As I prepare to leave the ELM Board of Directors after six years serving as its Co-Chair, I’ve been asked to reflect on the first time I thought ELM’s ministry was worth supporting. What an odd question– considering it was ELM (and its predecessor bodies, Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries and the Extraordinary Candidacy Project) that first thought my ministry was worth supporting. I entered the ELCA’s candidacy process in 1998 and was removed from that same process in 2004 for being openly gay and unwilling to endorse the denomination’s former policies of exclusion. In spite of all my training and preparation, the ELCA wasn’t able to support my ministry. ELM was.

I was first rostered for ordained ministry by the Extraordinary Candidacy Project in 2005. This community, the ELM community, was the first to step out and publicly support my ministry – and I have been publicly, and financially, supporting the work of ELM ever since. Even now, having been received onto the ELCA’s roster of ordained clergy in 2010, I continue to give my time and my treasures to support the work of ELM because I know that publicly-identified LGBTQ seminarians, rostered lay leaders and clergy need a well-funded and organized network to support and sustain them in their ministries as they change hearts and minds across this church, one person at a time.

Erik Christensen serves on the Board of Directors for ELM and is finishing his term as Co-Chair later this month.  He lives in Chicago, IL and is pastor at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square.  

Keynote Speaker:

V. Gene Robinson was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire on June 7,
2003, having served as Canon to the Ordinary (Assistant to the Bishop) for nearly 18 years. He
was consecrated a Bishop on All Saints Sunday, November 2, 2003, and was invested as the
Ninth Bishop of New Hampshire on March 7, 2004.

A 1969 graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, he has a B.A. in American
Studies/History. In 1973, he completed the M.Div. degree at the General Theological Seminary
in New York, was ordained deacon, and then priest, serving as Curate at Christ Church,
Ridgewood, New Jersey. Upon moving to New Hampshire in 1975, Gene co-owned and directed
an ACA accredited horseback riding summer camp for girls. As Founding Director of Sign of
the Dove Retreat Center, in Temple, New Hampshire, he led retreat programs for vestries,
diocesan committees, intergenerational groups, and all kinds of parish groups.

From 1978 to 1985, Gene was Youth Ministries Coordinator for the seven dioceses of New
England, serving two years on the National Youth Ministries Development Team, where he
helped originate the national Episcopal Youth Event. From 1983 until his election as bishop,
Gene also served as Executive Secretary of Province I, coordinating all cooperative programs
between the seven dioceses of New England.

Clergy wellness has long been a focus of Gene=s ministry, and in the nineties he developed the
ABeing Well in Christ@ conference model for The Cornerstone Project, and led clergy conferences
in over 20 dioceses in the U.S. and Canada. He initiated “Fresh Start,” a two-year mentoring
program for all clergy in new positions in New Hampshire, and co-authored the Fresh Start
curriculum, now in use in nearly half of the dioceses of the Episcopal Church. Much of his
ministry has focused on helping congregations and clergy, especially in times of conflict,
utilizing his skills in congregational dynamics, conflict resolution and mediation.

Co-author of three AIDS education curricula for youth and adults, Gene has done AIDS work in
the United States and in Africa (Uganda and South Africa). He has been an advocate for antiracism
training in the diocese and wider Church. He helped build the Diocese of New
Hampshire=s close working partnership with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund,
advocated for debt relief for the world’s most impoverished nations, and lobbied for socially responsible
investment within and beyond the Church. He is a past member of the Board of the
New Hampshire Endowment for Health, which works for access to health care for the uninsured.
Bishop Robinson currently serves as a Trustee of the Church Pension Fund and a board member
of the NH Children’s Alliance. He holds two honorary doctorates and has received numerous
awards from national civil rights organizations. His story is featured in the 2007 feature-length
documentary, “For the Bible Tells Me So.” In 2008 Gene’s book “In the Eye of the Storm: Swept
to the Center by God” (Seabury Books, New York) was released.

Bishop Robinson has been active particularly in the area of full civil rights for gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender people. Working at the state, national and international levels, he has
spoken and lobbied for equal protection under the law and full civil marriage rights. He has been
honored by many LGBT organizations for this work, including the Human Rights Campaign, the
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, GLAD, NH
Civil Liberties Union, GLAAD, and the Equality Forum.

