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Where the ‘Journey’ led
Journey Together Faithfully, Part Two: The Church and Homosexuality
is the study booklet created for congregations, part of the ELCA study
of homosexuality called for by the 2001 Churchwide Assembly.
Recommendations from the study task force with reference to the
blessing of same-sex unions and to the ordination of people in
committed same-sex unions will be presented to the 2005 Churchwide
Assembly.
Included in the task force deliberations will be responses from all ELCA congregations that did the study. In February, The Lutheran
introduced three of those congregations. Now we revisit each, learning
something of what the members discovered as they went on this Journey
together.
Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress." If Mahatma Gandhi's words ring true, then Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Columbia, S.C., made a great deal of progress during the course of its Journey Together Faithfully ELCA homosexuality study sessions. A covenant group of 25 met for six weeks, with sessions led by members and pastors.
Lisa McClain, said of the experience: "Particularly helpful to me have been the discussions with those who are far more knowledgeable about the Bible than I am. I appreciated the information about the historical perspective. The comments of those members of our group who are gay were even more helpful."
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© 2013 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
