ELCA ready to issue stance on gay ordination

The battle lines are about to be drawn for this summer's confrontation over the ordination of gay people by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

With the matter scheduled for a vote at the biannual national convention in Minneapolis in August, church leaders will release a position paper Thursday that is expected to indicate their stance on the issue.

This is the second public step in a process that began in 2001 when the ELCA Churchwide Assembly commissioned a social statement on human sexuality.

A draft version of that study, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust," was released last March and distributed to congregations for reaction. That report, which did not take a stand on gay ordination, also will be released in a revised version that incorporates members' comments.

But the main focus is going to be on the second document, which will address recommendations for possible changes in the standards for clergy and professional lay workers in the ELCA.

Job hunting With baby-boomer pastors moving ever closer to retirement, church leaders are concerned about where the next generation of preachers will come from. Some of them might come from the Twin Cities.

At least that's the hope of Trace Haythorn, president of the Fund for Theological Education, a nonprofit group that provides financial support to those pursuing careers in the clergy.

Room service Churches go to all sorts of lengths to attract new members. But this is a new one on us: door prizes.

The Crossing Church, which holds services at Alliance Community Church in Elk River, is launching a new service at 7 p.m. today, an addition to the current 5:30 p.m. Saturday service. But it's Valentine's Day, and people might already have plans for the evening.

So, pastor Eric Dykstra and the church's executive director, his wife Kelly, came up with a unique solution: All first-time visitors to either of today's services can enter their names in a drawing. Three names will be picked for a free overnight stay in a specialty suite at Otsego's Riverwood Inn.

Happy first birthday The Supportive Torah Class, weekly informal gatherings in which participants are invited to ask a rabbi questions, is marking its first anniversary on Wednesday.

It's breaking with its normal pattern for an open house that will include refreshments and speeches by some of the rabbis who have volunteered their time. It runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Fishman's Kosher Deli, 4100 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park.