ReconcilingWorks celebrates the election of Bishop Elizabeth Eaton to a six-year term as Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on August 14, 2013 at the Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bishop Eaton said in her five minute speech to the churchwide assembly prior to being elected presiding bishop that she thought […]

HEARTS UNBOUND: Engaging Biblical texts of God’s Radical Love through Reader’s Theater by David R. Weiss is a collection of ten inspiring stories of radical love and welcome. Entertaining, thought-provoking, and participatory, each session looks in-depth at the story, the historical context out of which it came, and some of the insights to be gained. […]

ALL Things NEW at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly 

Sermons, resolutions, and memorials make history.

The 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly was as awesome, uplifting, and Spirit-filled as these wonderful gatherings of Lutherans are.  There were history-making firsts: the election of the fourth presiding bishop, the first female to hold that office, Elizabeth Eaton, bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod; Chris Boerger was elected Secretary of the ELCA; the presence and preaching of Guy Erwin, bishop of the Southwest California Synod as of September 21, 2013 and the passage without opposition in debate of three memorials regarding LGBT people.

TransLutherans is an affinity group of ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation. The primary goals of TransLutherans are several-fold:

• to lift up and provide support for transgender and gender non-conforming people;
• to call out to the people of God to welcome us as part of God’s sacred creation;
• to educate others about transgender and gender non-conforming people and the issues we face;
• to advocate for welcome and full inclusion of transgender and gender nonconforming people in the life of the Church.

ReconcilingWorks Applauds Statement from California Bishops on Same-Gender Marriage ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation applauds the July 12 statement issued by three bishops and one bishop-elect concerning the marriage of same-gender couples in California. Addressing their respective synods, the four leaders wrote a letter of “pastoral guidance” in response to the recent decisions of the […]

ReconcilingWorks Central – OPEN DAILYConvention Center, Room 408“ReconcilingWorks Central” is the headquarters of ReconcilingWorks during the 2013 Churchwide Assembly. Please stop by often to say hello and pick up information and resources, including an updated, detailed schedule of events hosted by ReconcilingWorks. Questions? Call 651-665-0861 at any time during the assembly. Understanding Transgender PeopleTuesday, August […]

All Things New at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly

Sermon from Bishop-Elect Erwin will be history in the making

Join ReconcilingWorks at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly August 12-17 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We are excited to be part of this important event that takes place only every few years and helps determine the direction of the ELCA. It is also a time to come together as a church family and for us to stand in solidarity with each other for the issues we care about.

A highlight of our activities will be the worship service hosted by ReconcilingWorks and Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries on Wednesday, August 14, at 8:00 p.m. We are delighted to announce that our preacher will be Bishop-Elect Guy Erwin and the presiding minister will be Bishop Dean Nelson. Both leaders are from the Southwest California Synod. We will gather in worship to receive God’s unconditional welcome as well as to give formal witness to the lingering incompleteness of the institutional church’s welcome, inclusion, and advocacy. All churchwide voting members, assembly visitors, and the general public are invited.

See a brief schedule of our activities here. Check back often for updates!

  ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation is reacting with joy to today’s Supreme Court decisions on same-gender marriage. ReconcilingWorks applauds the court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the court’s majority opinion that affirmed state marriage laws seeking to protect people “in personhood and dignity.” The opinion also noted that […]

Press Release RECONCILINGWORKS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   May 31, 2013 Contact: Emily Eastwood, Executive Director 952-239-3359 exec@reconcilingworks.org www.ReconcilingWorks.org Lutherans Elect First Bishop Who is Openly GayThe Rev. Dr. Guy Erwin, a premier scholar on Martin Luther, elected as Lutheran Bishop ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation celebrates the election of the Rev. Dr. Guy Erwin as Bishop […]

ReconcilingWorks Expresses Disappointment, Calls on ELCA to Support Protections for All Families ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation is deeply saddened to learn that the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has failed to include the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) as part of proposed federal legislation for comprehensive immigration reform. UAFA would amend the Immigration and Nationality […]