Bishop Robinson was invited by Barack Obama to give the invocation at the opening inaugural
ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009. He is the subject of a new
documentary film “Love Free or Die: How the Bishop of New Hampshire is Changing the
World” which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, 2012. The Bishop’s next
book, God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about Gay Marriage, will be published by Alfred
Knopf in the fall of 2012.

Gene enjoys entertaining and cooking, gardening, music and theatre. He is the father of two
grown daughters and the proud grandfather of two granddaughters. He lives with his husband,
Mark Andrew, who is employed by the State of New Hampshire’s Department Health & Human
Services.

The Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin, professor at California Lutheran University, “Queering Lutheran Theology”

Dr. Guy Erwin, who joined the CLU faculty in the summer of 2000, is the first full-time holder of CLU’s first endowed chair, the Gerhard and Olga J. Belgum Chair of Lutheran Confessional Theology. He also serves as Director of the Segerhammar Center for Faith and Culture. In the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years he served as CLU faculty chair. As holder of the Belgum Chair, he serves as a member of the CLU Office of University Ministries, coordinating the work of the Chair, the Segerhammar Center, Campus Ministry, and Church Relations. At present he also serves as an elected member of the University’s Appointment, Rank, and Tenure committee.

In addition to a survey course in the history of Christianity, Prof. Erwin teaches seminar courses on topics in medieval, Reformation, and early modern history and theology, including very popular seminars on the life and thought of Martin Luther and St. Augustine’s City of God. Almost all of his courses are cross-listed in both Religion and History, and he occasionally teaches courses in the History department on modern German history and Scandinavian history. He also offers instruction on liturgy and worship in cooperation with the Music Department and occasionally teaches ecclesiastical Latin as a tutorial.

Erwin is a native of Oklahoma and an active member of the Osage Tribe of Indians. He is a member of a number of scholarly societies, a loyal alumni volunteer of his various alma maters, and enjoys book collecting, the study of genealogy, opera, letterpress printing, and his Jardine’s parrot. Dr. Erwin is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; he and his partner Rob Flynn are members of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in North Hollywood, CA, and are very active in Lutheran circles locally, nationally, and internationally.

Emily Ewing, Joel R. Workin Scholar, seminary student at LSTC, “Nonviolent Peacemaking in a Culture of Violence”

Emily Ewing is in her second year of seminary at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Originally from Vail, Colorado she graduated from Luther College in 2009 and spent a year living in eastern Slovakia working with Roma through the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program. Emily is also very excited and proud to be one of this year’s Joel R. Workin Scholars.

Laura Kuntz, Joel R. Workin Scholar, seminary student at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, “Rituals for Renewal and Self-Care”

Laura Kuntz is currently studying at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Ohio. Laura has a wide range of leadership skills and academic achievements including working as a chaplain at Ohio State University Medical Center and Staff Assistant at St. John’s U.C.C. She is completing an internship at Lake Park Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After the internship she will return to Trinity Lutheran Seminary to finish her degree.

Ross Murray, Director of Religion, Faith & Values at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), “GLBTQ Voices of Faith in the Media”

Ross Murray is the Director of Religion, Faith & Values at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). In his work at GLAAD, he amplifies pro-LGBT voices of faith. Ross holds a BA in Youth & Family Ministry from Augsburg College and a MA in Outreach & Discipleship from Luther Seminary. He has worked with youth and families in rural parishes, camps, multicultural urban congregations, college campuses, and has presented models of youth & family ministry all over the country. Additionally, Ross is the Program Director of The Naming Project, a faith-based LGBT youth group in Minnesota. Ross is especially interested in helping people cultivate a holistic identity that includes sexuality and spirituality.

The Rev. Heidi Neumark, pastor Trinity Lutheran Church, New York, New York, “Living Beloved Community”

Pastor Heidi Neumark currently serves Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan (ELCA). Trinity is a multicultural community with ministries that include: Mujeres en Progreso, a Latina support group, the Creative Learning Center after school program and Trinity Place, a shelter for homeless queer youth. Heidi also enjoys writing.

