A group of members and pastors from several West Michigan Christian Reformed churches have organized to provide educational opportunities for congregations about the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals in their churches.

The action was prompted by the decision of Synod 2011, the annual leadership meeting of the Christian Reformed Church, not to appoint a study committee to review the biblical teachings regarding homosexual orientation and practice.

“Initially I was surprised at the synod decision, and angry,” said Sheryl Mulder, 51, an elder at Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids. She felt she had to do something, so Mulder began to network with representatives from other churches around the region. They have been meeting monthly since last September.

They call themselves All One Body to emphasize that God’s covenant of love expressed in baptism is not broken by one’s sexual orientation, nor should the commitments made by a congregation at baptism be compromised.

(Editor’s Note: The Facebook Page ‘about’ paragraph for All One Body reads as follows: “We are a group of individual working towards full inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members in their Christian Reformed Church homes” One of the more recent posts explains how they took on their name: “Tonight the group met to talk about values, mission, vision, and goals. At the conclusion of the discussion, the group decided the name Complete Covenant didn’t quite convey what the group will stand for. After looking over the brainstorming from the evening, hanging on the wall was a white sheet with “All One Body” written on it… The name took hold with the group and we agreed this would be the name for the group working for LGBT inclusion in the CRC. Invoking Paul’s symbolism to convey the indispensability of all members of God’s body, we move forward in faith, working for inclusion for all”)

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