Transgender ELCA Pastor - Megan - Installed. LCMS and WELS Still Working with ELCA, Planned Parenthood, and the United Nations via Thnrivent

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

In the News: Bay Area Reporter

Lutherans install
first trans pastor

NEWS

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Published 02/27/2014

by David-Elijah Nahmod

	Britney Wheat, left, holds a booklet as pastor Susan Strouse of First United Lutheran Church, right, installs the Reverend Megan Rohrer, center, as pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Photo: Jane Philomen Cleland)

A transgender person who runs a ministry for the homeless was installed last weekend as the spiritual leader at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of San Francisco, making them the first trans leader of a Lutheran congregation.

The February 22 service for the Reverend Megan Rohrer at the Sunset district chapel was well-attended.

Congregants joyfully took part in the service, which included praise songs set to the music of the Beatles. Dubbed Beatles Mass, the lyrics were written by Rohrer, sung to the beat of well-known tunes like "Across the Universe" and "Let it Be." The congregation sang "The Meal" to the tune of "Hey Jude," in preparation for receiving communion. As the congregation sang and clapped, Rohrer held up the bread and wine for all to see.

"The worship that we used at the installation was created for an evening worship at St. Aidan's Episcopal," Rohrer, 33, explained. "In hope of attracting young people and those new to the church, I created a Lady Gaga Mass. The service gained a lot of attention, and I was able to share it at congregations around the country. Many of the young people knew the tunes, but the older generation had a difficult time. I created the Beatles Mass because the tunes were recognized by both older and younger members and participants often leave the service feeling uplifted."

The reverend, who prefers the pronoun they, has been opening doors for years. In 2006, Rohrer was the first transgender pastor to be ordained by the Lutheran church.

In addition to their duties at Grace Lutheran, Rohrer is involved in transgender spiritual outreach.
"I meet annually with a group of about 150 transgender pastors and faith leaders from diverse faiths at a retreat hosted by the Center of Lesbian and Gay Studies in Berkeley," Rohrer said. "We talk about how we can support and learn from each other, and the best practices for sharing our stories, advocating for trans individuals and our own employment needs. There may be many more than that, but some people choose not to be open about their transgender status after they transition. This is why I use the word openly transgender in my identification."

Transgender pastors, Rohrer said, serve a very special need.

"Many transgender pastors and faith leaders work in specialized ministry to support vulnerable populations," Rohrer said. "When it comes to faithfully serving LGBT individuals or the homeless, being transgender is often an asset. Very few openly transgender pastors are able to find work leading a congregation. I believe this will change as society becomes more welcoming and understanding of transgender issues."

Part of Rohrer's work at Grace Lutheran will be to continue opening doors.

"We take the name Grace seriously, so we will be doing outreach to people of all shapes and sizes," Rohrer said. "The congregation is enthusiastic about welcoming everyone, particularly those who have been lied to and told they are not good enough to be part of a faith community. We even want people who feel uncomfortable stepping into a church to join us for our weekly worship and "Bible Study That Doesn't Suck" livestreams."

Beyond work at Grace, Rohrer is involved with Night Ministry.

"This is a group of pastors who provide a presence on the streets of San Francisco from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.," Rohrer said. "The Night Ministry also operates a crisis line. The ministry is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and was founded by a group of Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Methodist pastors who were working with homeless youth in the Tenderloin."

Rohrer added that the Night Ministry visits LGBT bars throughout the city and provides care and support to the drag court system.

Rohrer is happy to be a part of history.

"I am honored to be Grace's pastor and to be part of this historic new opportunity for transgender pastors," Rohrer said. "For over a decade I have been advocating and working toward a time when LGBT individuals would be welcome in the pews and behind the pulpits. Despite all my prayers, I never expected to see this kind of change within my lifetime."

For more information on Grace Lutheran, visit www.gracesf.com. For Rohrer's website, visit http://revrohrer.blogspot.com.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

In the News: Bay Area Reporter

News Briefs: Trans person to
pastor Lutheran church

NEWS

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Published 02/20/2014

compiled by Cynthia Laird

Megan Rohrer, a transgender person who has been running Welcome Ministry, a group that helps homeless people in San Francisco, will be installed as the pastor at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3201 Ulloa Street (at 33rd) during a service Saturday, February 22 at 7 p.m.

Earlier that day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Welcome Ministry will be hosting a health and vision event at St. Francis Lutheran Church, 152 Church Street. SF CARES will provide free glasses for those who need them. Rohrer said the event will be "like a mini LGBTQ Connect." Folks from Project Homeless Connect will help people sign up for cellphone service, a doctor will provide flu shots, and physical therapists will be on hand for free consultations.

As for Rohrer's installation, she said that she would be the first openly transgender pastor of a congregation in the Lutheran church.

On Sunday, February 23, Rohrer will be recognized with an honorable mention as an unsung hero of compassion by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who will be in San Francisco for the event, being held by Wisdom in Action, a Bay Area nonprofit.

What Proves UOJ Is False? - They Live in the Law, Condemned by Their Own Law, and Bear No Fruit

This Torquemada is ever alert to condemn faith,
to ignore the Means of Grace,
to blaspheme the Biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit
exclusively at work in the Word of God.
His autobiography condemns him as clueless
about the Christian Faith.