Her experiences in congregational and community ministry in the South Bronx led to her book, Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx. Presently, Heidi is working on a book about her discovery of Jewish roots and her grandfather’s death in a concentration camp. Heidi is married to Gregorio Orellano and they are the parents of Ana and Hans. Heidi is excited to share how the multicultural/class nature of Trinity lent itself to the launching of Trinity Place Shelter.

Rick Ufford-Chase, co-director Stony Point Retreat Center, “Ministry on the Borders”

Rick Ufford-Chase has served as the Executive Director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, an organization that has a sixty year history of supporting Presbyterians who take bold action for the cause of peace. Rick has worked on the US/Mexico border for twenty years where he founded and directed BorderLinks and worked in a variety of efforts to support migrants and refugees in the borderlands. He and his wife, Kitty, are reservists with Christian Peacemaker Teams, and they continue to work to create humane border and migration policy.

Rick served the Presbyterian Church as the Moderator of the 216th General Assembly, the church’s highest elected office, from 2004 -2006. As a result, he continues to work with Presbyterian congregations to support their efforts to engage in mission with partners around the world, to become effective multi-cultural communities of faith, to move their members into active peacemaking efforts, and to develop leadership for the next generation of church.

Rick and Kitty have a son, Teo, born in 1995 and have now made their home at Stony Point, New York.

Friday Evening Entertainment:

Peter Donnelly

Peter Donnelly’s music does not easily fit into any particular genre: a pinch of folk, a dash of pop, an occasional sprinkling of rock, and a whole lot of heart. Perhaps the one consistent thing about Peter’s music is that he sings about life, life as others see it, life as he sees it, and life as he would like to see it.

Peter is strongly influenced by the music of Greg Brown, Shawn Colvin, and Leonard Cohen, just to mention a few. With a distinct vocal quality, which cannot be overstated, he weaves lyric and melody with dexterity and artistry. Warm, intimate ballads and courageous, unapologetic and often humorous songs reflecting a myriad of contemporary topics are expertly melded with life’s little anecdotes into a very personal and thoroughly memorable performance.

Among his many projects, Peter is very proud to have been one of the originators (and still the current host) of Provincetown’s “Coffeehouse at the Mews.” For over a decade, this weekly ‘open mic’ (which runs from November through May) has been providing an open stage for budding and established musicians, writers, poets and other performance artists to practice their craft in front of a live audience.  Peter was also part of the trio Comfortable Shoes which performed across the country.

Peter and his partner live in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Morning yoga & meditation leader: Vince Lavieri

Vince Lavieri (who, you may be surprised, is known to some in the fitness world as ‘Animal’) was certified as a group exercise instructor by the National Exercise Trainers Association (formerly National Dance Exercise Instructors Training Association).  He also has been certified in kettlebell. Vince has been teaching his favorite, step aerobics, for many years  and has also taught kettlebell and Awesome Abs. Vince has a passion for yoga and pilates.  Vince is developing skills in PT assistance for people with Parkinson’s as well as individual specialized exercise programs for children and adults with disabilities.

Praying at the Altar at Hope Lutheran Church of the Sierras on the Annual Snow Retreat Jan 27, 2012

This year ELM donors are supporting the East Bay Lutheran Youth Program, a  joint youth ministry program led by Proclaim member Rev. Craig Minich.

The EBLYP had a busy holiday season and is kicking off 2012 with a flurry of activity. The EBLYP is made up of youth from grades 3 to 12 and their families. December was full of bowling, ice skating and Christmas events. The senior high youth (SNL) held two fundraisers in preparations for their journey to New Orleans in July for the National Youth Gathering and the Multi-Cultural Youth Leadership Event. One fundraiser was a Parent’s Night Out baby-sitting fundraiser organized by the high school aged group SNL, Pastor Craig shares:

“We set up a Christmas tree with the kids, and made home-made decorations to hang on it. We played games, prayed, baked Christmas cookies for Christmas Eve family service with chefs Mitchell and Tim, and settled down to watch a movie. On December 10^th (the very next morning) SNLers hosted an all EBLYP church Breakfast with Santa! Our youth made bacon and pancakes and served fruit for breakfast, made ornaments at the craft table with the kids, and we were visited by Santa himself promptly at 10 am (this time of season he is a busy guy!). It was really endearing to see all the kids get their pictures with Santa and raise some money in the process!! ”

In both December and January youth served meals for elderly homeless  folks at St. Mary’s Place. 2012 looks to be a very busy year for this ministry and your support helps makes ministry like this happen.

