LUTHERANS CONCERNEDNORTH AMERICA

RECONCILING IN CHRIST (RIC) PROGRAM: WORKING DIRECTLY WITH LUTHERAN CONGREGATIONS, SYNODS, COLLEGES, SEMINARIES AND ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE OUTREACH, EDUCATION, AND ADVOCACY FOR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, AND QUEER (LGBTQ) PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES IN THE LUTHERAN CHURCH THROUGH RESOURCES, TRAINING AND ACCOMPANIMENT FOCUSED ON CREATING PATHWAYS TO WELCOME, INCLUSION AND CELEBRATION OF LGBTQ IDENTITIES WITHIN THE LUTHERAN COMMUNION. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE RECONCILING IN CHRIST PROGRAM IN 1983, RECONCILIINGWORKS HAS ENGAGED THOUSANDS OF LUTHERANS CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS. THERE ARE 1031 RIC PARTNERS AS OF THIS FILING. EACH COMMUNITY FOLLOWS A PROCESS TO BECOME A RIC SETTING. SETTINGS MUST DISCERN USING RESOURCES, TRAININGS AND CONVERSATION GUIDES HOW BEST TO MOVE THEIR COMMUNITY THROUGH A JOURNEY OF WELCOME TO LGBTQ PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES. THIS PROCESS IS TAILORED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF EACH COMMUNITY. TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A RECONCILING IN CHRIST (RIC) PARTNER, A FAITH COMMUNITY WILL: (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 RIC PROGRAM IS CHANGING AND SAVING LIVES OF LGBTQ PEOPLE ACROSS THE US AND CANADA. CURRENTLY 75% OF RIC CONGREGATIONS REPORT HAVING LGBTQ PARENTS WITH CHILDREN ATTENDING WORSHIP; NEARLY 50% ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION ABOUT LGBTQ IDENTITIES WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THEIR COMMUNITY; 83% OF COMMUNITIES PERFORM SAME GENDER WEDDING SERVICES; AND 45% OF RIC COMMUNITIES EMPLOY OPENLY LGBTQ PERSONS. RECONCILINGWORKS CREATES RESOURCES USING THE LATEST DESIGN TECHNIQUES, AND MAKES THESE RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBPAGE. MANY RESOURCES ARE TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH. RESOURCES USE RECENT SCHOLARSHIP, THEOLOGY AND LANGUAGE AROUND LGBTQ IDENTITIES. BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE CHURCH TRAININGS PROVIDE THE BEDROCK OF KNOWLEDGE FOR COMMUNITIES TO JOIN THE RECONCILING IN CHRIST PROGRAM. THESE TRAININGS ARE OFFERED ON A SLIDING SCALE FEE OF 100 - 25. RECONCILINGWORKS STAFF AND SOME VOLUNTEERS ARE TRAINED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF THIS TRAINING AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF TRAINING'S OFFERED AROUND THE COUNTRY. THESE TRAININGS ARE REACHING MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER BEFORE AND HAVE BECOME A STABLE SOURCE OF PROGRAM SERVICE REVENUE FOR THE ORGANIZATION. THIS WORK IS ACCOMPLISHED BY TWO CENTRAL STAFF MEMBERS AS WELL AS INTERNS, AMBASSADORS, A CO-FACILITATOR, AND A VARIETY OF VOLUNTEERS AND PROJECT DEVELOPERS (TRANSLATORS, LITURGY WRITERS, PRAYER WRITERS, WEB SITE, ETC.). THIS STAFF AND VOLUNTEER TEAM IS SUPPORTED BY A YEAR-ON-YEAR INCREASE IN SUPPORT FROM INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF LUTHERAN COMMUNITIES, AN INCREASE IN RIC CONGREGATIONAL SUPPORT, AND SEVERAL GRANTERS FUNDING SPECIFIC INITIATIVES.