinary ordinations, bursting with joy, laughing and crying.

Now I’m again on the board of ELM, and working on the new Ministry Engagement program. We are connecting with congregations in the ELCA to help them enrich and transform themselves by calling an LGBTQ pastor. I can speak to this personally since Pastor Jeff Johnson has been my pastor since 1999 at University Lutheran Chapel in Berkeley. Although ELCA policy now allows people in same sex relationships to be pastors, many congregations have trouble imagining having an LGBTQ person in a called position. Ministry Engagement  has prepared a guide for call committees to help them plan for including LGBTQ candidates. We are making plans to have an information table at several Lutheran synod assemblies this spring. We are gathering stories from congregations that have LGBTQ rostered leaders so others can learn from them.

Working as part of ELM is such a great part of my life, maybe I’ll keep doing it for another 25 years.

Guest Blogger Margaret Moreland serves on the ELM Board of Directors and is Convener of the Ministry Engagement Program. She (and Bennett) attended every extraordinary ordination and she has vowed to never eat sushi served by a squid.

Guest blog by Proclaim member, Rev. Brenda Bos.

I was among the first class of seminarians to go on internship after the 2009 ELCA decision to ordain LGBTQ clergy. Like my fellow Proclaim members, I don’t know how different my call process would have been if I was straight. I know straight pastors who got calls five seconds after assignment, and I know straight pastors who waited as long as some of the queer candidates.

Like most gay first call candidates I know, I waited. Then the call came. A congregation in San Clemente was looking for a pastor. They were not Reconciling in Christ, but had a long history of welcome, including gay clergy who were out, gay clergy who were not out. My call committee was very comfortable talking about my wife and was eager to show her how much they wanted to call me. My conference, made up of a smaller cluster of churches in a geographic region of the synod, lost four out of fifteen churches after 2009. Understandably, my colleagues in this conference have been cautious to welcome me. The worst part about being a queer pastor is wondering, am I overly sensitive, or am I being slighted because of who I am?

My church has a service every Sunday on the beach. Even in 45 degree weather in January, about fifty brave souls gather. We have tourists, athletes using the bike path, homeless people. Few visitors know exactly who we are or what we are doing, but they are intrigued by church on the sand. But because of this large influx of visitors, I never know how people will react when they find out we have a lesbian pastor.

Recently I mentioned my wife in a sermon. A visiting family was sitting in front of some members. The members overheard the woman lean over and ask, “Did she just say ‘wife’?” and he nodded. They didn’t stay for communion. I convinced myself it was because they were Catholic and didn’t want to commune in a Protestant church. Or maybe they had brunch reservations.

A couple wanted to join our church. I sat with them and talked about our welcome to the LGBTQ community. They nodded and smiled… and never came back again. A few members of the congregation left before I started this call. Some were shocked we would consider calling an openly gay candidate. As my congregational president said, “They accidentally joined the wrong church,” and we bid them farewell.  Well, other members bid them farewell. They split before I hit the scene.

One of the benefits of serving a smaller congregation is the pastor sees every face, every reaction to the sermon. Last Sunday I thought I saw a visitor cringe when I mentioned my wife. It actually threw me off. I started to think, “Has she been here before? Of course she has. Does she not know my story? Is this a problem?” I finally pushed that miserable line of thinking out of my head and kept preaching. I thought I saw her cringe at a few more things I said, and convinced myself that was just how she held her face while listening. After the service (she stayed for communion!) I re-introduced myself, not sure I remembered her name, etc. She was enthusiastic, loves this service, splits her Sundays between this church and a Catholic church up north. I had read her reactions incorrectly, and had made myself pretty uncomfortable while freaking out.

But I am sad that I wonder what people think. My council has told me in no uncertain terms to stop wondering what people think. But there is still a moment as I come out where I wonder what the ramifications will be. It’s not a good thing. Of course, there are people who feel liberated knowing their pastor is lesbian. Some are in same-sex relationships, but the majority of my congregation is just happy to be a part of an inclusive community. This is a time of great joy in my community, and I am so happy to be a part of their celebration of welcome. Still. It needs to be named: our shame, even when we’ve “worked through it”, is deep and insidious and throws us for curves at times and places we do not anticipate. I am loud and proud and most of the time am met with open arms. I am so grateful for the Proclaim community who shares in the joys and struggles of this calling. Perhaps someday I won’t worry what reactions I receive from coming out. I have been called to love Jesus and to love a woman. I long for the day when the gospel of Jesus Christ is my only scandal.

