Grace and Peace to you!
On August 5-10, 2019, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly was held in Milwaukee, WI to discuss and make decisions about how to go about God’s work as a church. A Churchwide Assembly is held once every three years. When the ELCA Churchwide Assembly convenes, its voting members meet with confidence in God’s grace around word and water, wine and bread, to carry on their work on behalf the entire church. This year the Assembly gathered under the theme “We are church.”
Among items of business were the election of a Presiding Bishop as well as the review of social issue policies. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton was re-elected on the first ballot. On Aug. 6 the first ballot had 897 votes cast and 670 votes were needed for election. Bishop Eaton received 725 votes, which is 81.19% of the vote.
The social statement — titled “Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action” — was approved by the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly with 97% of the vote Friday morning (Aug. 9) on the last full day of the Assembly. The social statement, which focuses on issues related to justice for women, was seven years in the making.
On the previous day the Assembly declared itself a Sanctuary Denomination, dedicated to serving and supporting the protection of migrants in communities nationwide. The ELCA is the first mainstream church body in America to declare itself a sanctuary denomination.
The question that many have after hearing of the Assembly’s action is, “what does being a sanctuary denomination mean?” The ELCA has some answers to this question as it now begins to live out what it means to be a sanctuary denomination. These include:
· Being a sanctuary denomination does not call for any person, congregation, or synod to engage in any illegal actions and nothing in this action binds synods or congregations to any particular activity.
· It acknowledges that our country has a broken system regarding immigration, refugee and asylum seekers. To say that the ELCA is a sanctuary denomination is to say that the ELCA as a denomination seeks to provide concrete resources to those who are feeling the sharp edges of this broken system.
· Being a sanctuary denomination is about loving our neighbors. While we may have differing ideas on how to fix the broken system and may have differing ways of loving our neighbors, our call to love our neighbor is central to our faith.
If you would like further information, the ELCA website (www.elca.org) has a page dedicated to the Churchwide Assembly. Through that page you will find links to the recordings of the action taken during the ten plenary sessions that were held as well as recordings of the five worship services that were held.
In Christ!
Pastor Bakker
5May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Romans 15:5-6 (NRSV)
Grace and Peace to you!
On August 5-10, 2019, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly was held in Milwaukee, WI to discuss and make decisions about how to go about God’s work as a church. A Churchwide Assembly is held once every three years. When the ELCA Churchwide Assembly convenes, its voting members meet with confidence in God’s grace around word and water, wine and bread, to carry on their work on behalf the entire church. This year the Assembly gathered under the theme “We are church.”
Among items of business were the election of a Presiding Bishop as well as the review of social issue policies. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton was re-elected on the first ballot. On Aug. 6 the first ballot had 897 votes cast and 670 votes were needed for election. Bishop Eaton received 725 votes, which is 81.19% of the vote.
The social statement — titled “Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action” — was approved by the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly with 97% of the vote Friday morning (Aug. 9) on the last full day of the Assembly. The social statement, which focuses on issues related to justice for women, was seven years in the making.
On the previous day the Assembly declared itself a Sanctuary Denomination, dedicated to serving and supporting the protection of migrants in communities nationwide. The ELCA is the first mainstream church body in America to declare itself a sanctuary denomination.
The question that many have after hearing of the Assembly’s action is, “what does being a sanctuary denomination mean?” The ELCA has some answers to this question as it now begins to live out what it means to be a sanctuary denomination. These include:
· Being a sanctuary denomination does not call for any person, congregation, or synod to engage in any illegal actions and nothing in this action binds synods or congregations to any particular activity.
· It acknowledges that our country has a broken system regarding immigration, refugee and asylum seekers. To say that the ELCA is a sanctuary denomination is to say that the ELCA as a denomination seeks to provide concrete resources to those who are feeling the sharp edges of this broken system.
· Being a sanctuary denomination is about loving our neighbors. While we may have differing ideas on how to fix the broken system and may have differing ways of loving our neighbors, our call to love our neighbor is central to our faith.
If you would like further information, the ELCA website (www.elca.org) has a page dedicated to the Churchwide Assembly. Through that page you will find links to the recordings of the action taken during the ten plenary sessions that were held as well as recordings of the five worship services that were held.
In Christ!
Pastor Bakker
5May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Romans 15:5-6 (NRSV)
