Hello Prince of Peace friends and families! My name is Andrew Hannesh. A most of you know, this fall I have been leading the effort to help PoP formally declare that we are a Reconciling In Christ (RIC) congregation.
For those of you that don’t know, here is the description of what being RIC means according to the Reconciling Works website:
“The purpose of the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program is to ensure the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; work for racial equity and commit to anti-racist work and support the national RIC program.”
By proclaiming Prince of Peace as an RIC community, we will be formally declaring that we are welcoming place to all people, especially those who are marginalized in one way or another. Additionally, by making this declaration, we will join a national database that lists RIC communities, making it easier for us to be found by anyone who is looking for a comforting community to call home.
According to the Reconciling Works website, the following four conditions must be met to become recognized as an RIC community:
1. Clearly state a welcome to people of “all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions” or “LGBTQIA+” and name its commitment to “racial equity” or”anti-racism” in its welcome statement.
2. Be open to calling an LGBTQIA+ and Black, Brown, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC) Rostered Leader.
3. Allow sanctuary/community space/ to be used for LGBTQIA+ weddings and blessings.
4. Make a meaningful contribution annually to support the national RIC program.
The second and third conditions have already been satisfied by previous votes and actions by the Prince of Peace congregation and are already active practices of our church. The fourth condition is being taken care through our current budgeting process. It will be included in the revised budget proposal that will be presented to the congregation at the next congregational meeting.
The first condition, adopting a welcome statement, is where we are looking to the congregation for support to move this process forward. As I said, I have been leading a committee this Fall with the goal of developing an RIC welcome statement that fits the criteria mentioned above. Members of this group include B.J. Metzger, Kristina Krepala, Amy Skare-Klecker, Gary and Jean Olson. Rick Rothausen, Jenna Sethi, Michael Stetzler, Julene Hannesh and me. Within the last month or so, we have come to a consensus on the following statement:
“Prince of Peace Lutheran Church commits to live as a community of people seeking reconciliation and wholeness in our lives together and in our outreach to the world. We also commit to the work of anti-racism, liberation, social and environmental justice for all of God’s beloveds. We affirm the sacredness of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; the sacredness of all those who have experienced exclusion because of race, ability, age, religious belief, or culture; the sacredness of those who wrestle with addiction, physical or mental health, imprisonment, socio-economic circumstances, or anything that too often divides us. You are absolutely invited to join us in this lifelong journey. We welcome all who are seeking God’s love and grace. We need each other and our sincere hope is by being in community together we will know the Kingdom of God in Christ has come near.”
The congregation council has also approved this statement, so now we look to you – the greater congregation of Prince of Peace – to provide the final approval and help usher this new idea of welcome into our community. This statement will be presented at the congregational meeting in January where we will have a vote to approve this statement.
Upon a successful approval, this statement will be added to our Prince of Peace website and the final clerical items will be completed to cement Prince of Peace as an RIC community. I hope to see all of you at the meeting and I hope to have your support as we move forward as a church body, extending a welcoming hand to those in our community that need it most.
Any questions you may have about the process laid out above for Prince of Peace or the RIC process in general, can be directed to me, Michael Stetzler or any member of our group.
Thank you and God Bless,
Andrew Hannesh