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Lake County Association of Inclusive Churches Mundelein, IL
Dear Pastors,
As many of you may know, there are many Christians who cannot find a faith community that will welcome them as they are. Some were victims of spousal abuse and were told by their churches that they must remain in abusive relationships or struggle without a spouse for the rest of their lives. Others are same-sex oriented and have been told that any natural expression of this orientation is a perversion, an abomination, or simply “disordered.” As a result, such outcast Christians often suffer greatly without the support of a faith community.
This sad state of affairs results in increased suffering for its victims: worsening spousal abuse, depression, acute loneliness, discrimination in employment, verbal slurs, suicide, and sometimes murder.
This situation should be considered deplorable by any Christian. Entire populations are being turned away from the church door because they are considered to be unworthy of respect, unworthy of love, and even unworthy of sacraments. Many outcast Christians have made their decisions in prayer and in good conscience, but their churches have coldly cast them out.
YOU can make a difference by promoting the Gospel principles of love, non-judgment, and inclusion! If you respect the primacy of individual conscience on these issues and would like to take a stand in defense of the Gospels, please consider joining the now-forming Lake County Association of Inclusive Churches. If you embrace inclusion, but your church or denomination does not, you are still welcome to join! Membership costs nothing – just a little courage and faith!
To join or request information, please email TJWard@ICCWest.com. And if you know of any Lake County clergy who may be interested in joining, please feel free to forward this invitation to them!
God bless you all, Fr. Tim Ward (Independent Catholic Church of the West) www.iccwest.com
NOTE: Because of the anticipated volume of objections from non-inclusive religious organizations, we may not be able to respond to e-mails from such groups. Rest assured, however, that we are well aware of the arguments in opposition to inclusion. |