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Dear Friends,
During our Congregational Meeting several people expressed a desire to continue
the conversation in our church regarding the decisions made related to human
sexuality
at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis.
The desire to engage in conversation expressed by members of our church family
is entirely appropriate. Immediately after the vote in Minneapolis, our
Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson invited all members of the ELCA "into important,
thoughtful, prayerful conversation about what all of this means for our life in
mission together."
I believe it is important that we at Christ Lutheran Church take up Bishop
Hanson's invitation and engage in conversation together about what these
decisions mean for us as individuals and for us as a congregation.
In March I will set aside three evenings for us to gather and discuss the ELCA
Social Statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.
I invite everyone in our congregation to attend these discussions as we gather
downstairs in the Learning Center at 7:00 PM each evening.
Tuesday, March 16 Parts one, two and three--pages 1-15. Introduction, A
distinctly
Lutheran approach, Trust and human sexuality
Monday, March 22 Part four--pages 15-27. Sexuality and social structures that
enhance social trust (This discussion will include the sections on marriage and
lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships)
Monday, March 29 Parts five, six and seven--pages 27-37. Sexuality and trust in
relationships, Sexuality and social responsibility, Conclusion
Our Churchwide Assembly adopted Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, by a margin of
676-338 - precisely two-thirds of those voting. The social statement is meant to
look at the big picture related to how Christians live out their sexuality
faithfully. It addresses marriage, same-gender relationships, families,
protecting children, friendships, commitment, social responsibility, pornography
and the oversexualization of our culture. One of the unfortunate results of the
extensive debate regarding the sections on same-gender relationships is that the
statement as a whole has probably not received the attention that it should. I
personally believe the statement says a lot of things that need to be said about
a lot of important and pressing issues.
I want to encourage people participating in the discussions to read the assigned
sections of Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust before each gathering if at all
possible.
Copies of the complete text of Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust will be available
in the back of the Church.
You can also read the document online or download it at
http://www.elca.org/What-WeBelieve/Social-Issues/Social-Statements/JTF-Human-Sexuality.aspx
Peace
Pastor Peter
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