LGBTQ+ Inclusion
2023 Pride Month Message from Bishop Joy
Dear Partners in Ministry,
As many of you likely already know, June is Pride month. It is a month during which we intentionally lift up our LGBTQIA+ siblings around the world. Pride is celebrated in many ways – with parades, festivals, and more. Ultimately, however, Pride is about welcome and inclusion.
Our synod, the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, has been a Reconciling in Christ synod since 2017. This means that we have made a commitment to be fully inclusive. It means we strive to be intentional about welcoming “people of every race, background, age, political affiliation, economic and social status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and mental and physical ability, while striving to enable all people to participate fully in the life and work of the church and its expressions” (from the SCSW RIC commitment statement).
At our recent Synod Assembly, the assembly voted unanimously to renew our RIC commitment. This could not have happened at a more critical time. As many of you know, legislation restricting the rights of LGBTQIA+ citizens has been introduced around the country. Some of these bills have even been passed into law. Now more than ever we as God’s people must renew our resolve to stand with and advocate alongside our LGBTQIA+ siblings. My prayer is this work of re-committing ourselves to diversity and inclusion will send a message of solidarity, love, and hope to counter the voices that so loudly proclaim the opposite.
I give thanks to God for this work we are undertaking together. I am grateful to labor alongside our congregations and leaders as we strive to live up to the commitment to be and become truly inclusive.
God bless you all as you carry out this difficult, life-giving work.
In Christ,
Bishop Joy Mortensen-Wiebe
Following Jesus, who commanded his followers, ‘Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another,’ and believing that all persons are created in the image of God, the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, ELCA, strives to be fully inclusive for all. This synod welcomes people of every race, background, age, political affiliation, economic and social status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and mental and physical ability, while striving to enable all people to participate fully in the life and work of the church and its expressions.
22 of our congregations in south-central Wisconsin have also taken steps to be intentionally welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community. These congregations are identified as Reconciling in Christ congregations. By having a statement affirming this welcome that specifically names either, “LGBTQIA+ people” or “people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions” in their statement, these faith communities are accepted into the Reconciling in Christ partnership with ReconcilingWorks. You may click on a congregation below to learn more:
Madison Area
- Lake Edge Lutheran Church – Madison
- Common Grace – Madison
- Trinity Lutheran Church – Madison
- St. John’s Lutheran Church – Madison
- Lakeview Lutheran Church – Madison
- Luther Memorial Lutheran Church – Madison
- Lutheran Campus Center at UW – Madison
- St. Mark’s Lutheran Church – Madison
- St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church – Monona
- Peace Lutheran Church – Waunakee
- Midvale Community Lutheran Church – Madison
- Advent Lutheran Church – Madison
- Good Shepherd Lutheran Church – Madison
- Bethel Lutheran Church – Madison
- St. Matthew New Life Church – Madison
- Messiah Lutheran Church – Madison
- West Koshkonong Lutheran Church – Stoughton
- Our Savior’s Lutheran Church – Sun Prairie
East
West
South
Resources
- The Trevor Project was Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, and is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25. Learn more HERE.
- GLAAD provides an amazing list of online resources on their website HERE. GLAAD works through entertainment, news, and digital media to share stories from the LGBTQ community that accelerate acceptance.
- Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries organizes queer seminarians and rostered ministers, confronts barriers and systemic oppression, and activates queer ideas and movements within the Lutheran Church. Learn more HERE.
- The new Lavender Book App is a crowd-sourced app created by the National Black Justice Coalition and Out In Tech, that aims to record safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people of color. The app allows users to narrow down places through various filters — such as whether American Sign Language is spoken, gender-neutral restrooms are available or if there’s a wheelchair ramp on site. Learn more HERE.
RIC Program
The Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program is for congregations, synods, colleges, seminaries, and other Lutheran organizations. Lutheran communities that publicly welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are accepted onto the Reconciling in Christ Roster. Most groups start the process of consideration by engaging in a study program or series of educational meetings. Hearing the experiences of LGBT people and their families often creates greater understanding and insights. Learn more about the RIC program through ReconcilingWorks.