November 22, 2022

Dear Grace Community,

I give thanks for you and want to share some news from the session. In June, I started a conversation with the session about how we welcome the LGBTQ community to Grace.  Those of you who were here seven years ago may recall the work we did as a congregation around same-sex marriage.  That was a challenging conversation, and because it was hard, we stopped talking about it as a congregation once that discussion was done.

On the one hand, that was fine – we had the conversation, and it was time to move on to other things.  On the other hand, seven years is a long time, and many questions have come up.  I shared with the session that I regularly get questions from newer church members about how welcoming we are and how we can express this welcome.

The Session dedicated a lot of time to this topic over the summer and early fall months.  One thing that rose to the top was that it is important that we are clear about who we are as a church.  By and large, most churches in Wichita do not fully welcome members of the LGBTQ community.  Lots of churches say that everyone is welcome, but members of the LGBTQ community may not be welcome to serve in leadership and/or marry in those churches, and so are not fully welcomed.  While we may know that we are a welcoming place, it’s important we state that clearly for those who do not know us.

After months of discussion this is the statement the Session approved at our November 2022 meeting:

WELCOME STATEMENT 

Grace Presbyterian Church warmly invites and welcomes all who seek to deepen their relationship with God.  Our church practices acceptance and welcomes all people regardless of race, disability, gender, sexuality, politics, or socio-economic status. We invite all people to fully participate in the life and ministries at Grace Presbyterian.  We seek all people, including the LGBTQ community, for positions of leadership and service in Grace Presbyterian based on our understanding and evidence of their faith, character, and maturity.

This statement will go on our website.  I’ve asked Session members to share with you why this is important to them, and we will share their testimonies in the coming weeks through enews and Grace this Week.

If you have any questions about this, please reach out to me or members of the Session.

In Christ,
Catherine

Full Session minutes are available upon request.

• The Grace Session met on October 17 at 6 pm, in the church parlor, and on Zoom. The meeting was opened with a devotional by Catherine Neelly Burton.
• The Session met via Zoom with Mike Crain from Ministry Architects to hear details of his staffing recommendations and to ask questions.
• The Session reviewed the Board of Trustees’ memorial fund policy.
• The church by-laws were discussed and edited – to be approved by the congregation at the annual meeting.
• The Session continued to review and edit a proposed welcome statement, specifically how we name welcome for the LGBTQ community.
• Financial reports were given and received. Other reports were received.  Catherine reported on a request for an electronic sign for the outside of Grace; she will take that request to the trustees.
• It was reported that Rev Cheryl Hoops had been hired as the JLL chaplain. The search for someone to work in children/family ministry at Grace continues.
• The meeting was closed in prayer.