Uncategorized – Page 26 – Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries

by Amalia Vagts, Executive Director

I’m back from some time away on vacation with my family – a wondrously renewing time. And having now had a few weeks to let the June 26 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell vs. Hodges sink in, I want to share a couple reflections.

Something that has always struck a deep chord with me from the majority opinion in the Massachusetts marriage equality case was these words from Supreme Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall: “…the decision whether and who to marry is among life’s momentous acts of self-definition.”

And I’ve never forgotten this line from a joint statement released by Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy the day that the Supreme Court in my adopted home state of Iowa ruled unanimously in favor of marriage equality, ““When all is said and done, we believe the only lasting question about today’s events will be why it took us so long.”

These questions – whether or not to marry; who to marry; and why change takes so long are at the heart of what I think about as I both celebrate the joyous news of June 26th and look down the long road of justice ahead – on so many, many issues. On this particular issue of marriage, it’s my hope that society and our church will someday fully honor the weight of the momentous decision of whether and who to marry. And when we finally get there, I imagine there will only be the lasting question of what took so long.

Lastly, our Presiding Bishop’s letter left many in the LGBTQ community wanting. Many of you have already read the powerful and important response from our partners in ministry, ReconcilingWorks. As I close, I want to again share it and express my thankfulness for their witness. Click here to read the full letter from Executive Director Aubrey Thonvold.

I hope this summer brings you together with your chosen family for some time of renewal!

Amalia Vagts, Executive Director of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, made sure not only of whether and who she was marrying, but also that the pastor’s face was clean at her wedding on the steps of the Winneshiek County Courthouse in 2009. (And yes, that IS Rev. Erik Christensen, Pastor of St. Luke’s Logan Square!)

In Memory: Rev. Paul A. Tidemann – Pastor, Prophet, and Organizer

Amalia Vagts August 7, 2014

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries celebrates the life of pastor, advocate for justice, and LGBTQ ally Rev. Paul A. Tidemann.

Pastor Tidemann played a significant role in the early days of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, notably during the 2001 extraordinary ordination of the Rev. Anita Hill. Pastor Tidemann served for many years as lead pastor of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church. He was involved with many levels of the movement for LGBTQ justice in the Lutheran church, including ReconcilingWorks, Wingspan, and through his leadership at St. Paul-Reformation. And he was a tireless advocate for justice for many peoples in addition to LGBTQ people, including his advocacy for racial and economic equality

ELM Board Member Jeremy Posadas, who served on the Goodsoil Legislative Team with Pastor Tidemann remembers him this way,

“Paul was truly the deep conscience within a whole community of folks trying to right the church’s moral compass. I was always awed by the wisdom he had wrought from long melding the roles of pastor, prophet, and organizer. Paul was one of the only people I know who had stared so far into the sinfulness of the institutional church but still held faith that it could yet be redeemed into the communion of grace God yearns for it to be — a faith strong enough that he endlessly agitated and advocated and organized wherever he could to hasten that redemption. I hope the LGBTQ Lutheran community will honor Paul’s memory by bravely imagining what new frontiers of justice — what new coalitions and solidarities — we will seek in coming years, as we inhabit the church in new roles.”

We share our thankfulness and sadness with Paul’s family, friends, all those who were impacted by his ministry.

You can read Pastor Tidemann’s full obituary here.

The Work of Ministry

Sharei Green July 29, 2014

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ – Ephesians 4:11

Javen Swanson. Photo credit: Emily Ann Garcia

Celebrate!

We celebrate first calls for Proclaim members Javen Swanson and Paul Gibson. As they enter into Christ’s work to equip the saints for ministry in these new communities, we give thanks for their spirit and witness in building up the body of Christ.

Javen Swanson has been called to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in St Paul, MN. His ordination and installation will be at Gloria Dei on August 10th at 3pm.

Paul Gibson has been called to Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. His ordination will be August 16th at 2pm at St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Clearwater FL (Paul’s home congregation).