Author Archive -- Jim Pierce
Jim Pierce is a layman from Seattle, Washington. He is a blogger and author. He is a graduate of the University of Washington and has a career in systems administration. By the mercy and grace of God, his journey has taken him away from Pentecostalism into eighteen years of atheism, and he is now at peace as a Confessional Lutheran where he attends Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle with his dear wife Suzanne and their two children.

1. 

   Brett Meyer
   February 27th, 2014 at 17:24 | #23

   Reply | Quote

   Joe Krohn :
   Brett, you are blind! In your Luther quote is embedded exactly what you are arguing against!
   “He who believes that Christ came to redeem us, and that he has accomplished it, is really redeemed.”

   And yet I can see the sentence that preceeded your quote which states,“74. But what is the process whereby Christ gives us such a spirit and redeems us from under the Law? The work is effected solely by faith.”
   The accomplishment of redeeming the individual is through faith and not before and without as you contend.
   for He has redeemed, justified, and saved us from our sins as God and man, through His complete obedience; that therefore the righteousness of faith is the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and our adoption as God’s children only on account of the obedience of Christ, which through faith alone, out of pure grace, is imputed for righteousness to all true believers, and on account of it they are absolved from all their unrighteousness.”
   http://bookofconcord.org/sd-righteousness.php

   Joe Krohn :
   Christ had to redeem us in order for us to believe we are redeemed. That is what Luther is saying! And if you are saying (which seems to be the case) that not all men are/were redeemed, them you are guilty of limited redemption because the ‘paying of the world’s iniquity’ effects something for all men.

   Prove from Scripture your UOJ teaching that Christ had to redeem us in order for us to believe we are redeemed.

   Prove from Scripture your UOJ teaching that (Christ’s) paying of the world’s iniquity effects something for all men. In the sense that you intend it – i.e. that the whole world of unbelievers were forgiven by God because of the atonement of Christ. The effect of the atonement was that all righteousness is in and of Christ. Those that are in Christ through faith have all that is His. Those who abide in unbelief have nothing of His and therefore remain under God’s wrath and condemnation.

   Your rationalistic UOJ assumptions are rejected by the clear teaching of Scripture and the faithful explanation of the BOC.

   Jim Pierce :
   I mean, just look at the language… “as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”… Yet, here, Brett (and others in this thread) reject the Scriptural language “leads to justification and life for all men.” That is they reject that what Christ did (as opposed to what Adam did) “leads to justification… for all men.”

   Mr. Pierce, I’m glad you posted this Scriptural quote. The problem with this defense of UOJ’s teaching that all men are justified is that this verse states that all those justified are also saved eternally – “…and life for all men.” So you either have to back away from using this as a Objective Justification verse and, in classic UOJ style, teach it now is a Subjective Justification verse (just as it was once forbidden to eat meat on Friday’s yet it is now approved) or you must claim Universalism where all those thereby justified are also saved eternally. This is another clear example of UOJ’s eternal contradiction to Scripture.

Virtue Online - Episcoalian Leader in Africa Cites Pilgrim's Progress Against Apostasy

Christian left the City of Destruction with his Bible
and a heavy burden on his back.

Kenyan Primate Rips Church of England over Double Standard on Gay Marriage 
Jefferts Schori's honorary doctorate reveals 'torn fabric of the Communion'

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org 
February 27, 2014

The Anglican Primate of Kenya, The Most Rev. Eliud Wabukala has written a pastoral letter to GAFCON's members hitting out at the double standard of Church of England's leaders saying that Archbishop Justin Welby and Archbishop John Sentamu "lacked clarity" about the biblical understanding of homosexual relationships.

In a sharply written note, the evangelical Anglican leader said that while the Church of England's official teaching on marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman is affirmed, it is effectively contradicted by the permission given for prayers to be said for those entering same sex "marriages".

"After the praise that greeted the news that Oxford University is to honor the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States with an honorary Doctorate in Divinity, it was helpful to be reminded of the sober facts in the Statement issued by the Global South Primates Steering Committee last week recognizing that 'the fabric of the Communion was torn at its deepest level as a result of the actions taken by The Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church in Canada since 2003."

He also said and the Communion's London based Anglican Consultative Council (ACO) and the Lambeth Conference are "dysfunctional".

Citing John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Wabukala said the breadth of the wide gate can be dangerously appealing as an easy choice, avoiding the need for theological discernment and church discipline. "This is why I have already written a response (http://gafcon.org/news/a-response-to-the-statement-by-the-archbishops-of-canterbury-and-york) earlier this month to the Statement of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York about pastoral care for people who engage in same sex relationships.

"Sadly, the lack of clarity in that statement about the biblical understanding of such relationships has been repeated in the pastoral guidance issued subsequently by the Church of England's House of Bishops as same sex 'marriage' becomes legal in England and Wales next month. While the Church's official teaching on marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman is affirmed, it is effectively contradicted by the permission given for prayers to be said for those entering same sex 'marriages'.

"The lesson I believe we have learned from the failure of institutional attempts to restore unity by accommodation is that we must be more radical. We must return to the 'narrow gate' and come together on a strong and clear doctrinal basis. The GAFCON movement has been able to act as an instrument of unity in the Communion because it has the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration which together give us a clear, faithful and contemporary statement of Anglican identity. 

"I do strongly commend the continued study of both documents because they restore our focus on the gospel. The best way to be alert to the challenges of a counterfeit gospel is to become more and more immersed in the glory, power and wonder of the true gospel."

Wabukala is also chairman of the GAFCON Primates' Council.

The full letter can be found here: http://gafcon.org/news/chairmans-february-pastoral-letter