Photo by Theresa Reiser

This year ELM donors are supporting EcoFaith Recovery, an innovative environmental ministry founded and led by Proclaim member Robyn Hartwig.

EcoFaith Recovery is starting the year off by working on leading a course called “An Ecology of Grace and Justice: Organizing in the Biocommons for Lutherans (OBC)” led by Dick Harmon, a retired Industrial Areas Foundation community organizer, Portland Pastor Terry Moe, and EcoFaith founder Pastor Robyn Hartwig. OBC invites Lutheran leaders to engage together in the global eco-crisis out of the richness of the theological and spiritual tradition through the lenses of organizing.

The goals of Organizing in the Biocommons series is:

• To bring together Lutheran leaders, clergy and lay, who bring expertise and passion to care for creation, in prayer, reflection and action;

• To deepen our understanding of the world’s economic and ecological situation;

• To engage the well of our tradition and to respond theologically and spiritually to the world;

• To build relationships based on common interests and concerns;

• To agitate imaginative local responses to the ecological/economic crisis;

The course will have five sessions with one gathering each month. For more information on the course go here.

Photo by Theresa Reiser

Last summer, EcoFaith Recovery held a table talk called “No Salvation Apart from Earth” in the ‘Sanctuary in the Firs’ at St. Andrew Lutheran in Beaverton, Oregon. These photos, taken by Theresa Reiser illustrate the EcoFaith community at work.

Joel Workin (left) and Paul Jenkins

Many ELM friends are familiar with the book, “Dear God, I’m Gay — thank you!” which is a collection of Joel Workin’s writings.

On February 25, we will release the 2nd edition of this incredible collection of essays and sermons. The new edition features a new foreword by the Rev. Erik Christensen, as well as several never before published sermons, including the sermon Joel preached at the Rev. Jeff Johnson’s installation at First United Lutheran Church in 1990. Editor Michael Nelson has gone through stacks of material to select pieces for the new book. Joel’s parents, Betty and Ray Workin have generously underwritten the costs of the second edition and all proceeds will benefit LGBTQ seminarians.

Joel’s writings have been a resource to numerous LGBTQ rostered leaders and others. He embodied ELM’s core belief that the church is changed by leaders who are public about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

The book will be released at a special event in Santa Monica, CA on Saturday, Feb. 25 and available to the public immediately following.

Learn more about Joel Workin and the Joel R. Workin Memorial Endowment here.

Bishop Wayne Miller, of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will preside.
The Rev. Dr. Melanie Morrison, Director of Allies for Change, will preach.

Ms. Julie Boleyn, who is originally from Oregon, graduated with a B.A. from The Evergreen State College, in Olympia, Wa, and with a M.Div. from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She entered seminary having worked in fundraising, and software development. She has also worked as the Vision Catalyst at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Chicago, helping the congregation live into their mission statement. She is also the Financial Education Coordinator for the Stewards of Abundance Project at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and serves on the board of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. She and her partner, Jeanine Reardon, live in Berwyn with their daughter.

Scholarship application Word

Note:

If you have received approval for a scholarship, you are registered. Rachael Johnson will follow up with you about accommodation details.

If you do not receive a scholarship please register using the registration page.

Read what YOU, our Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries community, have achieved in 2011.

Proclaim community created

In April, we launched the professional community for publicly-identified LGBTQ rostered leaders & seminarians. Proclaim now has over 80 members. You can check out the list here.

Over 60 LGBTQ rostered leaders & seminarians attended the first Proclaim retreat at Williams Bay, WI. ELM donors provided support for 18 seminarians to attend this retreat.

Registration opens next week for 2012 Proclaim retreat, ¡Vamos Tod@s!: April 18-21 in New York.

2012 Grants announced:

Thanks to your gifts, this year we had $62,000 to give to ministries across the country.

