Category: Blog

Join other Lutheran publicly-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rostered leaders for a time of renewal, community building, and professional development. We are planning a fabulous weekend and want you to be there! This event is hosted by Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.

The retreat will be held at the George Williams College Retreat Center on beautiful Geneva Lake in Wisconsin.

The retreat is for all Lutheran publicly-identified LGBTQ rostered leaders, those seeking to be rostered, and seminarians. Partners are also invited to attend.

Early-bird Registration: $225.  After Feb 1: $260.

ELM practices travel equalization (a lovely but complicated process). We will share travel costs, so please budget approximately $260 for travel.  Please note: there is a free shuttle to the retreat center from the Milwaukee airport.

Scholarships are available. The application is due by Jan. 31. Announcements will be made as soon as possible upon receipt of application. Scholarship recipients will be excluded from the travel equalization pool, but scholarship funds will not be applied toward travel. The application is available here.

Please note, this retreat will be public and your name and photo may be used in connection with the retreat. If you have questions or concerns about privacy, please contact ELM Executive Director, Amalia Vagts at director@elm.org.

Please visit www.elm.org for more information about the retreat, travel equalization, and to register online.

Rev. Steve Keiser was received to the ELCA clergy roster this morning during the 11 a.m. worship service at Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion in Philadelphia. Bishop Claire Burkat, ELCA Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod preached at the service and presided at the Rite of Reception.  Keiser is pastor at Holy Communion, along with Rev. Kari Hart.

Rev. Keiser is the 15th pastor who was extraordinarily ordained to be received onto the ELCA clergy roster.  Other ELM pastors and other LGBTQ rostered leaders have also been reinstated or received onto the ELCA roster.

The ELCA Rite of Reception is the formal rite developed by the ELCA to receive ELM roster members who had been extraordinarily ordained onto the ELCA clergy roster.

Click here to read an article about Rev. Keiser and Rev. Jay Wiesner from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod’s site.

Rev. Jay Wiesner. Photo by: Richard W Garnett

On Sunday, December 12, Rev. Jay Wiesner was received onto the roster of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA. The service took place during an Advent celebration at University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Philadelphia, PA.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod posted a lovely recap of the service on their blog. Read it here.

Rev. Megan Rohrer wrote an article featured on the ELCA sister site, ‘Living Lutheran’. The article “The Body of Christ has AIDS” explores the connection between communion and remembering those living with HIV/AIDS.

December 1st is World AIDS Day-a key opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on, and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services. At ELM we keep those directly impacted by HIV/AIDs in our thoughts and prayers.

Rev. Megan Rohrer is an ELCA pastor and director of Welcome in San Francisco. ELM has supported Welcome with a Mission Partner grant for the past three years.

Rev. Robyn Hartwig

ELM has been supporting Rev. Robyn Hartwig’s EcoFaith Recovery in the Portland, OR area for the past two years with a Mission Partner grant. EcoFaith Recovery was launched in 2009 with the assistance of an ELM Mission Grant. Since then, the project has grown immensely. Part of that growth has been the development of a website to connect supporters and share information about the project.

Check out EcoFaith Recovery’s website here.

The program offers table talks, trainings and a number of workshops and interactive projects.

EcoFaith Recovery is:

EcoFaith Recovery

“A collaborative effort among Lutheran and other faith communities based in Portland, OR. EcoFaith Recovery develops and supports spiritual recovery from the addictive patterns of human life that contribute to the climate crisis, heighten social injustice, deprive people of spiritual meaning, and threaten life on earth. The means of fostering eco-spiritual recovery includes retreats, workshops, spiritual practices, institutional reform, and pilgrimages to reconnect with the natural world.”

Rev. Robyn Hartwig serves as the founder and part-time developer of EcoFaith Recovery. Check out EcoFaith Recovery’s blog here.

ELM Mission Partner grants fund ministry by publicly-identified LGBTQ rostered Lutheran leaders. Since 1995, ELM has given away over $750,000 to support congregations and ministries. ELM will give away over $60,000 in 2011 alone.