Brenda Bos is six months in to her first call and is relieved and delighted to report she loves the work. Before becoming a pastor, Brenda was a production manager for network television sitcoms. The similarities between her two careers are myriad.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries 2014 Year in Review!

We have finished another wonderful and full year –  I invite you to take a moment to join me in looking back at some highlights. (You can check out all of these stories in our ELM Blog archive!)

January – We launched Proclaim Pulpit Supply – a new way for LGBTQ leaders to proclaim God’s love for all and for congregations looking to support Proclaim leaders – especially those seeking call.

February – We celebrated 5 calls to Proclaim leaders, celebrated new solar panels on a congregation, interviewed an intern and internship supervisor and shared new ways to support LGBTQ leaders awaiting call.

March – We launched Extraordinary Friends (our monthly giving program),   and were invited to discuss placement of LGBTQ ministry candidates at the March Conference of Bishops meeting.

April – We launched the Proclaim Seminarian Team, finalized things for the 2014 Proclaim Retreat, Dreams & Visions, took a glance at the work of the Proclaim Team, and got creative. Oh, and then there was that new logo… 🙂

May – we got a Gold Star! We also went to Washington, D.C., got Faithful & Fabulous and held the  RETREAT! We also invited applications for the 2014 Joel R. Workin Memorial Scholarship Award, with an increased award of $2,500 thanks to generous donors who have helped grow the fund.

June – We celebrated more calls, attended Pride, rejoiced in generous supporters raising funds for ELM, and heard some great stories from an intern in Proclaim.

July – We gave a first glance at some forthcoming ELM resources; highlighted ministry in South Africa; remembered the life and work of Bp. Stanley E. Olson, and named Amy C. Hanson as our 2014 Joel R. Workin scholar.

August  – Guest blogger Donna Simon wrote about Ferguson, MO;  Amalia toured LA,  we released some new statistics about LGBTQ leaders, and celebrated some life passages, including a couple more calls to LGBTQ leaders.

September – Amid all the calls, we released a vital new resource for those who are first call candidates; highlighted some guest bloggers, congregations, and leaders, and announced our new  One Minute to Proclaim videos.

October – We rolled out the brand new Enrich & Transform, a resource for call committees & congregations who wish to be open to LGBTQ candidates; learned about Bi Visibility Day;  got together with Proclaim folks in Chicago; and we told supporters how they can “come out” about their support for LGBTQ-led ministry.

November – We visited ELCA seminaries in Gettysburg and Philadelphia; advocated for LGBTQ leaders at the ELCA Church Council and Conference of Bishops; and reflected on Transgender Day of Remembrance.

December – We got a glimpse of the upcoming Proclaim retreat, highlighted a generous and faithful giver, and wished all of you a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and New Year!

And really, those are JUST the highlights. You made this entire year possible through your prayers, work, and financial support. We’re moving right into 2015  as we celebrate 25+ years of extraordinary ministry by LGBTQ leaders! We are so thankful you are with us.

 

 

“When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.” – Luke 2:17

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by Amalia Vagts, Executive Director

Sometimes when I tell people about Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, they are amazed.

Some are amazed there is such a ministry. Some are amazed there is a need for it.

Those who support and walk with LGBTQ ministers and their ministries know the true amazement is in the Gospel story – told time and time again, sometimes in the most unlikely places, by the most unexpected of messengers, with the most surprising of words.

Seminarian John Brett offers this reflection on the Gospel text:

“We’ve seen God now, and he stinks to high heaven. Of course, so do we; thankfully, God understands a little manure around our edges.”

Nancy Wichmann, also in seminary, will share these words this Christmas morning in her sermon:

“When I was growing up, Christmas was not terribly joyous for me. I kept asking Santa for a pretty dress or a doll. I got tube socks and a package of “tighty whiteys” when white tights would have been preferable.”

Unlikely places, unexpected messengers, and surprising words.

May the wonder of the Christmas story amaze you.

(Pastor Brenda Bos, John Brett, Nancy Wichmann, and Pastor Steve Wilco are members of Proclaim, an active community of 175+ LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leaders, seminarians, and candidates. Proclaim is a program of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.)

