People at St. Michael’s have asked this question for years. It opened our doors wider, and it keeps opening them wider still. If the church will not make room for the whole of who we are, who will? If not here, where can people receive God’s gifts of grace, forgiveness, and love through Jesus?
 

So we say it plainly:

• If you are of any race, ethnicity, culture, or language, you are welcome here.

• If you are LGBTQIA+, you and your family are welcome here.

• If you are estranged from family or friends, you are welcome here.

• If you live with addiction or are in recovery, you and those who love you are welcome here.

• If you have been incarcerated or carry a criminal record, you are welcome here.

• If you live with a disability, visible or invisible, or with mental illness, you are welcome here.

• If you are single, married, partnered, divorced, or widowed, you are welcome here.

• If you bring children to worship, wiggles and noise included, you are welcome here.

• If you are young or old, housed or unhoused, comfortable or struggling, you are welcome here.

• If you doubt, if you have been hurt by the church, or if you aren’t sure what you believe, you are welcome here.

• If you are a lifelong Lutheran, or have never set foot in a church, you are welcome here.

• If you carry regret or shame, choices you can’t take back, you are welcome here.

• If there are parts of you, or your story, that you struggle to love, you are welcome here.

• If you are a sinner, like us, you are welcome here.
   

We welcome because we have been welcomed. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and all are justified by God’s grace as a gift (Romans 3:24). Christ died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). None of us earned a place at this table. It is a free gift.
 

We welcome people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, and we are committed to the work of anti-racism and racial equity in our congregation and in our city.
 

All people are welcome. Harassment, abuse, and harm are not. No one will be demeaned for who they are, and we are committed to keeping St. Michael’s safe for everyone, especially those who are vulnerable.

We will not always welcome as well as we should. When we fail, we will confess it, ask forgiveness, and try again, trusting that God’s grace is for us too.

You are welcome here with us.