New pastor looking forward to new role

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM - Jay Wiesner's parents say they're proud of their son and say they'll stand behind him as he becomes pastor of a Lutheran church.

Jay, a gay man, was ordained as associate pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Minneapolis almost one week ago. He is now the third openly gay or lesbian person to hold a position in a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the Twin Cities.

While some hailed his ordination as a sign of greater social progress for the ELCA, others have questioned whether or not the practice of ordaining gay men and lesbian women has a basis in Scripture. Some people have left the church over the issue while others accept it. ELCA policy forbids the ordination of anyone in a same-sex relationship unless they are celibate and the Minneapolis Area Synod could sanction Wiesner's church that could include removing Bethany as an official ELCA congregation and firing its pastor. The ELCA bishop of Minneapolis, Craig Johnson, did not attend the ceremony.

"He's just trying to make sure the church is in good order," Wiesner said. "But that order needs to be tested sometimes. I don't agree, but I can understand where he's coming from."

The reaction to the news of Wiesner's ordination has consisted mostly of phone calls and e-mails. By his own estimate, 95 percent of the reaction has been supportive so far. And the other five percent has been "just pretty ugly." He said he expects both to continue for a while.

He was ordained at a church in Plymouth in front of a congregation of roughly 1,100 people. His installation service is Aug. 1 at Bethany Lutheran Church.

After the installation this Sunday, Wiesner said he plans to take a week-long vacation to reflect on his ordination.

"I've known this congregation for 2 1/2 years. I'm now serving in a different capacity and I'm excited about that," he said.

Wiesner said the first indications of his future path came while he was attending St. Mary's in New Ulm. He first realized he was gay beginning in the 6th grade. His first ideas of becoming a pastor came during his confirmation at St. Mary's.

But Wiesner left the Catholic Church after he went on to college on a music scholarship. He said he decided to join the Lutheran Church because he agreed that women should be ordained as pastors, disagreed that the Pope is infallible and felt that while celibacy is a gift, it shouldn't prevent someone from becoming a minister.

It was during his days as a student at Concordia College in Moorhead that he realized his true vocation was to be a pastor, not a musician like he originally thought. It was during his time in the Warburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, that he first came out as a gay man. In both instances, he said, he had gathered friends together to break the news only to hear them say that they already recognized that he had the traits of both a pastor and a gay man; they were simply waiting for him to tell them, Wiesner said.

While his parents greeted the news of his decision to attend seminary school with joy, his coming out as gay was tough for them to deal with. Vernita Wiesner said her reaction to Jay's coming out was a personal reaction that she did not want to share publicly.

"But we stand by our son and love him very much," she said.

Sexuality was something Wiesner struggled with as a child. He remembers being made fun of for being gay before he even realized he was gay. He said his sexual orientation has cost him friendships in the past and he still won't talk about it these days, he says, because it's still very painful.

That said, New Ulm is still his hometown. He said he comes back to visit about two to three times each month. Each visit stirs feelings of nostalgia for Wiesner and brings back memories that are both positive and negative.

But while his sexual orientation may have alienated him from some friends at home, it was Bethany Lutheran Church, located in Minneapolis' blue-collar Seward neighborhood, that allowed Wiesner the opportunity to be himself. He first came to Bethany as an outreach pastor 2 1/2 years ago and made a name for himself by reaching out to people who were normally unwelcome in other churches.

"I felt so called," he said. "I felt a love of God that goes beyond reason that I can't not preach about it. The people of the Bible were oppressed and marginalized and yet they were called to be God's instruments. It was something I felt so compelled to do."

At present the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is developing a policy for gay men and lesbian women. Bishop Jon Anderson of the Southwest Minnesota Synod in Redwood Falls said that the church is "in midst of couple years of praying and studying the issue". He said the church is "learning about what it means to be faithful to God" and that many gay and lesbian Lutherans are hoping the church will bless same-sex unions and ordain gay and lesbian pastors. Anderson said many others are uncomfortable with the issue and others are just trying to discover where they come down on the issue.

"Across the synod, people have sat down and wrestled and they've been able to talk about their disagreements. They just learn that they disagree," he said.