Welcoming & Affirming Team
Our WELCOMING AND AFFIRMING TEAM is committed to education and action which leads First Lutheran Church into more fully living out what it means to be welcoming and encouraging of all gender identities, expressions and sexual orientations. We must intentionally do the work of welcoming because of the history of hostility so common in Christianity and the current culture. Providing this leadership means that our team seeks to listen carefully to the queer community, meets to plan educational events for our congregation and community, lift up local events like the Pride Parade and TransJoy Festival, always seeking ways to embody Jesus’ love through visible acts of hospitality.
Please feel free to join us for a meeting and consider becoming a part of the Welcoming and Affirming Team. Contact our team leader Brenda Schrader at bsjohnsonslp@gmail.com or 218-340-8284
In preparation for the upcoming Speaker Series with Austen Hartke, the Welcoming & Affirming Committee, Welcomed Sean Hayes from Trans Northland for an introduction to Trans Rights. Please click on the video to the right to view the whole video from the Adult Forum. For more information about Trans Northland, please click the link below.
First Lutheran Foundation Dialogue in Action Speaker Series 2026.
Join Austen Hartke, author of “Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians,” for an evening of education and storytelling. Tuesday, May 12, 2026 5:00 p.m. Austen will describe his experience growing up in and out of church, touching on a few of the Bible stories that helped him feel seen along the way, before moving focus to our current context. What does it mean to be transgender today? What struggles do trans people face, and what unique joys do they bring to the world? How can we, as friends, family, and neighbors, support the gender-expansive people in our lives? A Q&A and book signing will follow the lecture. Austen Hartke is also the founder and former Executive Director of Transmission Ministry Collective, an online community dedicated to the spiritual care, faith formation and leadership potential of transgender and gender expansive Christians. Austen is a graduate of Luther Seminary’s Master of Arts program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Studies and is the winner of the 2014 John Milton Prize in Old Testament Writing from the same institution.
Austen Hartke: The Bible and Transgender Christians This Austen Hartke video has been used as education for us as we seek to discuss how to understand Scripture in a way that affirms God’s love for God’s children who have a variety of gender identities and expressions
Reconciling Works advocates for the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of LGBTQIA+ Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their congregation and community. Check them out at https://www.reconcilingworks.
Local Resources:
Trans Northland provides support, resources & connection to the transgender community. Check them out at https://www.transnorthland.
Life House provides comprehensive supportive services to meet the needs of our youth and young families ages 14 to 24 who are unstably housed and/or navigating various challenges in life. https://lifehouseduluth.org/
The Center for Changing Lives Duluth is a safe, central site where young people who are at-risk or experiencing homelessness can find holistic guidance and support. https://www.lssmn.org/
