Congregational Welcoming Statements
During the 1998 Assembly a resolution was passed encouraging congregations to adopt a “statement of unconditional welcome and transformation. “After publishing several examples we asked you to send in your statements. Following are some of those submissions; please keep them coming:

In thankfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Trinity extends an unconditional welcome to all people who join us in worship. Trinity - Sanford

Out of a broken and divided world, all people are welcomed into the whole body of Jesus Christ at Shepherd of the Sea. As children of one God, together we join in worship to experience the transforming love of our Savior.
All baptized Christians who desire forgiveness of sins and renewal of faith are invited to share in The Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christ is really present in the bread and wine with his own body and blood. You may take the wine from an individual glass or wait for the common cup. Those who do not commune may come forward for a blessing.
The shrimp trawler suspended from the chancel ceiling follows the tradition of many coastal Scandinavian churches whose people make their living from the sea. It is a reminder that it is the Lord who gave us the abundance from the seas, and the people of God are on a spiritual voyage from here to eternity. May the Lord be with you always! Shepherd of the Sea — Atlantic Beach

In faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church extends an unconditional welcome to all people who come confessing and seeking God’s grace to join us in worship. St. Paul’s — Dallas

We welcome all people to worship and fellowship at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.
Prince of Peace — Kinston

At St. Stephen’s, we seek to model the unconditional love of Jesus Christ by welcoming allpeople to join us in worship and fellowship. We hope our service will be meaningful for you, and we invite you to worship with us again. Visitors are invited to join us in receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion and are asked to please sign our guest book and join us for the friendship time right after the worship service. Also, ask an usher for a St. Stephen’s brochure. St. Stephen’s — Lenoir

Our Savior Lutheran Church affirms that all people are unconditionally welcomed in our congregation to worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in Spirit and in truth.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Our Savior - Dallas

The mission of Augsburg Lutheran Church is to glorify God by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ through worship, witness, education, service and fellowship.
As a Christ-centered community incorporated through baptism to be workers in God’s Kingdom, we seek to grow in grace through spiritual development. As members of the body of Christ, we have been empowered through the Spirit to be Christ’s witnesses to the world. We do that in partnership with one another and a wider community. Even though we have different gifts we are all members of the same body of Christ. Augsburg — Winston-Salem

Accepting those whom Christ has already accepted, Kure Memorial Lutheran Church affirms that all people, regardless of Race, National Origin, Sexual Orientation or Economic status, are unconditionally welcome to our Community of Faith and are invited to join us in Worship, Fellowship, and Ministry. Kure Memorial — Kure Beach

Out of a broken and divided world, all people are called to be a part of the body of Jesus Christ in His church.
As children of the same God, and in faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all people are invited to join our family at Messiah of the Mountains Lutheran Congregation in worshipping and in experiencing the transforming love of Jesus Christ.
Though the world seeks to divide, at Messiah of the Mountains Lutheran Congregation, we seek to model the unconditional love of Jesus Christ, and to offer everyone a place in the family of God. Without condition or judgement, all are welcome to join us in worship, fellowship and ministry. Messiah of the Mountains — Burnsville

Toward identifying our mission.. .Holy Trinity Church is an urban community led by the Spirit of Christ’s unconditional love for all people, called to proclaim the truth of God’s grace in our lives and in our speech, and to welcome all to the table of the Lord, including those whom the world had marginalized by prejudice, misinformation, and lies.
We believe that among the many who are marginalized and at risk are children and adults with HIV/AIDS, women and men who are gay, those with physical, mental, and emotional challenges, people with addictions, the homeless and the hungry.
Holy Trinity — Charlotte

In faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, St. Thomas extends an unconditional welcome to all people to join us in worship. St. Thomas-Charlotte

Vision Statement: We are Advent Lutheran Church. As diverse children of God, we strive to be the embodiment of that which God wants us to be. We love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We love our neighbor as ourselves, and express this love in service to others. By accepting God’s gift of grace through our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are reconciled to God forever. “Love God and Service Neighbor”
In the expanded vision statement, “Statement of Diversity.” As for the question of who is our neighbor, we naturally include our friends. However, Jesus taught us that every person is our neighbor, even those who are different from us. This means that we open our arms to all our neighbors, especially those in greatest need, closing our eyes to superficial differences which might otherwise estrange us from one another.
1.	We do not turn away from the sick because we fear or disapprove of the sickness, nor from the poor because we fear or disapprove of their poverty.
2.We reach out and welcome diversity of culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, dress, social class and economic status in all our associations.
3. We reach out and welcome strangers into our midst the same as we welcome our friends, even as we would welcome Christ our Lord.
4. We especially welcome children and youth, and see them as vital and integral part of the congregation family, to be included and challenged to grow with us in faith. Advent - Charlotte