NEW YORK, NY – May 1, 2023 – At the Lutheran Church’s 2023 Metro New York Synod (MNYS) Assembly, the organization’s first openly gay president of the board Christopher Vergara, will give a speech affirming church leadership’s commitment to inclusivity in faith — and underscoring the importance of embracing their LGBTQ+ worshippers.  His comments will be presented on Friday May 5, 2023, from 10:30am to 11:30 am at the Marriott Hotel in Melville, New York.

Vergara’s comments to church leadership come at a time when more than 417 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the US this year, there is a renewed push to
ban access to gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, legislation in multiple states are attempting to ban drag shows  — and celebrities like Ted Nugent and Kid Rock are calling corporations like Anheuser-Busch “culturally depraved” for representing transgender customers through their advertising.

This year’s Assembly theme is Live Like Christ in our Communities,  which means to “love and accept our neighbors just as Jesus taught us,”  said Roberto Lara, Associate to the Bishop for Communications and Development. “The most important goal of the Lutheran church in metro New York is to spread the inclusive message of the Gospel and to celebrate the diversity of our worshippers and leaders — including God’s creation of diverse gender expressions and identities,”  he added.

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WHAT: At the Lutheran Church’s 2023 Metro New York Synod (MNYS) Assembly, the organization’s first openly gay president of the board Christopher Vergara, will give a speech affirming church leadership’s commitment to inclusivity in faith and support of LGBTQ+ worshippers.

WHEN: Friday May 5, 2023, from 10:30am to 11:30 am

WHERE: Marriott Hotel in Melville, New York.

About the Metropolitan New York Synod (MNYS): 

The Metropolitan New York Synod is a regional expression of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a member church of the Lutheran World Federation. MNYS has nearly 200 congregations across the NY Metro area and 60,000 members with 20,000 of those engaging in church services every week. MNYS ministries and programs include a Sanctuary for Immigrants, Committees for Anti-Racism, Multiculturalism, Environmental Stewardship and Hunger Relief, a Commission for LGBTQ+ People, a Domestic Violence Awareness Task-Force, relationships with Global partners, and a Youth Ministry.

To watch follow the link: https://rubensteinpr.box.com/s/5w88vj1i4yxzqfv2vckgdsxv47e62g0l 

  church, LGBT rights