Evangelical Lutherans gather
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
By Ren´e K. Gadoua Staff writer

Representatives of the Upstate New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, including Bishop Marie Jerge, will vote this week on the denomination's policies on ordaining gays and blessing same-sex unions.

"I have no idea how that's going to play. If you look across the whole church, we don't agree on it," Jerge said last week, a few days before traveling to Orlando, Fla., for the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly, which began Monday.

In June,Upstate Lutherans voted to support recommendations that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ordain homosexual pastors in some circumstances and be open to blessing same-sex couples. More than 1,000 voting members of the Assembly, including 15 local elected voting members, the bishop and the synod's vice president, will consider those resolutions this week.

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