Welcome Statement

Welcome Statement

Trinity Lutheran Church is a faithful community in the heart of Stillwater.

We seek to be a church grounded in the reconciling Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In doing so, we intentionally educate ourselves in becoming more effective advocates for all of God’s people.

We embrace those of strong, uncertain, or undiscovered faith.

We embrace all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

We embrace every age, family structure, race, ethnicity, physical and mental capacity, and economic circumstance.

We believe all people have been created in the image of God, and therefore have valuable stories and infinite worth.

Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Team

Trinity has an RIC team to more effectively explore how our faith informs our reflection and response to what is happening among and to the LGBTQIA2S+ community. We are excited to experience God’s spirit in this holy journey together, where all are welcome in their belovedness as a child of God, created in God’s image. And YOU are invited to be a part of this shared work! Please contact Karen Gieseke.

Trinity is a Reconciling in Christ Community

Watch the entire worship service from Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019 when Trinity celebrated becoming an official Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community.

Reconciling in Christ Process

The Welcoming Ministry Team has guided our faith community in the journey to becoming an openly welcoming and affirming church; embracing and celebrating diversity in our church home and in our community. In April 2018, the Welcoming Ministry Team was commissioned. The team completed a congregational assessment tool and training by Reconciling Works, along with conducting one-on-one conversations with many staff and congregation members in a discovery process. The team encouraged open, positive conversations through the entire process. Several forum presentations were provided including: The ELCA Sexuality Statement, LGBTQ Community in our Midst panel discussion and Reconciling in Christ 101.

A vote was held at the annual meeting on Nov. 18, 2018 to affirm Trinity Lutheran Church as a Reconciling in Christ (RIC)  community. Our Welcome Statement was overwhelmingly accepted and will serve as our declaration of inclusiveness and acceptance of all people in our faith community. Our statement will now become a living experience, as a welcome is a journey and not a destination. The Welcome Statement explicitly welcomes members of the LGBTQ community. The drafting and approval of this statement was a required aspect of becoming an official Reconciling in Christ church.

A celebration of Trinity as an official RIC community was held during worship on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019. The Welcoming Ministry Team continues the work of pursuing ways to weave our welcome into areas of leadership, education, worship, outreach and facilities. This is a deeply proud moment for Trinity. We have acknowledged the hurt, marginalization and rejection many people have suffered, some of whom we worship next to each week. Together we can proclaim that we embrace all, welcome all, and provide a safe and loving place to nurture our relationship with God and each other.

You can find more information at www.reconcilingworks.org.