Paul Gibson. Photo credit: Emily Ann Garcia

Supporting First Call Candidates

ELM has put together a resource for LGBTQ first call candidates. The Mysteries of the Ages: ELM’s Unofficial Guide for LGBTQ First Call Candidates provides detailed, fresh advice about navigating the approval and assignment process from those who’ve been there. The guide is informative, funny, and one-of-a-kind. It is currently being reviewed by those in the approval process and will be released this fall. It was created by Proclaim members who are currently serving in their first call and members from the Accompaniment Team.

Thank You

Your gift to ELM helps us affirm, support, and walk with LGBTQ seminarians, candidates, and rostered leaders in their ministry. This is a gift to the whole church. Thank you!

It’s So Fun To Get a Gold Star!

Amalia Vagts May 22, 2014

by Amalia Vagts, ELM Executive Director

Remember how fun it was to get a gold star in school?

I felt that way this week when Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries received the GuideStar Exchange Gold participation level from one of the premiere sources of nonprofit information.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries is in the midst of a three year strategic plan. Goal 8 is to become an organization that meets widely accepted benchmarks for nonprofit excellence, and this helps us get closer to achieving that goal. ELM is committed to transparency and accountability as a a core organizational value.

Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians, “Think of us this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.” We take seriously this commitment to using our supporters’ resources wisely and carefully.

GuideStar helps current and future supporters make informed decisions about where they are investing their charitable contributions. We’re working hard to make ELM efficient and effective!

You can check out our listing by clicking here.

Thank you to all our wonderful supporters who are helping us grow in a sustainable manner so we can continue to assure LGBTQ ministers and their ministries that will be here for them as they live out their call to proclaim God’s love and seek justice for all.

How to be an Extraordinary Friend

Amalia Vagts March 13, 2014

ELM announces a new monthly giving program, Extraordinary Friends.

You can make concrete differences in the lives of LGBTQ people called to Lutheran ministry through your support of the programs & projects of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. One ELM program is Proclaim, a community of 150 LGBTQ seminarians & rostered leaders. Another is Accompaniment, supporting over 40 LGBTQ candidates for ministry through their candidacy process. A third is Ministry Engagement, which connects & highlights LGBTQ led congregations & ministries. We’re a growing, thriving organization and we need your support. Read on to see how you can support leaders like Pastor Sara Cogsil:

Sara writes,

“I have relied on ELM for the logistical support and monies that helped to fund my internship and provide scholarships for the annual retreat…

I have turned to Proclaim for the many relationships that have been formed…

I have established colleagues that have been with me every step of the journey offering prayer, love and grace. For that I am truly grateful and I give thanks that the support hasn’t stopped once I was ordained, but continues to be life-giving in my first-call.”

The best way you can affirm Sara and other LGBTQ people called to ministry is through our new monthly giving community, Extraordinary Friends. You can affirm Sara’s ministry with as little as $10 a month. Your support is a powerful show of support for leaders who continue to be told “No” or “Not yet” by the church they long to serve. Our faithful and fabulous leaders are engaged in ministry year round – we can show our support by contributing to their ministry each month.

Benefits:

* Easy and efficient way to support leaders and their ministries.
* You can give directly from your bank account or credit card.
* You are being a good steward of ELM’s resources – which means we can spend more time helping ministry leaders.
* Invitations to special webinars and conversations with ELM leaders and Proclaim members.
* It’s green!
* Anyone can do it – just $10 a month to be Extraordinary!

Thank you. Click here to join.

Celebrating the Ordinations of Two Proclaim Members!

Sharei Green November 7, 2013

Two members of Proclaim, the professional community for publicly identified LGBTQ Lutheran rostered leaders and seminarians, are being ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament!

Erik Haaland has been called to serve as Associate Pastor at Christ Church Lutheran in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He will be ordained and installed Sunday November 24, 2013 at 2pm. In presence, in spirit, in prayers, we join Erik and Christ Church Lutheran in this celebration!

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Sara Cogsil has been called to serve as pastor of University Lutheran Church in East Lansing, Michigan. She will be ordained Saturday December 7, 2013 at 10am in the chapel at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, OH. Sara will be installed at University Lutheran Church on Wednesday, December 11, 2013. In presence, in spirit, in prayers, we join Sara and University Lutheran in this celebration!