Upcoming services:

Rev. Jay Wiesner

Sunday, December 12, 2010

University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, Philadelphia, PA

Bp. Burkat, Presider

Rev. Anita Hill, Preacher

Jay is originally from New Ulm, a small town of German descent in southwestern Minnesota. He graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota with a BA in religion. After college, he attended Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. During his senior year, he publicly came out to the faculty and students at Wartburg and left to take some time off. He finished his Master of Divinity degree in 2002 and immediately began work at Bethany Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as Pastoral Minister of Outreach. He was called to and ordained at Bethany on July 25, 2004. He served the congregation from 2002-2008.

Jay currently serves as pastor of University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, an ELCA congregation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and he also serves as dean of the Central Conference of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod. He is also pastoral director of The Naming Project.

Rev. Steve Keiser

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, Philadelphia, PA

Steve Keiser is the pastoral associate at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion in Philadelphia. He was ordained at Holy Communion on January 25, 2009. He is a graduate of Wheaton College (1981, BA in Philosophy) and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (1999, M.Div). Prior to entering seminary, he worked in branch management for fifteen years for Bell Savings Bank and Meridian Bank (now Wachovia).

He has taught at Cabrini College, the Lutheran Seminary and for the Adventures Program at the seminary. He has also assisted Dr. Katie Day, a sociologist of religion who is studying the impact of volunteerism on churches burned as a result of arson. His ministry at Holy Communion includes working with young adults and establishing small group ministries. Steve shares the pastoral leadership of Holy Communion with Pastor Kari Hart.

Changing the church through the ministry of publicly-identified LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leaders 

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) expands ministry opportunities for publicly-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people called to serve God as clergy and rostered lay leaders.  We do this work through our three programs: Proclaim, Candidacy Accompaniment, and Ministry Grants.

Through this work, we seek to make real in the world today Jesus’ message that all are invited to share and receive God’s gifts.

Find answers to FAQ About ELM and Proclaim here.

View More Our Mission

What’s new? Scroll down for our blog!

Click on events in color for more information:

“Dear God, I am Gay — thank you!” by Joel Workin 2nd Edition Released

February 21-24:  ELM Board of Directors meeting- St. Paul, MN.

April 12-15, 2013:  2013 Proclaim Retreat

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson’s response to recent suicides by young people who have been bullied.

Below is his video message, “You Are a Beloved Child of God” to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.

Resources:

The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LBGTQ youth by providing resources and a nationwide, 24-hour hotline. If you are considering suicide or need help, call: 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386).

BullyingInfo.org
BullyingInfo.org is a project of the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP) focused on providing tools and resources for youth, parents, teachers and mental health providers to prevent and address bullying.

It Gets Better Project
You can watch more videos at ItGetsBetterProject.com.

Rev. Lura Groen

On All Saints Sunday, November 7, Lura Groen will be the first clergy person allowed onto the roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod under new policy regarding LGBT clergy.

The Rev. Lura N. Groen is a graduate of St. John’s College in Annapolis MD and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Prior to seminary, Pastor Lura was a two-year member of Lutheran Volunteer Corps, serving as a case manager to homeless people in Baltimore MD and Washington DC.

Groen was active in community life during seminary, including serving as Student Body President. She received the Winters Scholarship for academic excellence and potential for ministry, the Traci L. Maul Award for leadership potential for ministry, active contribution to seminary life, and academic strength the Atonement-Asbury Park Preaching Award, and was on the Dean’s List. Pastor Lura completed her internship at Trinity Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, PA. Pastor Groen was extraordinary ordained at Grace Evangelical Lutheran on July 26, 2008.

“The Church is opening up,” said Pastor Groen, “The Lutheran Church is more welcoming than most people think it is. I am proud of the ELCA for publicly celebrating the ministry of myself and so many other pastors who were excluded by the previous policy.”

“No Longer Strangers,” a Service of Reception will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, 2515 Waugh Drive, Houston, TX 77006, at 4:00 p.m. November 7, with Bishop Michael Rinehart presiding. Everyone is welcome.