Lutherans Concerned/North America stands as a community of faith,
modeling the gospel within the church and within the gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered communities.
We seek to employ the Gospel's principles of inclusiveness and
justice, celebrating God's gifts of sexuality and diversity.
The
Central Florida Chapter of Lutherans Concerned/North America (LC/NA) was
chartered on July 6, 2003.
Our membership draws primarily from the Tampa Bay area of central
Florida, but have active members who attend from as far away as 150
miles. An important goal of
the chapter is to increase the number of Reconciling in Christ (RIC)
congregations in the Florida Bahamas synod and to facilitate the synod
itself to become an RIC synod in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA).
The
chapter actively networks with
RIC parishes as well as interdenominational partners,
particularly the United Church of Christ and Episcopal churches, to work
for full inclusion of GLBT persons in the life and ministry of Christ's
Church. We continually
educate ourselves, utilizing tapes, videos, literature, and other
resources to grow in our appreciation of God's inclusive love for all
his children ("marked with the cross of Christ forever").
Members of the chapter have participated in the St. Pete Pride
Festivals, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) study on
Journeying Together Faithfully: The Church
and Homosexuality, a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Town Hall
Meeting, assemblies of the Florida Bahamas Synod, the 2005 Churchwide
Assembly of the ELCA, RIC Core Training sessions, and are a supportive
group for St. Paul's
Lutheran Church in Clearwater the area's first Reconciling in Christ
congregation. To qualify for
this distinction, the parish adopted an official public statement of
welcome for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons.