Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

June 2018 – St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Hoboken, New Jersey, chose Transfiguration Sunday to celebrate the renaming of one of its pastors. That sacred Sunday, just before Ash Wednesday, commemorates Christ’s transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8).

Rose Beeson (photo above) declared her status as a transgender over a year ago and is now called Peter. Bishop Tracie Bartholomew of the ELCA New Jersey synod blessed Beeson with holy water, and church council president Leslie Neve asked the congregation, “Will you be a beacon of welcome and inclusivity for those who are yearning for Christian community?”

All replied, “We will.”

nj.com, 2/11/18