Creator becoming an RIC Congregation article in The Clackamas Review

The latest issue of The Clackamas Review has the article about Creator becoming an RIC congregation. The story is also online. Follow the link below.

http://www.clackamasreview.com/features/story.php?story_id=123672583533182500

Gretchen wrote up something about Reconciling Lutherans that will go out in the "This Week at Creator" email:

Although Creator Lutheran is now an RIC congregation, we are asking you to sign up as Reconciling Lutherans, a list of individuals who seek full-inclusion of GLBT people into the ELCA. The goal is to have 10,000 people signed up by the national assembly in August, so get your Lutheran friends and family around the country to sign up as well. It’s easy and no donation is required:

http://www.lcna.org/reconciling_lutherans.shtm#

If you have not taken the opportunity, please sign up as a Reconciling Lutheran.

Preparing for RIC/Full Inclusion Emphasis at Synod Assembly

RIC friends,


Please join us for a gathering to imagine and create ways to demonstrate that we are a truly RIC synod at the Synod Assembly in May. A group of us began the brainstorming last Sunday and we'd like to add your creative energy to the process.


Sunday, March 15
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Central Lutheran Church
1820 NE 21st Ave.

Gary, Gretchen, and Pastor Dayle attended the meeting this last Sunday - it's a great group with good ideas! Please join us in helping to make a difference in our Synod Assembly and beyond.

RIC Certificate Presentation on April 5th

To keep you all up to date, we now have a presentation date for Creator's RIC Certificate. The certificate arrived from LCNA and is currently being framed. Gretchen is ordering RIC Window clings.

Thanks,

Gary


From Pastor Dayle:

Karen and Paul Jolly will be here on April 5th (Palm Sunday) to present the certificate during worship.

Prayer shawls for the National Assembly

Is anyone interested in figuring out how to get at least one shawl made to represent Creator? I'm thinking of doing one for the Oregon Synod...perhaps could do a second if I can figure out how to do the first. :-)

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More than two thousand rainbow scarves, lovingly created by volunteers, adorned voting members and supporters alike at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly in 2007, demonstrating support for a welcoming church. In August 2009, the ELCA meets for its next assembly. There are several proposals before the Assembly that pertain to the full inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender members and their families in the life of the church. Lutherans Concerned/North America (LC/NA) is supporting proposals addressing these issues, including the Social Statement on Human Sexuality, the rostering of partnered LGBT ministers, and the blessing of same-gender relationships.

These decisions will be taken with much soul-searching and prayer. To that end, LC/NA would like to provide prayer shawls to be used by participants at the assembly. These shawls will be for use in the chapel area and to remind participants to prayerfully consider every issue.

LC/NA is requesting the participation of all RIC organizations and congregations to contribute at least one shawl. The shawls will be tagged with the contributing RIC setting or individual's name and story where that is appropriate, particularly individuals who wish to send a story to be.

The shawls may be quilted, woven, crochet, or knit. The size should be about 72" x 18". The design is left up to the person creating the piece.
They can be as simple or elaborate as desired, with or without fringe, and of any color - the intent is to have a rainbow of individually colored shawls, but none should be rainbow-colored this time.

You can go to www.goodsoil.org/prayershawls.html for project/pattern information.

Should an RIC setting find they are unable to contribute a shawl but would like to participate in the project, they are invited to make a monetary donation and a shawl will be created and tagged for them. RIC settings are asked to have a service of blessing for the shawl(s) before sending them.

The hope is to have every RIC setting represented, as well as those other churches and individuals who wish to participate by producing a shawl. Please let us know at JerryV@lcna.org if you are planning to make one or more so we can estimate participation.

The goal is 500+ prayer shawls.

Completed shawls should be sent or delivered by August 10, 2009 to:

Lutherans Concerned / North America
Attn: Jerry Vagts
100 North Oxford St.
St. Paul, MN 55104

For further information or patterns, please contact:
Glenda Bumpus (gbumpus@stx.rr.com) or Jerry Vagts (JerryV@lcna.org)

Moving Forward on RIC

Pastor Dayle, Toni and I met with a Clackamas Review reporter yesterday. Going back over the significant activities of RIC gave us a new appreciation the effort our team invested in this. The article should appear in one of the next two issues.

We are now listed on the LCNA website. The link is:

http://www.lcna.org/zricdetail.asp?ContactID=4206

There will be more information once we receive and return their RIC survey.

The LCNA certificate presentation has yet to be set.

At the last RIC team meeting we talked about signs, window clings and hanging the RIC certificate. Toni will discuss with Pastor Dayle size and kind of sign for RIC off our existing sign.