Amalia Vagts, ELM Executive Director, finds amazement in the passion and commitment of those who have sustained the ministry of LGBTQ people for nearly twenty-five years, and by LGBTQ people who proclaim God’s love for all so beautifully and wildly.

 

by Amalia Vagts, ELM Executive Director

It is easy to have fun when you’re spending time with Dick Tribble.

We met when I was just starting out with Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, in the midst of the ONE VOICE campaign. I was immediately at ease thanks to Dick’s warm and open smile, and easy-going manner. He eagerly committed to becoming a major contributor to the ONE VOICE campaign and shared his own passion for faithful and generous support for the church.

Dick has continued to be a faithful supporter of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. In 2008, he led the effort to help us open our office in Chicago by providing a seed gift for the rent and office expenses.

This year, I met with Dick to tell him about the way our programs are growing thanks to our new program director, Jen Rude. Dick responded by making his most generous gift yet to Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries in support of our new programs. He shared with me his excitement for ELM’s mission and the importance of giving generously to support causes that you care about.

Last month, I had the chance to visit Anderson-Shumaker, an open-die forging company started in 1902 by Dick’s great-grandfather. Dick gave Clyde Walter (ELM Development Committee member) and me a tour of the company – there were several moments where we thought we’d been transported back to the early 20th century as we watched the ancient art of pounding metal into forms. As Dick put it, “There’s only ever really been one way to form steel – you heat it up and pound it into the shape you want.”

Next year, Dick has agreed to be part of Faithful & Fabulous Chicago – a way for Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries to connect one-on-one with supporters who want to invest in the ministries of LGBTQ leaders. Dick is already leading the way by becoming one of the founding members of “Extraordinarily Faithful & Fabulous Friends,” those generous folks who give $2,500 or more annually in support of the work of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.

A life-long Lutheran, Dick learned to be generous from his parents. Dick writes, “When we give of ourselves, our time, talents, and treasures, God is with us, and there is no darkness at all, and through those gifts, God completes our joy! That is always in my heart.”

Giving thanks today for Dick Tribble, and for all the dear people who give of themselves, their time, talents, and treasures to support LGBTQ ministers and their ministries.

 

Meeting with faithful & fabulous friends of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries like Dick Tribble is one of Executive Director Amalia Vagts’ greatest joys. She also enjoys reasons to wear a hardhat and safety goggles, which remind her of her favorite role at Holden Village – feeding the wood chipper.

Maybe winds will blow
Maybe seeds will fall
Who knows what love can grow
When those seeds are cracking open
-from “Wild Acre” by Trish Bruxvoort-Colligan

Check out this 2 minute video from the 2014 Proclaim Retreat!  Be inspired by the pictures and words of LGBTQ leaders while listening to the fabulous song “Wild Acre” written and performed by Trish Bruxvoort-Colligan, who along with Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan, served as musicians at the 2014 Proclaim Retreat.

“Who knows what love can grow when those seeds are cracking open” – planting, nourishing, and cracking open seeds of love, justice, vocation, collegial support, and renewal is part of what happens at the annual Proclaim retreat for LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leaders, candidates, and seminarians.  This yearly gathering is part of the sustenance of ministry for so many.  As Rev. Mark Erson says, “It is so nourishing to spend time with hope-filled, excited colleagues who are on fire about the ministry to which they have been called.”  This year Mark is helping to fuel the fire by serving on the 2015 retreat planning team.

Our 2015 Proclaim Retreat theme is Building Up the Body – to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12).  Through training, workshops, worship, small groups, spiritual renewal, and recreation, we’ll seek to build up our tools and skills as we are equipped and seek to equip others to live as the body of Christ.  Our church needs strong, grounded, faithful leaders.  The Proclaim retreat strives to offer that life-giving nourishment for these LGBTQ leaders in service of our whole church and the body of Christ.

Registration for this event opens in January. ELM has just received a generous grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation which will provide retreat scholarships for at least 25 attendees who are in seminary or without call!  Your gift of $385 ensures a full scholarship for a seminarian, candidate awaiting call, or another member of our community who would otherwise be unable to attend.  Your gift of any amount makes this event possible. Thank you for your support!

By Rev. Jen Rude, ELM Program Director.  Jen recently began brewing her own Kombucha, an ancient fermented tea dubbed “the elixer of life” which contains vitamins, enzymes and probiotics.  Jen’s spiritual body is well nourished through her home congregation of Grace Lutheran Church in Evanston, IL.

