ROCKVILLE, Md. (RNS) — From the time she arrived in 2013, the Rev. Jill McCrory had seen the congregation at Twinbrook Baptist Church, the progressive Baptist church she pastors, ebb and flow but never reach more than several dozen faithful in the pews that could hold far more. So the multiracial, LGBT-affirming congregation in this Washington suburb made a tough decision: Its church will close. But the more than $1 million from its sale will help 35 religious organizations and other nonprofits meet needs in the community. And the Hispanic congregation that long rented the building has bought it for less than its assessed value. This weekend (Aug. 17-18), Twinbrook will hold a Saturday “legacy service” for the chosen grant recipients — from Baptist organizations such as the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists to a program at a local elementary school that helps feed students who can’t afford a nutritious lunch. McCrory, 63, says her congregants and grant … [Read more...]

MILWAUKEE (RNS) — A new social statement from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America labels patriarchy and sexism as sins and acknowledges the church’s complicity in them. The social statement — titled “Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action” — was approved by the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly with 97% of the vote Friday morning (Aug. 9) on the last full day of the denomination’s triennial meeting at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee. Afterward, the assembly rose in a standing ovation and sang “Canticle of the Turning,” with the lyrics, “Wipe away all tears,/ For the dawn draws near,/ And the world is about to turn.” And the Rev. April Larson, the first woman bishop in the ELCA, spoke about the changes she has seen in the church in the 50 years since Lutherans began ordaining women in the United States. “What a time. What a day for me to be here with you, and I’m so thankful to God and to our wonderful church,” Larson said. “We are changing. We are being made new. … [Read more...]

MILWAUKEE (RNS) — More than 500 years ago, a monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses outlining his grievances with the Roman Catholic Church to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. On Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 7), members of the mainline Protestant denomination bearing Luther’s name taped 9.5 theses — expressing their concern for immigrants and refugees — to the door of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Milwaukee. The action was part of a prayer vigil for migrant children and their families during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this week at Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Center. It took place on the same day the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declared itself a “sanctuary church body,” signaling its support for immigrants. Both came in response to President Trump’s policies at the United States border with Mexico and his pledge to deport millions. “It just keeps getting worse and worse in terms of unaccompanied children, separated families, … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON (RNS) — A group of clergy protested outside Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office on Tuesday (Aug. 6), calling on the Republican Senate majority leader to take action to address gun violence in the wake of two mass shootings over the weekend. The band of around two dozen faith leaders, who called themselves the Coalition of Concerned Clergy, prayed and challenged what they said was the Senate’s inaction on the issue of gun violence. Helping lead the event was the Rev. Rob Schenck, who serves as president of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute, a nonprofit organization that addresses social issues from a Christian perspective. He listed a number of possible policies lawmakers could pass to address gun violence, such as universal background checks or “extreme vetting” for citizens wishing to purchase an assault rifle, but stressed the issue is a moral one. “As a Christian … we are required to rescue those who are perishing, to come to their aid, and the Bible says if you fail … [Read more...]

(RNS) — With the bang of a gavel and a moment to honor the Native Americans who first called Milwaukee home, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton opened the ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The primary decision-making body of the mainline Evangelical Lutheran Church in America meets through Saturday (Aug. 10) at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee. With more than 3.5 million baptized members, the ELCA is one of the largest Protestant Christian denominations in the United States. Its churchwide assembly includes 927 voting members and more than 9,100 congregations across the U.S. and the Caribbean. The Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, executive for administration in the Office of the Presiding Bishop, described the meeting as a “big family reunion.” The assembly may lack some of the drama of the United Methodist Church General Conference, which voted in February to strengthen a ban on same-sex weddings and LGBTQ clergy, or the Southern Baptist Convention, which exploded in debate earlier this … [Read more...]

(RNS) — As the nation reacts to the weekend’s mass shootings and President Trump decries hatred that “devours the soul,” religious leaders called for action from his administration and Congress. In his remarks from the White House on Monday (Aug. 5), Trump said he joined in the grief and outrage over the “two evil attacks” in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, in which more than 80 people were killed or wounded. At least 22 people had reportedly died as a result of the El Paso shootings and nine in the Dayton violence. The president also made a religious appeal in his speech. “We ask God in heaven to ease the anguish of those who suffer and we vow to act with urgent resolve,” he said in a 10-minute address, with Vice President Mike Pence standing nearby. The president called an online manifesto allegedly posted by the El Paso shooter “consumed by racist hate.” “In one voice our nation must condemn racism bigotry and white supremacy,” Trump said. “These sinister … [Read more...]