Atlanta gay pastor to speak at churchwide meeting in Chicago

As 1,000 voting members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America talked Tuesday about a national effort to make members biblically literate, Atlantans pushed the debate on whether scriptures forbid gay clergy.The ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Chicago this week is hashing out denomination stances and issues, including whether or not gay ministers who are in relationships ought to be kicked out of their pulpits.The church allows gay ministers, but only if they are celibate.The Rev. Bradley Schmeling of St. John's Lutheran Church in Atlanta can't vote on the question, which he expects to come up later this week.But he flew in to lobby the delegates who can.
Schmeling is gay and in a relationship with a former Lutheran minister,Darin Easler.After a drawn-out church trial, church officials in July removed Schmeling from the list of approved ministers.Easler also was removed in 2006 and switched to the United Church of Christ.He works for a hospice organization in Conyers.Twenty-two of Schmeling's church members support him to the point of flying to Chicago to try to get national leaders to change church policy. St. John's has no plans to fire him."It's kind of hard to know where delegates stand,but there's definitely a lot of excitement and anticipation on both ends of it,"Jeanette Burgess,St. John's music director,said by phone.
"This is a big thing in the church and in a lot of people's lives."Schmeling and supporters handed out 1,600 daily devotional guides to delegates and visitors Tuesday.The guide includes Schmeling's story and arguments for allowing gay ministers to have partners and remain in the pulpit.That goes against what nearly all Protestant churches allow.The acceptance of gay ministers and members have divided churches and been hot topics of discussion in national meetings for more than a decade.The ELCA leadership hoped to stall debate until the 2009 meeting, when a study committee on sexual issues is supposed to present its findings.Emily Eastwood, the executive director of Lutherans Concerned,in St. Paul, Minn.,which is lobbying for gay inclusion,said waiting another two years is wrong.Some churches,like St. Johns,have kept gay pastors and remained in the denomination.Others have been kicked out.The questions and problems need to be resolved,she said Monday.Thursday and Friday,delegates will have a chance to bring up issues for debate.Schmeling said that is when the discussion will began formally,though he has already talked to many delegates."My interaction with the voting
members so far has been positive,"Schmeling said."I've had many wonderful conversations,but not all of them with people who agree with me."
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PS:All these churches that allow this "gay pastors" are a bunch of APOSTATE churches.Honest God loving people there should"FLEE"ASAP of these "places".
I'm glad that there are still IN these congregations people that have discernment and decided to move to a different church.This is another SIGN of the ENd Times we are living in....
As in the days of Noah...