All are welcome! We see this signage on flags in people's front yards, on church websites, in religious advertisements, written into laws, etc. but we do not always see it in people's hearts. I am a Lutheran. It has only been fifty years since women were first allowed to be ordained as Lutheran pastors. It has only been 40 years since women of color were first allowed to be ordained as Lutheran pastors. It has only been 10 years since LGBTQIA people were first allowed to be ordained as Lutheran pastors. It has only been six years since the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began allowing same-sex marriages.
It has only been 30 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law and yet it lacks accommodations for this digital age. It has been 101 years since white women were first allowed to vote, but only 55 years since Black women and Latinx women were guaranteed the right to vote.
These milestones are specific to the United States of America, Pennsylvania, and the ECLA Lutheran church. There are many other countries and religious denominations that have yet to achieve some of these milestones. Yet, their signage says: “All are welcome!”
In this pandemic year when we are all united in suffering, let us unite in welcoming those of a different sexual orientation, gender, color, or political belief and people with disabilities, especially those suffering from addiction.
Let’s pick up groceries, call to check on someone, and lend a helping hand in any way we can, etc. Let’s ease the anxiety and loneliness of quarantine isolation.
As practicing Christians, we are commanded to love one another and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is not always an easy commandment. I try to love all people, but I do not always like everyone. Yet today, especially in these turbulent times, we need to set aside our differences and remember we are all in this together. This can only happen when we begin practicing our faith or guiding principles and welcome all with no exceptions.
Patricia Petrusik, author of The Sober Cat retired from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation in the Pittsburgh area. She holds a guidance certificate K-12 and an addiction certificate, C.A.A.P. She also developed an educational game, “The Slippery Slope of Substance Abuse.” In addition to working with special needs students to help them transition from high school to college or the workforce, Petrusik also spent several years working with families in crisis who were struggling to overcome addictions.
Sources for this article:
ECLA.org/50yearsofordainedwomen
Catherine Getchell When will the Americans with Disabilities Act evolve to the digital age? From Accessibility in Pittsburgh.