Lutheran (EL
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH. Marantha--Come, Lord Jesus!
Posted on 12/04/2009 4:00:54 PM PST by SmithL
IRON MOUNTAIN - A regional chapter of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Renewal) will be formed when Lutherans from across Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin, and northern Lower Michigan gather on Saturday.
The Rev. Corinne Johnson, interim pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Escanaba, and a member of the Lutheran CORE Advisory Council, said the meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Iron Mountain.
The chapter will be formed in the afternoon.
There will be about 150 people at the event, 15 of them pastors, and two keynote speakers.
"After the events of the 2009 ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Churchwide Assembly, many Lutherans are looking for a way to express dissent regarding the decisions to ordain sexually active homosexuals into the ministry and bless homosexual unions," Johnson said.
"Northwoods Lutheran CORE is a place for Lutherans who are dissenting to express that dissent and to organize," Johnson said.
Johnson added what will be passed at the meeting is a resolution to form the chapter Northwoods Lutheran CORE. She said a seven-member steering committee will be elected. This committee will plan events, provide leadership and set the direction of the chapter.
Johnson added this is only one of the organization's goals. They are working on reforms in other areas, too. Lutheran CORE exists nationally as a free-standing synod of Lutherans.
"It's a place for like-minded Lutherans to relate together and to work on the reconfiguration of North American Lutheranism. Our local chapter will relate to the national Lutheran CORE. As Lutheran CORE makes decisions about how to direct the reconfiguration, they will seek input from local chapters such as ours," Johnson said. "Our local chapter will also work for the goals of Lutheran CORE within our church polity. These include keeping our understanding of Jesus as the only way to the Father; the name of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and a traditional understanding of marriage and family."
A keynote speaker for the gathering in Iron Mountain will be Ryan Schwarz of Washington, D.C., a member of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee and runner-up for vice president of the ELCA. Schwarz will speak on the future of Lutheran CORE and a vision for faithful Lutheran ministry.
The CORE gathering will include a talk by the Rev. Nicholas Hopman, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in South Range, and First Lutheran Church in Dollar Bay about how the ELCA got to this point.
The Rev. Kenneth Kimball of Waterville, Iowa and member of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee will speak about the options available to Lutherans in protest of these decisions.
The Rev. James Chinery, pastor of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Iron Mountain, will preach the worship service.
All are welcome to attend the Northwoods Lutheran CORE Gathering at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Iron Mountain. A suggested donation of $5 will be accepted.
The Exodus continues!
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH. Marantha--Come, Lord Jesus!
Cue the sounds of coughing and retching at ELCA headquarters and ELCA Lutheran college faculty lounges.
I know a seminary student at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and she said that, about a year ago, all of the students, of that seminary, signed a petition, to support the sexuality statement that was approved in Aug.
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