For Erik and Sara and these communities of faith, praise be to God!

St. Francis Gala Honoring Bp. Guy Erwin

Amalia Vagts October 9, 2013

Erwin Installation — Bp. Guy Erwin with members of Proclaim.

This festival Gala Dinner will honor The Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin, Bishop, Southwest California Synod. Please join us to celebrate the election of the first publicly identified LGBTQ ELCA bishop, who is a member of Proclaim!

ELM Executive Director Amalia Vagts and ELM Program Director Rev. Jen Rude are attending. This event is a benefit for St. Francis and ELM. Get more information or RSVP by visiting here.

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ELM Bids Farewell & God Bless to Rachael Johnson

Amalia Vagts August 9, 2013

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries will say a sad and thankful farewell to staff member Rachael Johnson this week.

Rachael has worked in our Chicago office since October of 2008. She began working two days a week as the Operations Coordinator, focusing mostly on administrative responsibilities for ELM. Over time, her role has grown to include managing most of our communications work, including maintaining the ELM website, blog and monthly eNewsletter. She has worked in all areas of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, from coordinating much of the Proclaim retreat logistics to fielding calls from donors and supporters. And on top of all of that, she’s kept our Chicago office humming! Many people in ELM have interacted with Rachael over the last nearly five years and she will be deeply missed.

We celebrate with Rachael as she and her partner, Johannes, begin a new life together in Oregon, where they both look forward to more opportunities to experience outdoor pursuits.

From Amalia, “I’m incredibly grateful for Rachael’s contributions to ELM during a time of great change for the organization. She’s been a steady and friendly voice and face and we will all miss her a great deal. I’ve heard from board members and donors this week expressing their sadness that she’s leaving ELM and their excitement about what lies ahead. On behalf of the whole ELM community, I say thank you, farewell, good luck & God bless!”

Anyone wishing to send a note of farewell can reach Rachael at her e-mail, operations@elm.org, until Friday, August 9. Messages after that will be forwarded on to Rachael.

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2013 Grant Recipient: Rev. David Eck

Sharei Green November 14, 2012

COUPLES ENRICHMENT: Abiding Savior Lutheran Church, Fairview, NC: Rev. David Eck: $2,000

This project grant will provide the starting money for LGBT Couples enrichment retreats. The program will offer 2 one-day retreats in 2013. The retreats will allow LGBT couples to come together for worship, Bible study, fellowship and relationship building. Rev. David Eck will lead portions of the retreat and it will serve couples in the Ashville, NC area.

“How will this ELM grant help you in your ministry?”

Pastor David: We are a small congregation with limited financial means. This grant will help us to expand our ministry in a new and exciting way, becoming a more visible presence in the Asheville LGBT community. We became a Reconciling in Christ congregation earlier this year. This project is the natural next step for us as a congregation that takes advantage of the gifts of the pastor and other church members we already have.

Pastor David hopes to develop a model for these kinds of retreats that can be shared with others across the country. The two day retreats are a chance to get their feet wet. Then they are setting their sights on an overnight retreat in 2014 and will go from there!

For more on ELM’s Ministry Grant program go to: https://www.elm.org/elm-grants/

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Rebecca Seely and Asher O’Callaghan named 2012 Workin Scholars

Sharei Green May 31, 2012

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries joyfully announces the 2012 Joel R. Workin Memorial Scholars, Rebecca Seely and Asher O’Callaghan. ELM named two scholars this year thanks to a generous gift.

The Joel R. Workin Memorial Scholarship program was created to honor the life and ministry of Joel Workin. Joel was one of the three gay seminarians who were refused ordination in 1989 after “coming out” to their candidacy committees. Joel’s family and friends created the scholarship fund following his death from AIDS in 1995.

