Reconciling Works

  “Beloved, Child of God, In God’s Image, Unique, Authentic.” These are just some of the affirming messages that ReconcilingWorks will be sending to the over 30,000 youth at the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit, Michigan.   Our most colorfully extravagant year ever, the theme of this year’s ReconcilingWorks booth is “Find another word.” Our invitation is simple: […]

“As the nation celebrates the recent Supreme Court ruling granting the freedom to marry in all fifty states, ReconcilingWorks yearns for a time when the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will find a way to speak clearly, without reservation or caveat, about the dignity and value of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) […]

ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation responds with joy to today’s Supreme Court decision on the freedom to marry. ReconcilingWorks applauds the court’s decision to recognize the fundamental right for all people to have equal access to marriage. For the first time, the U.S. government, working through the Supreme Court, has recognized categorically committed, loving relationships […]

Lutheran Advocacy PA: http://www.lutheranadvocacypa.org/pa-bishops-support-anti-discrimination-bill/ Harrisburg, PA — The seven Pennsylvania bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America released a letter June 18 in support of legislation that would amend the Pennsylvania Public Relations Act to prohibit discrimination in areas of employment, housing and public accommodation on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation and […]

On July 31, the ReconcilingWorks community will be gathering at the “Until All Are Free” Gala to express our thanks to Emily Eastwood in appreciation for all she has done for the Lutheran church and for the LGBTQ movement. As part of that appreciation, we are assembling a video montage of a variety of people […]

ReconcilingWorks is proud to share “GLAAD Presents: State of Change — South Carolina,” GLAAD’s new mini-documentary that examines the triumphs and tribulations of South Carolina’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. It prominently features the Reconciling in Christ program and Reformation Lutheran Church in Columbia, SC around the 6:30 minute mark. Reformation made news last Fall when […]

“Sometimes, you just have to say and do something!” Some of you may be aware that in this present stage of my life, I work as an actor. I have been fortunate enough to be cast in two national commercials over the past nine months, and one of them is “on the air” now. I […]

Recently, I have been asked: How do I help my congregation have a conversation around marriage? (Short answer: slowly.) What are these so-called “religious freedom” bills and why are they so bad? I mean, don’t we all want to be “free” to practice our religion? (Very short answer: discrimination in the name of religion is still discrimination.) We are a newly married gay couple, but there is some unspoken unease in our congregation. How can we help change that? (Short answer: by being you, and congratulations!) I think I understand “gay” and “lesbian,” but I don’t understand “transgender.” Are transgender people made in God’s image too? (Short answer: absolutely yes!)