Question from a BJS reader

This question came in from a loyal BJS reader:

I was dismayed to see that the Association of Downtown Lutheran Churches (https://www.downtownlutheranchurches.org) has both LCMS and ELCA congregations. They are having a conference this weekend at First Lutheran Church of Pasadena, California.

Speakers in John Nunes, Greg Seltz and Lee Settgast from the LCMS, a couple of guys from Fuller Seminary and ELCA Southwest Synod Bishop Nelson. I don’t know why the Fuller guys or the ELCA bishop was invited. Bishop Nelson is pictured at https://www.matthewchurch.com/pages/prideparade.html participating in a Gay Pride Parade in West Hollywood in 2009 and he apparently participated last year as well.

While I’m curious about why this is going on, I’m not going to pay the $125 conference fee to find out.

From Downtown Lutheran Churches.org:

NEXT GATHERING

The fifth gathering of the Association of Downtown Lutheran Churches will be held at Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena, California from Friday 29 April through Monday 2 May 2011. Registration fee is $125.00 for the first participant, with a discounted $75.00 per person rate for additional participants from the same congregation registering on the same form. Those fees include all meals.

Presenters include Reverend Dr. John Arthur Nunes from Lutheran World Relief of Baltimore, Dr. Mark Lau Branson and Graduate Student Matthew Rosebrock from Fuller Seminary, Reverend Greg Seltz from Concordia University Irvine, and Reverend Bishop Dean Nelson from The Southwest California Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Formal registration packets, including airline, ground transportation and hotel information, will be snail mailed by 1 February 2011. In addition, registration information will soon be available for download at downtownlutheranchurches.org .

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