House for all Sinners & Saints (HFASS) is an ELCA church in Denver, Colorado. It is the church of controversial ELCA pastor/speaker/author Nadia Bolz-Weber and receives financial support from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Last week the church released a statement that is stunning, telling visitors to stay away. They write:
“A statement from HFASS. House for all Sinners & Saints is hoping for some grace as we struggle with how to express something our congregation is faced with: After having moved to two services on Sundays (to accommodate the approximately 2,000 one-time out-of-town visitors we had in a year's time) we are returning again to having one 5p service, starting this Sunday. Why? Because the people who make up this community miss each other. Having two services had a negative effect on our little congregation. While having an extra service on Sunday made it easier to accommodate out-of-town visitors, youth groups, and worship committees, it also made it harder to connect with each other and more difficult to identify who the local visitors are who might be looking for a church home. We know there is a lot of curiosity about HFASS -- we love it too and totally understand why--and since we can no longer accommodate as many people, we are hoping to make a video available soon that shows what worship is like here so that people who are curious about HFASS can see for themselves... Our congregation is generous in sharing our Pastor, Nadia Bolz-Weber, with the broader church, so for those looking to meet her, please check her speaking schedule here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber/2014/10/my-2015-speaking-schedule/. We humbly ask that we have her as our pastor, and not a public figure, on Sundays. Thank you to all those who have joined us in their travels. It was an honor to have you with us, and if we are ever in a situation where we have more space, we will let everyone know. We know it may seem weird to ask for fewer visitors, but for the time being we are choosing to err on the side of just trying to be a congregation rather than on the side of being a destination church. Perhaps we are making the wrong choice, but after two years of being inundated with people visiting us because of our famous pastor, we just need a little space to be together again. In peace and with thanks, House for all Sinners and Saints” (read here) Read more about ELCA Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber here.
6 Comments
Kathy
11/11/2014 05:59:54 am
If Pastor Bolz-Weber and her congregation were proclaiming the Gospel, they would be delighted to have people flocking to their church for whatever reason, even the celebrity of the pastor. Christians never keep the Word of God and Salvation to themselves. It has been said that the Church is "a hospital for sinners, not a country club for saints." Is it possible that Bolz-Weber's church, House for All Sinners and Saints, HFASS, is actually a private country club for unrepentant, contented sinners -- no potential saints welcome? Only half a church?
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Carl W Baggett Jr
11/13/2014 01:06:54 pm
So, does this mean they are guilty of the sin of inhospitality? Isn't that the sin Bolz-Weber and those of her ilk say Sodom and Gomorrah committed? It's a fair question to ask...
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Kathy
11/14/2014 03:22:28 am
Very true -- and very funny! I hope someone asks them. At least, as far as we know, none of their male visitors have been attacked.
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Corey
11/14/2014 09:03:19 pm
What is sad to me, is to find out that there are that many out of town visitors that are interested in hearing an ELCA pastor swear from the pulpit.
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Dennis Di Mauro
12/19/2014 08:48:51 am
1 Peter 4:9 "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."
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Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Dan Skogen
Former ELCA seminary student and former ELCA member who is fed up with the ELCA's consistent mockery of God's Word. If you have been helped and blessed by Exposing the ELCA's ministry, please help us continue to proclaim the truth of God's Word to ELCA members who need to hear it.
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