Today we hear from guest blogger, Diaconal Minister Lauren Morse-Wendt. On the eve of Thanksgiving, we wanted to highlight and share a wonderful idea from the extraordinary congregation Edina Community Lutheran Church. 

by Lauren Morse-Wendt, D.M.

At  Edina Community Lutheran Church we are always seeking new and active ways to engage in justice, so during this season of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share this as a simple and powerful activity for other congregations to try as well.

Our congregation is committed to mission and justice, and we often hear from parents and grandparents that they seek more opportunities to connect their children to these values.

But, most volunteer organizations are have a minimum age limit, so we’ve stretched ourselves to come up with opportunities accessible to all ages.  Throughout the month of November, we reminded the congregation to donate food and hygiene items to our regular food shelf partner.  By Christ the King Sunday, we had a hallway overflowing.

It took only twenty minutes to  transform the sanctuary into a labyrinth, turn on some meditative music, and invite babies to crawl, toddlers to toddle, and children and adults to prayerfully walk through the labyrinth praying about hunger and our part in both creating and ending it.

Our faith, our worship, our call to seek justice are intertwined…but sometimes we need a tangible reminder.  Physically moving the altar following worship, building a prayer labyrinth out of donated food, and prayerfully walking through the food itself was a physical reminder for what we as Children of God are called to do in this world.

Proclaim member Lauren Morse-Wendt is a Diaconal Minister serving as the Mission and Ministry Developer at Edina Community-Lutheran in Edina, Minnesota.  When she’s not joining her faith community in advocacy acts…she’s at home with her wife advocating for their 2 year old to go to bed before 9 p.m.

 

Guest blog by Asher O’Callaghan

It’s been about 4 years since I came out as transgender. I’ll always remember the first vigil I participated in as a part of the International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR). This day has been observed annually on November 20^th since 1998 to honor the memory of those whose lives have been lost in acts of anti-trans* violence during the past year.

I had only been out for less than a month when I attended my first vigil and the experience was jarring. The event was held at a church building in a warm room with lots of candles and we sat in chairs forming concentric circles. As is typical at these vigils, each of the names of people who had been murdered was read. Even though I went into it aware of the heavy nature of the event, I was disturbed.

That year I was unsettled by several things I noticed about the names and people we were commemorating. Most of the people who had been lost that year were transwomen of color. We couldn’t pronounce many of the names. I will forever remember a comment my girlfriend made as we were driving home: “They butchered so many of the names.” It was true. Most of the people we were commemorating that year were from Central or South America. Yet most of the people gathered for the vigil (including me) were monolingual English speakers. I’m still glad the vigil was held, but the facilitators’ inability to correctly pronounce the names (and my own inability to do any better) spoke powerfully to me about how far my own experiences and privileges were from those of other trans* people around the world.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is important because we still live in a world where hate crimes happen based on gender identity and gender expression. The most basic of all human rights is the right to live. While coming out certainly did feel scary for me, this vigil and the others I’ve participated in since have been reality checks. Though I may worry about my right to marry, or the prejudices I may occasionally encounter, I feel pretty safe in public on a daily basis.

Some progress has been made towards trans* equality. Much has yet to be made.  Surely God grieves over this world in which some of God’s children are not safe to live their lives as themselves. We are all called “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God” (Mic 6:8). For me, part of this call to ministry has meant bringing my whole self and all my experiences into the ministry I do: my gender identity, my sexuality, my cultural background, my privileges. At times this call to ministry has been a call to activism. At other times, it’s been a call to listen to the experiences of others. Sometimes a call to ministry means remembering to “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15).

If you’re interested in participating in a local vigil, you can find one nearby here: http://tdor.info.

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What does the asterisk stand for in trans*? The asterisk is meant to symbolize that the term is being used as an umbrella to include a broad diversity of gender identities. So this term is meant to include not only people who identify as transgender or transsexual, but also people who identify as genderqueer, non-binary, gender fluid, third gender (just as a few examples). To read more on this, click here.

Asher is a faithfully fabulous bisexual transguy. He’s a Proclaim member, a candidate for first call, and is serving on ELM’s Board of Directors. In December, he’ll be graduating from Luther Seminary. Asher is excited to have been assigned to the Sierra Pacific Synod. He’s from the gloriously gorgeous land of Colorado and looks forward to spending lots of time doing outdoorsy things in another lovely part of the country.

