Local Church against discrimination
With Religious Freedom Laws in Indiana and Arkansas as the lightning rods of the moment in terms of sexual orientation based discrimination, one local church wants to spread a different message. It’s not business they’re open for, but they are open.
Faith Lutheran Church in Salisbury has a mission. Practice what they preach by welcoming anyone through their doors regardless of beliefs, race, or sexual orientation.
47 ABC spoke with Faith Lutheran’s Congregational President James Yamakawa and he tells us, “It’s one thing to say everyone’s welcome, every church says you’re welcome but do you actually treat people that way do you actually come out and say it, come out and actually try to live it, we’re trying to do that.”
Although the church has been around since 1957 it was just a few years ago that they adopted an official statement that whether you are male, female, transgendered, gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning or uncertain, you are welcome. Yamakawa says they want to fight the cultural stigma that churches don’t accept LGBT members.
Yamakawa tells 47 ABC, “We’re trying not to reach out to the community, we’re trying to become part of the community. We wanted them to know there’s a safe, welcoming space and that we’re going to do our best to get out there and away from these walls.”
But not everyone agrees. With the doors open to all some church members have run right through them on their way out.
Yamakawa tells 47 ABC, “I know that are people who have left because they felt we were focusing too much on it.”
In 2009 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to allow the ordination of homosexual clergy, which caused a ripple effect for Faith Lutheran. Around that time their pastor passed away. The Delaware Maryland Synod, which is the governing body for the church in both states, asked if they were willing to accept a homosexual pastor and they willingly accepted. And now they want to spread the word.
Yamakawa tells 47 ABC, “We’ve always helped welcome anyone who came through our doors this is just a matter of coming out and saying it.”
Faith Lutheran Church’s statement is as follows:
“Faith Lutheran church is a community of the people of God, called to minister with and to all people. We believe that the gospel is God’s gift to be shared unconditionally with all, including and especially with those who have been traditionally marginalized by the church. We affirm, with the apostle Paul, that “in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female. Christ has made us one” [Galatians 3:28]. We pledge to ourselves and all others that we will strive to be agents of healing within our society and to live as a reconciling people in our life together in our outreach to the world. “
