Fill… Spill… Thrill…

Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:14-15)

I write to you from the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis with official information about the actions of this assembly related to human sexuality. I am grateful for the manner in which this church has engaged in this conversation. The way this assembly has discussed these questions is a continuation of the way this church has deliberated: with deep and heartfelt respect for each other, engaging with Scripture, listening to the faith stories and experiences of one another, and through worship and prayer seeking the discernment of the Spirit.

In my response to the voting members on Friday, August 21, I made this request: we need one another. We need time. We need the voices of those who lament and those who rejoice over these actions, for together we have been called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and engage in God’s mission for the life of the world.

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Bishop Dave deFreese
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

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Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ!

Scholars have counted 365 times that God says to His people in the Bible: “Do not be afraid.” I think that is a fascinating number, which is most appropriate for the living of our days and years.

I believe “Do not be afraid” is Christ’s Word to His very own Body. As we enter into a new time, decisions made at the recent Churchwide Assembly have caused many to fear … that the church has gone “soft on sin,” that the Bible is not being honored, or that moral teaching has been lost. There are others who believe that the church has recognized Jesus’ calling to live in love, that Christ’s desire for justice for His people has been advanced, and that the Bible’s teaching of commitment and covenant has been enacted. Many others find themselves somewhere between these two responses. Wherever you find yourself on this scale, I would invite you to see once again the wonder of Christ’s power to hold people together even when they disagree.

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Churchwide Assembly 2009 will be remembered for dealing with tough issues and stormy weather.

In all, there were 1,045 voting members registered at the Churchwide Assembly. The members tackled the difficult subject of human sexuality as they voted 676-338 to adopt a Social Statement on Human Sexuality. Later in the week, they voted to adopt four task force recommendations regarding ordination of individuals involved in same-gender, publicly accountable, monogamous relationships.

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Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

Dear colleagues in ministry,

As we approach the churchwide assembly, I am thankful for the thoughtful and respectful discussion at synod assemblies of the proposed social statement on human sexuality and the ministry policy recommendations. I am mindful, however, that we remain a church body that is not of one mind about these decisions, and that these continuing differences have raised concerns among some about whether we are headed toward a church-dividing decision.

I am writing to express my shared, heartfelt commitment to the church’s unity, and, even more, my deep confidence that this unity will not be lost. For this reason please join me in reflecting on the unity of Christ’s church that is the foundation both for our life together in the ELCA and our relationships with other Christians throughout the world.

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