The cross is strapped like a ladder to the inside wall of a GMC van. The pulpit, lectern and altar are buried behind boxes of hymnals, chairs, sound equipment and vestments.
Aside from offices in a corporate building, this van is Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran Church. Services are held in the gym of Annapolis Area Christian School, since the 300-plus-member congregation doesn't have its own building.
The church, after all, has existed only since late winter. Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran took shape in March after a failed vote at St. Martin's Lutheran Church to break with that church's umbrella organization, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, or ELCA.
The debate at St. Martin's, like that at a host of other Lutheran churches, concerned positions taken by the ELCA over the past few years, including the interpretation of Scripture. This covers many topics, even including how God is described. Traditionalists prefer Father, Son and the Holy Spirit; the ELCA also condones Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier - which are not gender-specific.
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Aside from offices in a corporate building, this van is Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran Church. Services are held in the gym of Annapolis Area Christian School, since the 300-plus-member congregation doesn't have its own building.
The church, after all, has existed only since late winter. Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran took shape in March after a failed vote at St. Martin's Lutheran Church to break with that church's umbrella organization, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, or ELCA.
The debate at St. Martin's, like that at a host of other Lutheran churches, concerned positions taken by the ELCA over the past few years, including the interpretation of Scripture. This covers many topics, even including how God is described. Traditionalists prefer Father, Son and the Holy Spirit; the ELCA also condones Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier - which are not gender-specific.
More
Many people do not realize that there are about 10 different Lutheran groups. The largest is the ELCA (example, Faith in Salisbury) which is much more liberal than the second largest, the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod(Bethany). There are so many differences among all the various synods (groups). Some of the stances taken by ELCA are abhorrent to many of their members (ex. ordination of openly gay ministers, women ministers, etc.) that they feel they must leave the ELCA. The same thing is occurring in the Episcopal Church because of its increasing liberalism.
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