New Hanover is currently exploring the possibility of becoming a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) church.
What does it mean to be a Reconciling in Christ church?
The Reconciling in Christ (RIC) program is hosted through ReconcilingWorks -creating specific welcome to people of all sexual orientations, gender identity, and gender expression, and a commitment to the work of racial equity/anti-racism.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) formally recognizes ReconcilingWorks as an “Independent Lutheran Organization,” affirming collaborative work. ReconcilingWorks promotes change within the institutional churches to ensure that all rites, sacraments, and ministries of the Church are open to all.
Where is New Hanover in this journey to becoming an RIC church?
New Hanover is currently exploring what it means to be welcoming and inclusive for our specific congregation. To do this, New Hanover is conducting one-to-one discussions with our members to assess and understand the culture, personality and theological roots of our congregation. This first step of our journey will be vital to understand our willingness to show hospitality, to celebrate, to serve, and to advocate for not only lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) persons and their families, but those marginalized in our community who need to be seen and heard.
Why focus on LGBTQIA+ and racial equality?
Traditionally these two groups have faced the greatest barrier to full participation in institutional churches. They are also most likely to be misunderstood and misrepresented.
RIC churches work to understand their biases against marginalized groups and examine what Christ has taught us in this regard. Only until we understand these aspects and the unique challenges faced by those groups, can we become a truly welcoming and supportive congregation.
As New Hanover goes through its journey, we’ll discuss other biases such as judgements of physical disabilities, economic status, age, and sex for example.
How can I learn more?
Watch the video presented during our February 18th worship to learn what becoming a Reconciling in Church means for Edina Community Lutheran Church and their advice for others traveling the same journey.
In addition, the following video shown during the June 23 worship explained the origin of our Juneteenth holiday and the importance of celebrating the advancements of racial equality for black and brown people (in alignment with the RIC mission).
And on July 28, during service announcements, the congregation watched a video from members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, FL on why being an RIC community is important for them and the impact it can have on people’s lives
Feel free to contact any New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Church RIC core team member below for more information about our journey:
Sharon Tracey, Diane Bealer, Janet Psota, Josh Young, Rick Hausch or Pastor Scott.