Another Great Church Experience

[Susan R]

So today my wife and I killed two birds with one stone and had a lot of fun doing it.   We spent time with an old friend and finally met someone we've been wanting to meet for a very long time.  We've been attending several "affirming" churches in our area but had a wonderful opportunity this week to visit a church whose new pastor happens to be the person my wife and I have wanted to meet for many years.  We used to watch him on YouTube years ago and we're subscribed to his newsletter for years.  His name is Rich Lang and a few of you in the Seattle area may know who he is.  He's not only a strong LGBTQ+ advocate but a very strong supporter of the homeless here in the Seattle area.  He's even been arrested on occasion due to his many peaceful protests back in the 2000's.  This guy never quits.  He's still at it.  His new church happens to be one that a very close friend of ours attends every week.

 

When my wife and I first heard the new pastor at our friend's church was going to be Rich Lang, we told our friend we would love to attend a service with her.  We picked today because the church was celebrating its passing this week of it's "Reconciliation Vote" with a huge potluck afterwards.  In case you're unfamiliar with what this means, in layman terms, it means the church has voted on whether or not to commit to achieve LGBTQ+ justice and full inclusion in the life and ministry in both policy and practice.  It was wonderful to hear that Rich Lang's new church voted 97% for it.  It was a wonderful service in celebration of the churches' decision and what it means for the community.  I felt so glad to be a part of it even though I'm not a regular attendee.  If I didn't have to drive an hour to get there, I think I would settle on this church as my church of choice.  My wife and I had such a good time celebrating with our friend and the rest of the congregation after the service at the potluck.  The people were just overwhelmingly friendly to us both and the food was very great.?

 

I just thought I'd share my good news with you all.  Thanks for reading,

Susan R?

[NB Adult]

Glad you had a positive experience Susan! Last church we attended the pastor went on a rant against homosexuals, one of his elders, a sweet man married with a teenage daughter was gay and it drove him to commit suicide. My wife's younger brother and his S.O. are both gay and we love them dearly, that event caused us to quit attending church altogether, as we know that Jesus was not about hating sinners like us. Bottom line is that it turned out that this pastor, a dynamic preacher on the Eastside, had skeletons in his own closet and was fondling some of the young men in the congregation. It all but destroyed that congregation. That saying, "Thou doest protest too much" comes to mind in this instance.