House for All

I've been researching a "Luthermergent" congregation for my course paper. House for All Sinners and Saints (what a great name!)is an emergent, Lutheran congregation in Denver. The congregation is an enigma in some ways. The pastor, while young and hip with tattoo sleeves, is deeply rooted in Lutheran theology. Their worship includes acapella Gregorian chant, the psalter, oh so trendy candles, and a straight-out sermon. No "time for community reflection," but an old-school sermon. However, the worship has other space for reflection, including various prayer stations. It's a unique mix of the very old traditions with emergent flavor. The congregation is even housed in a former Lutheran church building that has been the home of a Native American organization for decades. The majority of the members don't come from liturgical traditions--but are coming and finding them relevant. How cool is that? Talk about breathing life into something. And, its a congregation that is very explicit about its welcome of queer people. One of my apprehensions about the emerging church has been that at least from a distance it seems like a lot of emerging churches might look appealing to LGBT persons, but the theology of sexuality is just a retread of what we've heard over and over again. It's refreshing to find this church that intersects with the mainline, that brings new life into liturgical practice, and unashamedly welcomes queer folk. Just the idea excites me. I can't help but think, why isn't there a place like this in DC?