Help ReconcilingWorks welcome a recent Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community:
Covenant Lutheran Church in Temple, Texas.
Their welcome statement reads:
“We welcome you to Covenant Lutheran Church, where we love God, love others, and serve with joy. We extend our welcome, rooted in God’s commitment to diversity and inclusion as seen throughout Holy scripture. In the Genesis creation story, all things are born out of love and are called good by the creator God. In the Gospels, Christ consistently calls on us to love our neighbors who are both different and like us. You are included in the wide welcome of God; you are welcome here.
● We welcome you for your diverse faith journey and unique story, wherever you are on that journey—you are welcome here.
● We welcome you for your sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression including all members of the LGBTQIA+ community—you are welcome here.
● We welcome you for your race, ethnicity, and cultural background; and we commit to racial equity—you are welcome here.
● We welcome you as you are. We welcome all people within the spectrum of ability and neurodivergence—you are welcome here.
● We welcome you for your social perspective, no matter what generation, political affiliation, and socio-economic difference may exist—you are welcome here.
● We welcome you who have been hurt or excluded by the Church for any reason; we strive to be a safe place—you are welcome here. We affirm God’s place for you at the table and all your unique gifts. We at Covenant have experienced the grace, love, and forgiveness that comes from Jesus, and we want to share it! “We love because He (Jesus) first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Abbreviated version to supplement first… We extend our welcome rooted in God’s commitment to diversity and inclusion as seen throughout scripture. We welcome you no matter your race, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, generation, or abilities.
Whatever your unique story and faith journey, you are welcome here. We at Covenant have experienced the grace, love, and forgiveness that comes from Jesus and we want to share it. We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19).“
Learn more about Covenant Lutheran Church at: www.CovenantLutheran.com