Reaffirmation of Welcome

I wanted to share this awesome Reaffirmation of Welcome recently passed by Lake Street Church of Evanston, one of the great churches in the Chicago area that is a member of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. I think all welcoming churches might want to consider doing something like this periodically, as the Spirit leads them.

Statement follows:

At this time in the life of our nation –

• as the suicides of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth capture

headlines across the country

• as campaigning politicians pronounce that they don’t want children “brainwashed

into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option” as

heterosexuality,

• and as fear of the “other” and a spirit of hatred threatens to consume our public

and religious discourse:

Lake Street Church of Evanston, a congregation affiliated with the American Baptist

Churches, USA, reaffirms our public commitment of more than fifteen years to be a

place of welcome and support for all of God’s children.

Our welcome knows no boundaries of age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual

orientation, economic condition, or physical or mental abilities. We affirm that gay,

lesbian, bisexual, and transgender lives are fully compatible with Christian teaching.

LGBT individuals and families are fully included in all aspects of our congregational life,

from birth through the celebration of the lives of those who have passed. In a spirit of

radical inclusion, we long for the day when full civil rights are extended to all Americans,

and pledge to be a place of spiritual renewal and encouragement until that day arrives.

Reflecting God’s bold embrace, we proclaim a world with freedom and justice for all,

where we can all honor and celebrate the many faces of love.

---
Cool, huh?

Go Lake Street!