Category: Blog

Just two weeks after the Swedish Lutheran Church announced its decision to perform same-sex marriages, the denomination elected the Lutheran church’s first openly lesbian bishop. Bishop Eva Brunne was ordained as the bishop of the Stockholm diocese this past Sunday. Bishop Brunne and her partner have one child.

The Swedish Lutheran Church has a history of expansive welcome to gay and lesbian people. In 1990, then Bishop emeritus of the Stockholm diocese Krister Stendahl wrote a letter of support to the members of St. Francis Lutheran Church and First United Lutheran Church as they celebrated the ordinations of openly gay candidates Ruth Frost, Jeff Johnson and Phyllis Zillhart. These ordinations sparked the beginning of the movement leading to the formation of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.

Stendahl wrote, “Since I can’t be with you at your ordination which, it seems, must take place extra ordinem, I want to send you a greeting affirming my conviction that the steps that your congregations and you are taking stand well before God.”

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.