We discussed reforming and renaming the current RIC team. There was an agreement that this doesn't require immediate attention. We will work up a list of RIC activities Creator can accomplish as individuals and as a congregation. Volunteering to be a member of the new team will be one of those activities. The list will be posted on the RIC Bulletin Board.

Let me know if you have anything you would like to see on the list.

Thanks,

Gary

Coram Deo - Central Lutheran

Just wanted to let you all know that Barbara Lundblad's lectures are available to listen to here. You definitely want to hear Saturday morning's talk - Beyond Fear: Justice for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People. The other two are also very good and worth a listen if you have time.

RIC Service Last Night and Congratulations from Christian

I know many of you wanted to attend the RIC service last night. Mt. Carmel was packed. Ten of us from Creator were there out of a total of about 150 people.

The liturgy felt like a big "yes we can and will". We all enjoyed being gathered together. Pr. Susan Kitner, the assistant to the bishop, delivered the message and Robyn Hartwig, newly installed at St. Andrew in Beaverton, and Ron Nitz, pastor at Mt. Carmel in Portland, co-presided.

Kelly's Free To Be Me was a definite highlight. I know the Creator contigent was recognized. We clapped while we sang songs, quietly sang Hope for Resolution under our breath as their choir sang and were generally over-the-top in our enthusiasm for all that was happening. When Creator was announced as the newest RIC congregation in our local LCNA Chapter during the service it was a huge moment of joy we couldn't let pass without being boisterous in our cheers.

There were snacks and a couple of cakes afterwards, one spice cake for decorated for Robyn and a chocolate cake decorated with "Welcome Creator".

There were four congregations in our LCNA region who became RIC congregations yesterday. More celebrations in Washington: Seattle, Pullman and Shoreline.

I sign off with kudos to the team. I heard many compliments about the way we all worked with the congregation this past year. Many came up to me after the congregational meeting and said they had waited for this kind of affirmation of welcome for a long time.

Giving God Praise and Prayer for the day,

Gary


Below I will pass along congratulations to you from Christian:

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HOW EXCITING, Gary! I am so thrilled for the Creator community and pleased that it is now officially an RIC congregation. Since I do not have everyone's email, can you please pass on my congrats to the RIC team and all who have been closely involved in the process?

This is a great news to be another welcoming and safe place for worship for lgbt people in the greater Portland area!

Peace, joy and blessings to you,

Christian

Last Night's Council Meeting regarding RIC proposals

With one council member abstaining, all other council members voted yes on the two proposals presented by the RIC team last night.

The first proposal was that the council recommends passage on the vote to adopt the Affirmation of Welcome that would make Creator an RIC congregation.

The second proposal was that passage requires an 80% yes vote by voting members present at the congregational meeting.

The council recognized the team's work last night. There was thoughtful debate and questions, particularly around the percentage that required for passage. That both proposals were accepted by the council without substantive modification was a testimony to everyone's efforts.

Looking forward to Sunday's vote and the two worship services,

Gary

RIC Team Meeting Agenda - January 8, 7:00 PM at Creator

We will have a meeting tomorrow and below is our tentative agenda:

Agenda

* Plans and preparation for Congregational vote. Specific language to the resolution to bring before the congregation December council presentation (currently requesting council recommendation for passsage).

* RIC Team Talk on Affirmation language

* Next newsletter article

* RIC Sunday - Promoting and volunteering for event at Mt. Carmel 515 SW Maplecrest Dr.

* Post congregational vote plans - Plans for presentation of certificate - Possiblity of Creator hosting 2010 RIC Sunday

* RIC Team transition after January

Asking for Agenda Items for next RIC Team Meeting

Since we didn't meet on Thursday New Year's Day the first question is "Who could meet this Thursday?" If a meeting makes sense the next question would be "What is on the agenda?"

The council meeting was called on account of snow. There will be a council meeting prior to January 25th. We still plan to ask the council to recommend passage on the question of becoming an RIC congregation.

I sent our explicit welcome statement to LCNA who confirmed our statement would make us an RIC congregation.

Just to be up front in reactions from the congregation, someone is still suggesting we reword the statement. Her recommendation changes the punctuation of the explicit welcome and drops the youth's "come as you are, where you are and who you are". It is late to make changes, but since we did talk about the punctuation in the explicit welcome, I include her entire recommendation here:

Creator Lutheran Church welcomes you to join us in worship, fellowship, and ministry.

The Gospel reveals God's grace as an unconditional gift of love for all people. Ethnicity, socioeconomic status, physical ability, mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status are not barriers to our invitation. As an inclusive community grounded in God's love, we follow Jesus' example and celebrate the diversity of God's creation.

There are agenda items for the meeting. Let me know if you have anything additional you think should be included.

Thanks,

Gary