An Inclusive Church: Reconciling in Christ

Our community is better and brighter because of the LGBTQIA+ people in our midst. As a Reconciling in Christ congregation, we joyfully affirm that truth and live it out together.

You are Welcome.

You are Seen.

You are Loved.

If you or your family identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, we are excited to invite you to participate fully in every part of our life and ministry. Being Reconciling in Christ reflects our commitment to welcome, embrace, and continue to grow as a community shaped by grace, honesty, and love. We believe the church is strongest when everyone’s gifts, voices, and stories are honored—and when we keep becoming who God calls us to be, together.

Our Welcome Statement

As a Reconciling in Christ congregation, UDLC is called to follow Jesus’ example of unconditional hospitality, welcoming all who seek God’s love and grace. We believe that every person is a unique and beloved child of God, created in God’s image, and we affirm and accept each individual as they are.

Guided by our unity in Christ and Jesus’ teachings of acceptance, we joyfully welcome people of diverse race and ethnicity, culture and language, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, relationship status, age and ability, immigration and nationality status, economic circumstance and family configuration, and neurodiversity.

We specifically acknowledge and embrace members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Together, we strive to create a loving, inclusive environment where we engage with one another gracefully, advocate for those who have been marginalized, and model Christ’s teachings in our community and beyond. As a congregation, we are committed to ongoing work in anti-racism, creation care, especially as it affects marginalized communities, and economic justice.

Our differences are a source of strength and a blessing from God. We gratefully accept all that God has given us, working together to build one extended family in Jesus Christ.

We are the Welcome Place for All people.

Watch our short video on UDLC becoming an RIC congregation.

FAQs

  • The RIC Program ensures the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. It also commits to racial equity and anti-racist work. Learn more at www.reconcilingworks.org.

  • Since 1983, the RIC Program has provided a public way for faith communities to celebrate and advocate for LGBTQIA+ people within the Lutheran church, while also working toward racial equity. UDLC became an RIC church in 2022.

  • ReconcilingWorks is an independent 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as an “Independent Lutheran Organization.” They work together to ensure that all church rites, sacraments, and ministries are accessible to everyone.