Local

Openly gay Lutheran pastor ordained

Saturday, July 26, 2008
Tags:
local

A Houston church took what it calls an "extraordinary" step by ordaining the first openly gay Lutheran pastor in Texas.

Lura Groen says she's thrilled to be pastor of the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in southwest Houston. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America does ordain gay pastors, but only if they agree to remain celibate. Groen, however, has refused, claiming heterosexual colleagues are not held to the same standard. She says church members have been supportive.

"There's a very good fit between the values of this congregation and the values I want to espouse as a preacher -- to be telling God's love to all the world and the way that that calls us to treat everyone fairly," said Pastor Lura Groen.

Two other American Evangelical Lutheran congregations have ordained openly gay pastors without sanctions.

      Headlines at a glance | News in your community | RSS feeds
           Slideshow archive | ABC13 wireless | Help solve crimes

(Copyright ©2010 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Get more Local »


Tags:
local
Loading .....
 

Sponsored Content

Advertisement
Advertisement

ABC13 Everywhere

Wireless

Breaking news as it happens. Sign up now!

Visit our mobile site at abc13now.com.

Get our iPhone application.

Newsletters, Alerts, and RSS

Sign up for our newsletters to get news, weather and other alerts via email.

Get breaking news alerts on your desktop

With our RSS feeds, get real-time updates of abc13.com using your favorite news reader.

Widgets

Add our widget to your favorite social network for instant access to abc13.com

Blog

Get the inside track to Houston's ever-changing weather

Posted on

Check out

Contests, Promotions, and Registration

Check out our contests and promotions. There are always great opportunities to win!

Become a member to enter contests, comment on stories, receive newsletters, and more!