By Jen Rude, ELM program director

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.  1 Peter 4:10

They really needed to hear what I had to say. And I needed to hear their stories. Last week I visited The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. 

On both campuses I was able to meet with students, staff, and faculty – to develop relationships, share resources, and listen to folks who are committed to celebrating and lifting up the gifts of LGBTQ people called to ministry.  It’s clear things are shifting and becoming more open, but there continue to be significant challenges for LGBTQ people called to ministry.  Challenges I heard about include finding an internship congregation, coming out in a conservative congregation and wondering if you’ll lose your call, finding field ed and clinical pastoral education sites that are supportive of LGBTQ students, and waiting longer than straight candidates for first call and wondering if there will be a place to serve at all.

Whether folks knew about ELM or were new to our ministry, there was an overwhelming sense that what we offer to LGBTQ ministry leaders is a lifeline and a source of hope.  Several straight allies came to conversations on campus and said both that they didn’t quite realize some of the challenges their LGBTQ peers were facing to follow their call and that the gifts these LGBTQ leaders bring are desperately needed in our church.  

Through our work at ELM we are supporting and affirming LGBTQ people called to ministry, and helping the church live into a more inclusive vision of the diverse community of God, so that all the gifts God gives us are shared in service of the church and world.

I am honored to be able to connect with folks all over the church on behalf of ELM.  What we are doing is important work and we need to keep sharing the good news!

Thank you for your support that helps make these connections possible.

 

By Rev. Jen Rude, ELM program director.  As a preschooler Jen’s predicted profession was “Cruise Director.”  She is thankful that she gets to use many of those cruise directing gifts in service of ELM.  And she feels old when people don’t know who Julie McCoy is.

I felt like I was in the junior high school lunchroom again.

Remember that nervous feeling as you reach the end of the cafeteria line and then turn to face a room full of tables filled with people talking and laughing. Where do you sit? Will you make a new friend? Will you trip on your way across the room?

This feeling came up last month when ELM program director Jen Rude and I attended the ELCA Conference of Bishops. In fact, it happens several times a year for me when I attend the ELCA Conference of Bishops and ELCA Church Council meetings. I don’t mean to suggest that anyone throws a milk carton at me or slides their books over so I don’t sit down next to them (okay, that did happen once). But the unavoidable sense that I’m on my own comes up time and time again.

People do often ask, “Why are you here? The 2009 decisions were ages ago. Why do you keep coming back?”

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries made an organizational commitment in 2009 to be present at these meetings in order to be a visible witness of LGBTQ rostered leaders, candidates, and seminarians in the church. Over the years, I have developed wonderful relationships with Bishops, Church Council members, and Churchwide staff who, like me, are committed to living out God’s work. I have witnessed powerful conversations about faith, the future of the church, and spirituality. I have deepened my own sense of compassion for those different than me. On a couple of occasions, I have been invited to speak to address questions about LGBTQ rostered leaders. At other times, I have experienced again the deep, biting, pain of exclusion that caused me to step away from the Lutheran church years ago. It has been a deeply challenging and spiritually enriching part of my work.

There have been times when I have been one of a handful of openly LGBTQ people in a room full of people discussing the future of LGBTQ people in our church. It is most often the case that my colleagues from ReconcilingWorks and I sit at the back of the room and observe conversations about our community happen around us. It’s true that the people having the conversation are the appointed and elected leaders of the church and we are visitors. It is also true that without even our silent presence, many of these conversations would likely be very different.

ELM invests in this work. Caring ELM donors contribute funds to pay for my travel so I can be present at these meetings. We believe that it is vital that we are present when the church invests time in talking about matters impacting LGBTQ rostered leaders and seminarians.

I am extremely grateful for the surprising and new conversations I’ve had with the leaders of our church. I have not forgotten a single time that a person looked up and smiled as I crossed the room and invited me to join their table.

When I think back on junior high, I often remember some of my darkest and most devastating days. I also know that I learned who I was in those days, and have never forgotten those who valued me for who I was.

I give thanks that I am able to do this work. I’m heading off to attend the ELCA Church Council this coming weekend and invite your prayers for the Council and others engaged in the work and life of the ELCA. And the next time you see someone looking for a place to sit, consider the good that might come from you offering a smile and the chair next to you!

Amalia Vagts, Executive Director of ELM, promises not to steal your cookie if you sit next to her at lunch.