Edmonds church welcomes LGBT community as members, leaders

Published 7:56 pm Friday, June 19, 2015

EDMONDS — It is the church that needs to ask forgiveness for its treatment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, Edmonds Lutheran Pastor Tim Oleson said.

His congregation has taken the first steps in healing the hurt caused by the intolerance historically practiced by many religious organizations. The Evangelical Lutherans have completed the church-sanctioned process to be recognized as welcoming of LGBT people.

“I’m excited to see where this takes our community,” Oleson said. “We’re compelled to be as radically welcoming as we can be.”

Now, members of the congregation are talking to other churches that are considering the four-step process to be officially known for inclusivity. It is called Reconciling in Christ.

The Edmonds congregation has been working for more than a year to gain the new status.

Last summer, Edmonds Lutherans enlisted Rick Pribbernow, a gay pastor with the Seattle-based Open Door Ministries, to give sermons and lectures on the scriptures, sexuality and stereotypes associated with LGBT people.

The talks were so popular Oleson and another Edmonds pastor, Julie Josund, decided to give similar presentations. They wanted to encourage the congregation to move forward in becoming officially recognized for acceptance.

Oleson said one of the biggest challenges of the process was helping people reconcile their views from the old teachings of the church and the scriptures that condemn homosexuality. He helped them dissect the culture when the texts were written and translate the messages into more modern language.

Those passages are sometimes called the “clobber texts” because they traditionally have been used to discriminate and exclude people. But, Oleson doesn’t believe that was the intent of the messages.

Now, Edmonds Lutheran wants to find a way to welcome back people who have left the church because they were judged as an “abomination” or told they were “going to hell” in the past, he said. Oleson hopes to provide a safe place for everyone to worship.

During the Reconciling in Christ process, many members of the congregation shared stories about changing their perspective after they found out someone they know is gay.

“There were a lot of tears in those stories,” Oleson said. “They really moved a lot of people in our community.”

He believes the more interaction people have with the LGBT community, the harder it is to believe their lifestyle is wrong.

The congregation eventually voted to become a Reconciling in Christ church with about 85 percent of the members in favor of making the change.

Together they wrote a welcome statement about their choice to be inclusive. It is published in the church bulletin every Sunday.

Earlier this month, the congregation celebrated its completion of the process.

“It was really emotional for me,” Oleson said. “Everyone has a spot at this table. That’s what it’s all about.”

Now, people from the LGBT community are not only welcomed to worship at Edmonds Lutheran, they can also become leaders. The national church in 2009 started allowing pastors in the denomination to be openly gay.

While all congregations strive to be welcoming, Oleson said, he believes his is on the path to truly achieving that. Members of Edmonds Lutheran are now sharing their story of becoming a Reconciling in Christ church with others.

One of those members, Mary Anne Ramborger, said she believes it is an important distinction because it goes beyond acceptance of the LGBT community. The congregation now accepts all people, no matter what their situation.

“We’re showing the community that we truly believe each individual is a child of God, made in God’s image,” she said. “We all have worth so we need to be loving and accepting of everybody.”

Some members will discuss the Reconciling in Christ process with people of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood on Saturday.

Next weekend, they plan to march in support of equality at Seattle’s Pride Parade.

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports