What's New at St. Francis

Updated Dec 18, 2009

Change in Name reflects Changing Lutheran Church

When St. Francis Lutheran Church called a lesbian couple in 1990 to minister to its members and the Castro community the congregation was put on trial and thrown out of the national body the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1995. The congregation, in a combination of prophetic protest and tongue in cheek, has thereafter celebrated the Feast of the Expulsion on the last Sunday of the year.

But now, the congregation's leaders have changed the name of the Feast of the Expulsion to the Feast of Hope, reflecting momentous changes in the ELCA this last summer when it finally caught up to the San Francisco congregation. Looking for eventual reconciliation, the congregation is hopeful that the finalized details of that change will not be a hindrance in any way to sexual minority rights -hence the renaming of the feast day.

The first Feast of Hope will occur Sunday, December 27 at 11AM at St. Francis Lutheran Church, 152 Church St. (across from Safeway). Guest preacher will be the Rev. Anita Hill pastor of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church, St. Paul, MN, another leader and congregation in the sexual minority rights movement in the ELCA. We invite you to celebrate the day with us.

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last updated Dec 18 2009 by DW