On January 26, 2025, Mount Calvary officially voted yes to become a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation! This step affirms our ongoing commitment to living out God’s love by welcoming, celebrating, and affirming all people.
RIC at Mount Calvary
At Mount Calvary, we are committed to creating a community where all people, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community, are welcomed and affirmed. In June 2022, our church council proudly began celebrating Pride Sunday, continuing this tradition annually. This decision follows our 2013 approval of same-sex weddings and is part of our ongoing commitment to inclusivity.
As of January 26, 2025, Mount Calvary is officially a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation in partnership with ReconcilingWorks. This recognition reflects our deep commitment to welcoming people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions and to advancing racial equity and anti-racism. We are dedicated to offering true hospitality, grace, and love to all people, striving to be a place of refuge and acceptance in a divided world.
At Mount Calvary, everyone is truly welcome.
Our Welcome Statement
We, the community of Mount Calvary, believe God’s love is a gift to be shared unconditionally.
We commit to welcoming people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions, races and cultures, ethnicities and national origins, physical and mental abilities, family configurations, and socio-economic status.
We believe that every person is beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of God (Psalms 139.14) and that God brings us together in our wide diversity to love and serve one another (1 Corinthians 12:13).
We celebrate all of whom God created each of us to be. We work to build a community where all are accepted, known, treated with respect, and are challenged to grow.
We welcome each person in their entirety.
We believe that God is about healing and reconciliation; putting lives and the world back together where there is fear, hate and brokenness (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).
We commit to listening and learning where there has been exclusion, inequity, and discrimination in the church and in society. We ask forgiveness for the times we fail to love as God loves us.
We commit to the work of racial equity and economic justice, and we stand with those advocating for human dignity for all God’s children.
We love all, because God loves all.
Our Commitment as an RIC Church
As a Reconciling in Christ partner, Mount Calvary has committed to:
Welcoming LGBTQIA+ individuals and affirming their identities as beloved children of God.
Working toward racial equity and naming anti-racism.
Be open to calling LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC (Black, Brown, Indigenous, Person of Color) Rostered Leaders. A Rostered Leader is any clergy/pastor or deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); this commitment extends to all areas of leadership within the life of our community.
Providing our sanctuary/community space for LGBTQIA+ weddings and blessings.
Making an annual financial contribution to support the national RIC program. In 2024, we gave $500. In 2025, we have voted to approve $1000 toward the RIC program.
These commitments reflect our calling to love one another as Christ loves us and to ensure all people feel a sense of belonging in this faith community.
Our RIC Annual Events
Join us as we celebrate our commitment to inclusion and justice at our annual worship services including:
RIC Sunday: Each year, we’ll honor our RIC identity on the last Sunday in January.
Pride Sunday: Celebrate Pride on the last Sunday in June as we affirm and uplift the LGBTQIA+ community.
Updates & Events
We’ll also host ongoing events, Bible studies, and learning opportunities to grow in faith and understanding. When those are available, you will find them at www.mtcalvary.com/events.
To explore more about what it means to be an RIC congregation, visit ReconcilingWorks.
Email Newsletter
Mount Calvary sends out a weekly email highlighting the upcoming events and ways to stay involved. In addition, we’ll send a couple extra emails every month to stay informed about the big congregation-wide events and opportunities.
