Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco, recently had a congregation who shared space at the church leave after 20 years of worshiping in the same space. The congregation cited the sexual orientation and gender identity of our pastor, Megan Rohrer and our hosting of the Faithfully Fluid Conference (a conference for Christian college students to talk about LGBTQ issues and intersections of justice) as the reason for their departure.
As they leave our congregation, they will also leave an $18,000 gap in our budget for 2015. We are not only interested in raising funds to fill this gap, but we also want to use this moment to listen to what the spirit might have in store for us next.
In our Christian tradition fire and the holy spirit is not viewed as destructive or full of revenge. Rather, it provides light in the deepest darkness; hope in the face of fear; and joy in a grumpy world full of finger pointers.
During this time, though it has been stressful and emotionally difficult, we still believe that there is grace abounding. Our congregation has used this moment to reaffirm God's welcome to ALL people and we hope will join us in celebrating others who continue to be faithful in the midst of difficult times.
We will be hosting a dinner and award ceremony following the Faithfully Fluid Conference. If you want to join us on December 13th, 2014 from 6-10pm you can get your tickets here.
Grace Under Fire Awards Winners:
Outstanding LGBTQ Faith Leader: Michael PappasOutstanding Seminarian: Ashley Moore
Outstanding Social Worker: Zander Keig
Outstanding Congregations: St. Francis and First United Lutheran
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