Press release here:
FAIRVIEW – When people at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church say they welcome everyone to worship with them, they really mean it.
Abiding Savior recently became one of only five Lutheran churches in North Carolina to achieve a designation affirming that it truly welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Congregations like Abiding Savior that receive the Reconciling in Christ recognition offered by Lutherans Concerned/North America have gone through a months-long process of study, discussions among members and a vote affirming their welcoming status.
“I’m excited about the renewed vision we have for our church. It’s a challenging way to do community but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Rev. David Eck, Abiding Savior’s pastor. “I believe our diversity enriches us a community of faith. We learn so much more from people who are different than we do from those who are the same.”
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, of which Abiding Savior is a member congregation, voted in 2009 to accept openly gay pastors. But after years of discrimination, many lesbian and gay people may understandably assume they will not be welcome at a church unless the church specifically makes a statement that they are.
Lutherans Concerned/North America is an organization dedicated to the acceptance and full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities within the Lutheran communion.
A majority of Abiding Savior’s membership is heterosexual, but the church has welcomed openly gay members for years. Church leaders expect that the RIC designation will attract both gays and lesbians looking for a welcoming congregation and others who wish to worship in a non-discriminatory church.
The church is located at 801 Charlotte Highway, about 3.5 miles southeast of the Interstate 40/U.S. 74-A interchange. It draws worshipers from throughout Buncombe County.
Sunday worship, which is a mixture of contemporary and traditional worship styles, begins at 10 a.m. Sunday School is at 11:15 a.m.
Abiding Savior’s Sunday service on May 27 – Pentecost – will include a celebration of its new status.
More information about Abiding Savior is available at www.abidingsaviorlutheranchurch.org or by calling (828)298-2608.