“God is my light and salvation! Whom shall I fear?”
In an anxious world, Psalm 27 makes a bold claim: Don’t hide in fear’s shadows—come, live in the light! As a Reconciling In Christ community, you know what it means to answer this calling. You are a church where people of every sexual orientation and gender identity are welcome to live without fear.
This year many congregations will celebrate Reconciling In Christ Sunday on January 26, 2014, the third Sunday after Epiphany. Will you?
Worship Resources for RIC Sunday 2014 are available HERE now.
RIC Sunday is a time for your congregation to remember and recommit to the process of welcoming all to live in God’s light. Voting to become an RIC congregation was just the beginning of your journey. Consider some of the following activities:
- Invite all members of your congregation to sign the Reconciling Lutherans covenant included in the bulletin insert. Reconciling Lutherans publicly state their support for full participation of LGBT people in the Lutheran Church.
- Take a special offering to support the ministry of ReconcilingWorks, particularly the Reconciling In Christ program. Without you, we couldn’t expand our work to communities where LGBT people and their families continue to live in fear.
- Host an educational event to learn more about how to become an ally against bullying, or empower your congregation to grow in their understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation. Visit our website for resources, materials and ideas.
If your congregation can’t celebrate with other RIC churches on January 26, you are welcome to adapt the prayers and litanies for use another Sunday—perhaps your anniversary of becoming a Reconciling In Christ community, or a Sunday in the month your community celebrates LGBT Pride.
Thank you for your partnership in this ministry of hospitality and reconciliation. Loved and welcomed by God, whom or what, then, shall we fear?
Tim Feiertag
Grassroots Organizing and Training Coordinator
P.S. We really mean it: We depend on existing RIC churches—new and old—to make it possible for us to continue walking with other communities on their journey of welcome and to find new communities to invite into this ministry. Please consider including ReconcilingWorks in your congregational benevolence giving or give a gift today to support the journey of tomorrow’s RIC congregations.
The following RIC Sunday resources for 2014 are available for download:
Three Microsoft Word documents. Use the links below to view or download each file.
- Resource materials, including prayers and readings
- Bulletin insert
- Stand-alone Reconciling Lutherans sign-up sheet
Three Adobe PDF documents (requires Adobe Reader software). Use the links below to view or download each file.
- PDF resource materials, including prayers and readings
- PDF bulletin insert
- PDF Stand-alone Reconciling Lutherans sign-up sheet