Gay Bishop Reflects Evolution of Evangelical Lutheran Church

Evangelical Lutheran Church of America voting members, left to right, Orinda Hawkins-Brinkley, Diane Yeager. Marj Ellis and Steven Schnittke, along with other members of the ELCA, stop for a moment of prayer Friday morning Aug. 21, 2009 during their assembly at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis. More than 1,000 members debated and voted on whether to allow gay and lesbian clergy to serve while be in committed same-sex relationships. (AP Photo/Dawn VIllella)

Almost 20 years ago, I devoted a long column in The Kansas City Star to an interview with two local pastors, both in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a Mainline Protestant denomination. The ELCA was then debating whether to change its rules to allow the ordination of LGBTQIA+ people as clergy. The Rev. Donna…

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Kansas City’s ‘Stunning’ Array of Sacred Music

Rockhurst University music professor Timothy L. McDonald grew up near New York City where, he says, “we have a lot of sacred music, but it’s my perception that New York has not nearly as many professional and semi-professional sacred music groups as in Kansas City. “It’s stunning to me how many such groups we have…

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Retreat Centers Serve as Oases from Stressful Times

On the shores of Lake Pomme de Terre in rural Pittsburg, Missouri, the Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center offers visitors the quiet and peace they seek away from a divisive, non-stop world. (Bill Tammeus | Flatland)

Stress — including that caused by our nation’s current political turmoil — is such a common experience that people have devised many ways to describe it, including the simple exclamation “I’m stressed out.” There’s also the phrase you’re likely to hear only in parts of New England: “I’m right out straight.” Sometimes people under age…

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Ministering to Children With Disabilities

The special-needs ministry at Johnson County’s Grace Church has been a godsend for parents Holly and Lou Palacio and their son, Michael (far right), who has a rare genetic disorder that causes autism and epilepsy. Also pictured are the Palacio’s son, Daniel, and daughter, Anna. (Photo courtesy of the Palacio family).

When Michael Palacio was born 18 years ago this month, he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, tuberous sclerosis, which causes epilepsy and autism. And Michael now has both. As his parents began to respond to Michael’s needs — and continue to parent Michael’s two older siblings — one issue that arose quickly was…

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Nick’s Picks | The Pope, Fountains, Trees, and More …

Remembering Pope Francis It’s going to be a week of mourning as Catholics around the world mark today’s passing of Pope Francis. The Argentinian-born pontiff was 88 years old. Francis’s death triggers a series of rituals and procedures. His papal ring will be destroyed, and his rooms will be sealed. He will lie in state…

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