This award comes with a scholarship to publicly-identified LGBTQ seminarians who embody Joel’s passion for justice and faith in their lives and ministry. In addition, the scholar represents ELM throughout the year. Co-Chairs of the Joel R. Workin Memorial Scholarship Endowment Committee are Rev. Jeff R. Johnson and Greg A. Egertson, beloved friends and classmates of Joel’s. The scholars were chosen from a pool of excellent candidates.

The scholarship is funded through the Joel R. Workin Memorial Endowment. Donors may make planned or immediate gifts to the endowment by contacting Amalia Vagts at 563-382-6277.

ELM congratulates and gives thanks for these two scholars.

Rebecca Seely

R. Seely

Becca has been involved with social justice issues for many years. She recently graduated from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut. She will be fulfilling her Lutheran Year at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary next year. Last year, Becca completed an internship as a chaplain at the Christian Hospital in St. Louis, MO. Becca received her undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University, with a focus on European literature, history and philosophy and a minor in Jewish and Israel Studies.

While attending Wesleyan University Becca had her “own Damascus experience” while reading the Bible and classic Christian theology. She realized she was called to ministry. In her essay for the Workin Scholar program, Becca wrote,

“Reading about Jesus, I thought to myself, I believe this. I believe this crazy, amazing story. Everything I thought I knew about Christianity, about God, began to change, to become clearer. And Jesus Christ wasn’t opposed to justice—he is the one bearing the light. The dichotomy fell apart. The prison bars around my heart were opened. More fully myself than ever, I began anew in faith.”

Pastor Jeff Johnson serves on the scholarship committee and was a close friend of Joel Workin’s. Jeff said, “Becca has a way with words and images which for those privileged to have known Joel remind us a bit of him, who so loved language.”

Becca feels strongly that her coming out story and conversion story are forever linked as they are stories of new beginnings. Becca is passionate about creating open, diverse and safe spaces for all. When notified she received the scholarship Becca said:

“I feel incredibly blessed and honored to be named a Joel R. Workin Scholar and I am incredibly excited to learn, grow and serve with the ELM and Proclaim communities in this role over the next year.”

The scholarship committee felt that through her voice and unique experience they have discovered one who proudly gives voice to Joel’s memory and legacy for this coming year.

Read Becca’s Workin essay here.

Asher O’Callaghan

Asher came to the Lutheran church via House For All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado. In 2011 he finished his graduate coursework at Iliff School of Theology in Denver and begins at Luther Seminary this fall. Asher has a focus on service to others through mission work, caring for those with mental health concerns, and making personal witness as a person who found Christ anew in Lutheran liturgy and theology.

“I can’t help but take off my shoes and commend my feet to go and do likewise for the sake of others receiving what was offered to me at the queer-friendly church I incredulously stumbled into a couple years ago. There I saw bread being broken and heard words that shattered my heart and transformed my life: Beloved child of God: Behold who you are. Become what you have received.”

Asher brings an international perspective into his ministry work since he spent the summer of 2007 in South Africa and Swaziland. He collaborated with local mission partners and the 11 other members of his team to design and implement day programs, HIV/AIDS educational presentations, events, and activities for youth. Additionally, he worked to empower individuals recovering from mental illness by accompanying, supervising, and working alongside of them while volunteering at Boulder Mental Health Center for 2 years in college.

When asked how it feels to be named a Workin scholar Asher replied,

It is such an honor to receive this scholarship. I use the word “honor” because it’s not something I feel I get to deserve or earn but rather something that I simply get to receive. Joel’s prophetic yet pastoral voice was a blessing to the church and a hopeful blessed witness for LGBTQ individuals. The opportunity I have to be pursuing a path in ministry is a direct result of the work that’s already been done by Joel and other LGBTQ folks who have lived as God’s witnesses, prophets, and servants to the church. I feel profoundly humbled, convicted, honored, and blessed to continue in this heritage of proclamation—with every aspect of my calling, ministry, and identity.

The scholarship committee recognized in Asher a voice that is, like Joel’s, fearless and prophetic in its Gospel proclamation.

Read Asher’s Workin essay here.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries

Category: Uncategorized

Whether- Who- And Why So Long?