Help ReconcilingWorks welcome a new Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community:  

Christ Lutheran Church in Walla Walla, Washington.

Their welcome statement reads:

“Welcome to Christ Lutheran Church!

We welcome and invite all as Jesus Christ welcomes and includes all races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, citizenship, sexual orientations, and gender identities and expressions. You are invited to worship with us, to receive God‘s gift of grace and to participate fully in our community’s life. We commit ourselves to embracing the work of racial equity, and social and economic justice.

We believe our unity is in the love of God made known in Jesus Christ.“

Learn more about Christ Lutheran Church at: www.ChristWallaWalla.org

The post A New RIC Community: Christ Lutheran Church (Walla Walla, WA) appeared first on ReconcilingWorks.

Help ReconcilingWorks welcome a new Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community:  

First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

Their welcome statement reads:

“In 1859, a northern German Lutheran pastor traveled into the Deep South as the Civil War was about to unfold. In the congregation, he openly spoke against secession and urged young men in the congregation not to enlist in the rebellion. Though he knew his stance was unpopular and personally costly, he chose to stay. We understand our present commitments to justice, welcome, equity, and reconciliation to be part of this same courageous tradition: a faith that stands with the vulnerable, tells the truth, and chooses love even when it is costly. At First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Nashville, we strive to welcome all of God’s children. As Martin Luther teaches in the Small Catechism, it is faithful to ask, “What does this mean?” For us, “all of God’s children” means all people. This includes people of all ages, ethnicities, skin tones, races, sexual and romantic orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, immigration statuses, economic situations, and all physical, intellectual, emotional, and neurodiverse abilities.

All are welcome here…
Whatever your age.
The color of your skin.
The content of your wallet.
No matter whom you love.
How you speak.
Or the abilities or disabilities you carry in your body or in your heart.
For we are one in Christ Jesus And all are to be reconciled to God.

Land Acknowledgment
We recognize that First Lutheran Church resides on the ancestral homelands of the Tanasi— lands stewarded by Cherokee and Shawnee peoples before their forced removal through the Indian Removal Act of 1830. We acknowledge that our community continues to benefit from this land, and we commit ourselves to remembrance and relationship. We affirm Indigenous sovereignty and seek to be a community that learns, advocates, and practices respect toward Indigenous peoples past and present.

Commitment to Racial Equity and Repair
We acknowledge that Christian communities have caused harm, especially to LGBTQIA+ people and communities of color. Therefore, we commit to racial equity, to building relationships of trust, restoration, and dignity, and to being a people who practice God’s widening love in tangible ways. We firmly stand against racism and all forms of exclusion.

Commitment to Inclusive Leadership
We affirm that God calls LGBTQIA+ people and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to lead in the Church. Therefore, we commit to being open to calling LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC rostered pastors, deacons, staff, and lay leaders.

We give thanks for those who have shaped the radicality of our life together:
• First women elected to Council (1964)
• First woman Council President (1989)
• First openly gay staff member (2012) •
First openly gay Council President (2025)

We give thanks to all in our congregation who help us reflect the diversity of our community with families from as far as India and Madagascar and invite opportunities for global and international partnership. Commitment to Marriage & Blessing We joyfully affirm and bless LGBTQIA+ marriages and unions in our sanctuary, continuing the commitment this congregation made in 2018.

Commitment to Shared Justice Work
We commit to supporting ministries and organizations that labor for equity, dignity, belonging, and liberation, including financial support of the Reconciling in Christ Program.

Scriptural Grounding for Inclusion
We continue to invite the curiosity of those still discerning. Questions are holy, and faith deepens when we study Scripture together. We warmly invite exploration of these passages:
All three persons of the Trinity affirm the inclusion of the eunuch:
• Isaiah 56:3–5, 7
• Matthew 19:12
• Acts 8:26–39
Additional texts:
1 John 4:7–12, 16 • 2 Corinthians 5:18–19 • Galatians 3:27–28 • Ephesians 2:14–19 • Genesis 1:27 •Acts 10:34–35 • Romans 8:38–39
All of Scripture points to this truth: God’s welcome is wider than human boundaries. The Church is called to recognize God’s image in every person. By the grace of God, we seek to be a community where all people can belong, be known, be loved, and be transformed.“

Learn more about First Evangelical Lutheran Church at: www.First-Lutheran-Nashville.org

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Beginning in 1983, the holy work of this ministry now represents 13% of ELCA and 7% of ELCIC congregations, synods, and ministries.

On Mondays through January we are celebrating all RIC Partners who became RIC in January – 227! Below is a partial list of this month’s RIC Anniversaries – and the year they became RIC – throughout the United States and Canada.

The post Celebrating January RIC Anniversaries appeared first on ReconcilingWorks.

Today we remember that the Beloved Community is more than a dream. It is a demand.

