Her’s how Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wauconda, Illinois describes what it means to be Reconciling in Christ. We like it a lot. It says what we hope to show in our Lauderdale Lutheran congregations…
Their welcome statement reads: “Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church is a community of Christians seeking to welcome & connect everyone, make disciples of everyone & share Jesus’ love everywhere. We welcome the participation of people of all ages, races, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities, physical abilities, political affiliations, educational backgrounds, & economic conditions–all who want to join us in serving God & proclaiming our faith. We are a community of Christians seeking to welcome & connect everyone, make disciples of everyone & share Jesus’ love everywhere. You’re welcome here if you’re single, married, widowed or divorced; gay or straight; male or female. You are welcome here if you have more bills than you can handle & welcome if you have more money than you know what to do with. You’re welcome here wherever you went to school, whatever you learned (or didn’t learn), whatever language you speak, wherever you’re from & however you get around. You’re welcome here if you grew up Lutheran or if you don’t know what a Lutheran is. People who have mixed feelings about religion are very welcome here, as are people who have no idea why anyone would go to church, who are here to make their relatives happy, or who turned onto the wrong “Old Rand Road” from Highway 12. You’re welcome here if you never touch a drop, if you’re in recovery, or if you’re not quite there yet. You’re welcome if you can’t stand your parents or if you text them 5 times every day & you’re especially welcome if you do both. You’re welcome here if you’re angry, cheerful, confused, doubting, hurt, happy, listless, lost, wistful, yearning; right-wing, left-wing, or not into politics. You’re welcome here if all you really need is to be around people. You’re welcome here even if you root for the wrong sports team, are in the wrong mood, or you just want to sing. You are welcome here because God welcomes you.” WE WELCOME YOU.