In
the weeks following the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly (CWA), many members of
our congregation have questioned how the Ministry Policy Resolutions adopted will
impact our congregation. Though changes in policy have not yet occurred,
we have been receiving feedback from many of our members. Some members of our
congregation agree with these changes, some disagree, and many are not sure
what to make of the decision. The members of your Congregation Council are similarly
affected by these resolutions.
Section
C12.04 of the RLC Constitution outlines the responsibilities of the
congregation council. Part f states: “The
duties of the Congregation Council shall include promoting a congregational
climate of peace and goodwill and, as differences and conflicts arise, to
endeavor to foster mutual understanding.”
The
council’s first step in an attempt to foster mutual understanding was to ask
the Pastors to provide a copy of the newly adopted Sexuality Statement,
Ministry Policy Resolutions, and information on “Bound Conscience” to every
member of our congregation. If you have
not received this information, please contact the church office at
At
the Council’s August 29th retreat, we determined that Table Talks
would be a way to begin the discussion process, and scheduled them on the first
available Sunday, September 27th.
While this did mean waiting nearly a month to start discussing these
matters as a congregation, we were trying to avoid conflicts with Labor Day
weekend and our 20th anniversary celebration. We will also hold Table Talks on Sunday,
October 4th for those who cannot attend on the 27th.
The
Council held a special meeting on Thursday, September 10th, to
further discuss a plan of action. The
Council’s decision was to enter into a period of prayer, study, and discernment
regarding the issues of homosexuality and church leadership. We have suggested that, at a minimum, the
adult forum time be dedicated to studying many of the issues that have arisen
from the actions at the CWA. To
adequately discern the needs of the congregation, we will be soliciting
questions from you so we can focus discussions on topics that the congregation
is interested in studying. We would also
like to hear from you regarding any resources you would recommend that could be
used to further our learning and discussions.
We anticipate concluding this period through the end of Lent. At that time, we will again assess the
feelings of the congregation in this matter and determine what action, if any,
needs to be taken. This will also allow enough
time for those who may be interested in submitting individual memorials to the
Virginia Synod Assembly in June to do so.
The
Council would also like to take some time to address some questions that we
have received from members of the congregation that may be on your mind as well.
1.)
Financial Support of
the ELCA
- Some congregation members have expressed concern about providing financial
support to the ELCA in light of the CWA actions. At the June 2009 Congregational Meeting, our congregation
approved a mission and ministry budget that included a benevolence of 8% of RLC’s
income to the Virginia Synod.
Benevolence checks are made from the
2.)
Education of our
Children and
Youth – Some members have questioned
whether the education that our children and youth will receive as part of the
Living Well program and our Confirmation program will change due to the actions
of the CWA. The Human Sexuality
Statement, in its implementing resolutions, does encourage Augsburg Fortress,
Publishers to “consider developing education
curricula with particular attention to the needs of children, middle school,
high school youth, and their parents for understanding Christian values and
making responsible choices.”
At Resurrection we are not required to use Augsburg
Fortress material for either our Living Well program or our Confirmation
program. The reason for this is
two-fold. Our Living Well curriculum was
developed several years ago by our Family Life team and Family Life Minister,
Susan Cheatham. Not only is it a
wonderful program that appeals to children of all different learning styles, it
is also free. We pay nothing to use the
material. A decision was made to move
away from previous Confirmation materials three years ago based on feedback
from former confirmands, their parents, adult confirmation small group leaders,
and our staff. The current curriculum
was developed by our staff to fit the needs of our congregation’s youth. Our Pastors and staff will continue to teach
the way that they feel called to by God, just as they did before the actions of
the CWA. If you trusted in the
Christian education received by your children prior to the CWA decision, you
should trust that the same quality of education will be received by your child
or young adult now.
3.)
Congregational
Meeting -
Some members have expressed interest in a large group forum and/or a vote
regarding the status of RLC as a member of the ELCA. The council does not believe that, at this
time, a meeting and/or vote would be in the best interest of the congregation. Why?
While some members of our congregation have been studying and praying
about these issues for some time, many members of our congregation have not. A Congregational Meeting is not the most
effective place to educate each other or exchange ideas. If we were to vote without every member of
our congregation understanding why we were voting, and what the issues were, it
would be a great disservice to all of us.
As individuals we must determine whether we
do or do not support the policy changes of the CWA and the ELCA. To facilitate this for all of our members, we
plan to hold the Table Talks, small group discussions, or any other group
method that is effective for learning, listening, and prayerfully considering
what choices we as individuals must make.
If, at the end of this period of prayer and discernment, a Congregational
Meeting is still desired by the congregation, then we must approach this step
understanding the long and short term ramifications this step will have on RLC
as a congregation, as a member of the ELCA, and as a community in Christ.
Throughout this process we must continue to
move forward as a congregation and focus on our mission to provide witness and
service to those in our congregation, community, and world.
We’ll
conclude this rather lengthy letter with these final thoughts. Daily we are faced with choices, placed at a
crossroads if you will. Each choice we
make is important, and impacts the rest of our lives in ways we often don’t
understand at the time. Sometimes the
decision is not as important as the process of arriving at that decision. We will all make a choice regarding these
issues, how we treat each other as we get there will ultimately shape our
lives, the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and the world
that is watching how we react. It is our
hope that we all continue to pray for each other, treat each other with love,
respect, kindness, and always keep the lines of communication open.
Let
us know your thoughts and ideas. We are
one body in Christ.
Rachael Orzechowski,
President Terri Kuckuck, Vice
President
Bob
Martin, Secretary Tom
Bannon Thomas
Evans
Lynn
Manthei Karen
Meyer Norman
Sahley
Pastor
James Kniseley Pastor
Carol Kniseley