Lesbian Ordained in
ELCA Church
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - More than 1,000
people crowded into a Lutheran church to witness the
ordination of a lesbian pastor in defiance of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Anita Hill, 49, was ordained at St. Paul-Reformation
Lutheran Church in a service animated by spirit,
laughter, faith and exhortations for inclusion.
Hill has satisfied all the requirements for ordination
into the ELCA, but she is a lesbian in a committed
relationship and therefore cannot be ordained by the
church. The ELCA does ordain homosexuals, but
only if they abstain from sexual relationships.
More than 200 clergy members - Roman Catholic,
Presbyterian, Baptist, Jewish, Buddhist and others -
surrounded Hill as she knelt at the altar. With hands on
hands on hands, they blessed her ministry.
Then the Rev. Michael Cobbler, an old friend and the
preacher for the service, led her to the center of
the sanctuary, where the congregation blessed her and
ordained her to the ministry.
Cobbler said, ``The last time I checked, the grace of God
left no one out.''
St. Paul-Reformation faces discipline from St. Paul Synod
Bishop Mark Hanson and the St. Paul Synod
council. Options range from a public reprimand to removal
from the roster of ELCA congregations.
In a prepared statement, Hanson and Janet Thompson, synod
vice president, said, ``We in leadership are
seeking to make a decision that is consistent with the
ELCA's governing documents and that will also
enable us to focus on our mission of making Christ
known.''
Religion
News in Brief 05/03/01
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