On MLK Day, ReconcilingWorks recommits to the work of anti-racism, LGBTQIA+ welcome, and liberation for all people denied dignity by systems of violence, exclusion, and hate. The Gospel calls us not to silence, but to solidarity.

#MLKDay #BelovedCommunity #ForTheSakeOfJustice #LGBTQIAJustice #ReconcilingWorks

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You now have two ways to read the ReconcilingWorks newsletter:

• Read it as an online flipbook, or

• Download a PDF.

When reading as a flipbook, click on the three dots on the bottom right for options, including fullscreen. Use the white arrows on the sides of the screen to move forward and back in the newsletter, or use the arrow keys on your keyboard.

The post January 2026 Newsletter appeared first on ReconcilingWorks.

Help ReconcilingWorks welcome a new Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community:  

Hope Lutheran Church in Temecula, California.

Their welcome statement reads:

“We welcome all people, celebrating the diversity of God’s creation. No matter your race, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, ability or background—you are loved and affirmed here.

Filled with faith or full of questions—you belong. As a Reconciling in Christ community and a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we are called to confront racism to ensure fairness and dignity for all, recognizing our shared humanity in Christ. Anchored in Christ, it involves embracing diversity, dismantling racial structures, and working toward a more just and inclusive church and society.“

Learn more about Hope Lutheran at: www.HopeTemecula.org

The post A New RIC Community: Hope Lutheran Church (Temecula, CA) appeared first on ReconcilingWorks.

Help ReconcilingWorks welcome a new Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community:  

Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Surrey, British Columbia.

Their welcome statement reads:

“Mount Olive Lutheran Church is an inclusive and caring congregation inspired by faith and shaped by the love and grace of God. As we are called by Jesus to love God and one another, we are committed to welcoming and affirming all people to belong to our Church community, inclusive of all personal qualities such as age, ability, race, cultural background, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, family structure, or socio-economic status.

We celebrate and give thanks for the many diverse gifts that God graciously bestows upon us and encourages us to share through our relationships with others. We endeavour to provide a respectful, gracious, and loving space in our community for individuals to hold diverse opinions, encouraging the equity of all, respecting the consciences of all, and accepting each person as a unique creation made in the image of God.

All are invited to participate in this lifelong journey of partaking in God’s reconciling love extended to every person in the inclusively welcoming grace of Christ Jesus.“

Learn more about Mount Olive Lutheran Church at: www.MountOliveLutheran.com

The post A New RIC Community: Mount Olive Lutheran Church (Surrey, BC) appeared first on ReconcilingWorks.

Beginning in 1983, the holy work of this ministry now represents 13% of ELCA and 7% of ELCIC congregations, synods, and ministries.

On Mondays through January we are celebrating all RIC Partners who became RIC in January – 227! Below is a partial list of this month’s RIC Anniversaries – and the year they became RIC – throughout the United States and Canada.

The post Celebrating January RIC Anniversaries appeared first on ReconcilingWorks.

Help ReconcilingWorks welcome a new Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community:  

United Lutheran Church of Long Island in Huntington Station, New York.

Their welcome statement reads:

“We believe that, just as Jesus transcended barriers of gender, racial equity, ability, and status, we are called to love and welcome all as God loves us.

By God’s grace, we are saved and called to respond to that love by being instruments of reconciliation and justice in the world. All are welcome at worship and our communion table: Regardless of gender, LGBTQIA+ or straight; all are welcome. Regardless of family structure, whether traditional, blended or chosen; all are welcome. Regardless of racial identity, ethnicity or cultural background; all are welcome. Whether single, married, divorced or widowed; all are welcome. Whether you are rich, poor, or in between, like to dress up or dress down; all are welcome. Whether you are old or young, able-bodied, or differently abled; all are welcome.

We celebrate our unity in Christ with all who share these values of inclusion and love.“

Learn more about United Lutheran Church at: www.mnys.org/unitedlutheranli

The post A New RIC Community: United Lutheran Church of Long Island (Huntington Station, NY) appeared first on ReconcilingWorks.

Access the free Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Sunday 2026 worship materials here.

“Celebrating Diversity
as God’s Children”

Why celebrate?

• We believe that the Gospel is built upon a foundation of diversity.
  
• We believe that the Creator gifted us a universe infused with beautiful diversity.
  
• We believe the Blessed Community is strongest and most faithful to Jesus when we invite everyone to the table.

Throughout his ministry among the peoples of Roman Palestine and in his teaching, Jesus was always reaching for those on the margins of society and religious institutions, pulling them back into the center of the life of the community. Because it is rooted in the teachings and ministry of Jesus, the work of full inclusion is something that God’s beloved children can celebrate. No hiding in the shadows for us! Let us dance in the light of God’s love, singing songs of liberation, justice, and inclusion.

About Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Sunday

The post Is Your Faith Community Celebrating RIC Sunday? Access Worship Materials Today! appeared first on ReconcilingWorks.