Faith
By Richard Lamken, 6-16-23
Decades ago, I was the pastor of a church which had about 5,000 members, including children. Our motto regarding worship and membership in the church was ‘All Are Welcome”. This was at a time when many were being excluded at other churches, gay Christians, those who had had an abortion or those living with someone to whom they weren’t married or those who had committed a “Public Sin”, something that was commonly known in the community.
I reminded worshippers often that I was a sinner, very much in need of grace and reconciliation. Before I could lead them in worship and before I could invite them to the table of the Lord, I had to admit my sin to God, seek forgiveness from Him, and commit to avoiding sin and those occasions of sin that made me more likely to sin. My congregation was invited to follow my example and, once they made their peace with the Lord, come, worship and share in communion.
Several members of my congregation identified themselves to me as gay. They told me that I was the only pastor in the county who made them feel, in their words, “Accepted, Respected, Valued and Loved”. I was thrilled that they felt that way and I encouraged them to continue to worship with us. One of them sought spiritual counseling from me and I got to know him very well. He was the President of a local Gay Christian group and asked me to become their “Spiritual Director”. I declined. My reason was that I couldn’t become a member of a group that believed that their continued expressions of homosexuality was compatible with Christianity. He understood my reasoning, and continued to worship with our community and still expressed his appreciation for being welcomed by such a loving church community.
There are many here in Nassau County who feel as I do. We accept, respect, value and love our neighbors, all our neighbors. We exclude no one; we judge no one. We just are not comfortable with celebrations of lifestyles that are incompatible with our Biblical spirituality. We resent being labeled by some in Fernandina Beach and Nassau County as hate mongers and homophobes. We also believe that the love, acceptance and respect should flow both ways, i.e., from the Pride community and their allies to us. It seems to me that it isn’t good enough for the members of the Pride community simply to be accepted, valued and loved by their neighbors; they insist that, unless we celebrate their lifestyle, we are disrespecting them and that we are haters. It’s simply not true. Why isn’t our perspective as worthy of acceptance as theirs?
In closing, let me offer the words of Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. We would do so much better by spending our time in service to one another rather than by only focusing on and highlighting our differences. Please consider volunteering 4 hours a week in one of the many organizations in Nassau County that could really benefit from your time and service.
May God shower His abundant grace upon us all.
Richard Lamken is a retired Assistant Superintendent of Schools. He volunteers in the Emergency Department of a local hospital and as a career/employment counselor for a local non-profit, assisting those looking for work and those looking for more meaningful employment.
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