East Bay Lutheran Youth Program, Pastor Craig Minich

EcoFaith Recovery; Portland, OR; Innovative environmental ministry; Pastor Robyn Hartwig

Grace Lutheran Church; Houston, TX; Pastor Lura Groen

Welcome and Center for Gay and Lesbian Studies; San Francisco Bay Area; National program for LGBTQ homeless teens; Pastor Megan Rohrer and Pastor Dawn Roginski

St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, Edwin Weber (Intern)

St. Luke’s Lutheran of Logan Square; Pastor Erik Christensen

Pastor Cindy Crane, Anti-bullying ministry in South Central Synod of Wisconsin

Set-Aside for 2012 Seminarian Internships

2011 Workin Scholars:

We named two Joel R. Workin Memorial Scholars: Laura Kuntz and Emily Ewing.

In Memoriam:

Paul Egertson

Ginger Georgulas

Diane Nelson DeLange

Noteworthy Highlights:

Service of Reconciliation, Restoration and Reception at St. Francis Lutheran Church, San Francisco.

EcoFaith Recovery & ELM Celebration in Portland, OR.

Rev. Pieter Oberholzer, South Africa’s “Inclusive & Affirming Ministries” 2011 PRIDE Presentation in Chicago.

We celebrated our 4th year as Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries !

We have much to accomplish together in the coming year and look forward to our continued partnership. Here’s to 2012!

-Amalia Vagts

Executive Director

“But this isn’t Thanksgiving!” objected our 14-year-old.

“You’re right,” agreed his stepdad, smiling. “But Amalia didn’t say, ‘Give thanks.’  She said, ‘Gratitude,’ and that’s what this day is for.”

During this continuing season of Christmas and into the New Year celebration, many of us take time to slow down and reflect.  For me, this kind of reflection leads to a sense of abundance, grace, and gratitude.  And ever the optimist, I’m always ready to leave the difficulties of one year behind and start looking forward to the yet unknown joys of the year to come.

Part of the reason for this heightened sense of gratitude and abundance is that this is also the time of year when many people choose to write checks in support of ministries and nonprofits they care about. While last week was filled with some relaxing time with friends and family, this week is busy for many of us as we process your contributions and send a note to you sharing our thanks. In fact, I’m taking a short break from those notes to write this post. I’m overwhelmed by the generosity and commitment of the supporters of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, and by their gratitude for this ministry.

“Thanks for your continued ministry!” one person wrote with their contribution.

“Thanks for the great work you do.” wrote another.

One member of Proclaim sent us an updated email address and included this note, “ELM really is an amazing organization that makes a huge difference in the lives of people, congregations and the world.”

Your contributions mean so much to us.  We couldn’t do the work you care about without them. ELM is funded almost entirely by contributions from individuals, congregations and ministries. Your contributions also mean more–they mean that you care about this mission. They mean that you also believe that by supporting LGBTQ rostered leaders and seminarians we can continue to change the church, to make it more fully inclusive to all people.

And so, today, on this second to last day of 2011, I give thanks for you, and for all that you do.

And in the coming year, I look forward to finding new and expanding ways for this community to work together for this common vision of an inclusive and welcoming church and society.

Please, while this post  is open, click on this link and make your first-time, renewed, or increased gift to ELM.

Margaret and Bennett know it will take more resources to do our ministry next year. That’s why they’re giving more generously than ever before, and asking you to do the same.

If you’ve been inspired by ELM’s ministry, but haven’t given, there’s no better time than right now.  If you donate $50, ELM will have $100 for ministry. If you donate $100, we’ll have $200 for ministry!

The financial support of individuals like you have helped ELM launch two new programs this year.  One is Proclaim, the new professional community for Lutheran rostered leaders and seminarians who publicly identify as LGBTQ.  There are 80 members of Proclaim, and we continue to grow.  The second is our Candidacy Accompaniment program.  Thanks to your support, ELM is currently working with NINETEEN leaders who are seeking rostered leadership in the Lutheran church. In addition, ELM supporters will invest $62,000 in congregations and ministries led by LGBTQ leaders in 2012.

This ministry is growing! We want you to be part of it.

Again, please, while this post  is open, click on this link and make your first-time, renewed, or increased gift to ELM.

We need your support. THANK YOU, Margaret and Bennett for this marvelous gift!