Hollywood Lutheran Church has a strong history of support for the LGBT community.  We have deliberately considered and taken a position against Proposition 8 because our faith impels us to stand for justice, truth, love and understanding.

After discussion in our Church Council leading up to this decision, on September 7, 2008, a meeting of the general voting membership of the church took two actions:  it unanimously decided to take a formal position on Proposition 8, and it decided to endorse No on Proposition 8. 

We know this put us "at odds" with many other Christian churches, especially  evangelical, fundamentalist and ring-wingnut churches that not only contributed to the Yes side but urged their members to pony up money and volunteer to get this h8ful proposition wirtten into law.

Other Highlights in our stand with LGBT people:

In January 2005, Hollywood Lutheran Church co-sponsored a major reception for California Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) in support of his bill to legalize same-gender marriage.  Over 50 area clergy from all faiths attended.  The bill, which passed both houses of the Legislature, was vetoed by the governor.

In March 2004, Hollywood Lutheran Church voted by an 82% majority to call the Rev. Dan Hooper as its Pastor, regardless of the consequences.  Hooper is gay and partnered.  He is no longer a member of the clergy roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the parent church body) and will not apply to be rostered as long as the ELCA has discriminatory and negative policies on its rulebooks.

The church was later "admonished" by the synodical bishop for doing so, because the congregation broke the ELCA's rules by calling (hiring) a minister who is not approved by the ELCA.  This "gate keeping" function of the national churchbody does keep a lot of wackos out of the ordained ministry, but it also excludes pastors and candidates who are prophetic and courageous, and who believe that following Christ on matters of faith, justice, and obedience to God is more important than following an organizational rule book.  We will try again in 2009 to overturn negative policies!

In 2002, Hollywood Lutheran Church set a new mission priority for itself ~ while it was in the process of looking for a new minister to serve as Pastor.  It determined that its purpose in  the Hollywood community was to serve those who are not being served by other Christian churches. The obvious choice was to identify the LGBT community as un-served or underserved.  The Church Council also approved, as a matter of policy, using the Sanctuary and the church premises for same-gender blessing services or "holy unions."

In 1999, Hollywood Lutheran Church took formal action to join the Reconciling in Christ Program of Lutherans Concerned/North America (LC/NA)  by adopting a public "Affirmation of Welcome" addressed to Lesbian and Gay people.  Although lesbian and gay people had been implicitly welcome for many years, this was the first time the congregation decided to publicly state that welcome so plainly and forcefully.

Annually, Hollywood Lutheran Church marches in the CSW Pride Parade.  A member congregation of Lutherans Concerned/Los Angeles (LC/LA), we participate in a booth at the CSW festival each year.

What This Church Offers

Hollywood Lutheran Church is:

• Committed to supporting lesbian and gay couples as well as LGBT individuals;
• Committed to solemnizing lesbian and gay marriages; see www.HollywoodWedding.org; 
• Committed to endorsing No on Proposition 8 and continuing to fight Proposition 8 as friends of the court; 
• Providing a sanctuary for people who have felt estrangement, rejection or hostility in other churches
• Active and moving in the community to improve the lives of all people.  Here are links to our other projects:
  Hollywood Call Back — quarterly networking gatherings for those who are working, or wanting to work, in the Hollywood industries, including film, theatre, music, performance, and related fields
  Hollywood Community Food Pantry — offering one-time help for those without food, and hot meals for homeless people:  Tuesdays 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.  
  Hollywood Community Garden — available garden plots for the amateur gardener in the Los Feliz area.
  Hollywood Remembers — a new non-profit charitable/educational organization to preserve the memory of those we have lost to AIDS, and to strengthen those living with HIV and AIDS
  Los Feliz Art Walk — uniting the galleries, institutions, studios and public exhibits of new and creative arts, including monthly exhibit for emerging artists

Full Disclosure

Pastor Dan Hooper created the idea of “My Big Fat Gay Church Wedding" in early 2007, long before the California Supreme Court had settled the “In re Marriage” cases in favor of same-gender marriage, and prompted Lutherans Concerned/Los Angeles to use this as its theme for CSW Gay Pride. See the LC/LA site:  www.LutheransLove.org.

Like many other clergy, between June 17 and November 1 Hooper officiated at numerous lesbian, gay and heterosexual weddings.

On National Coming Out Day, October 11, 2008, Pastor Dan and his partner of 32 years were legally wed at Hollywood Lutheran Church, with the full support, presence and enormous help of the congregation.

Also see: Pastor Dan's blog www.indwellingspirit.org  and his personal | theological | pastoral web sites www.danhooper.info and www.gaycatechism.net.

In November Pastor Dan and his spouse were among the thousands demonstrating at the steps of City Hall.  We were even quoted by the Los Angeles Times (full story here). 

Pastor Dan is a member of the Interfaith Gay and Lesbian Clergy Association of Greater Los Angeles (www.outclergyla.org).

How to Reach the No on 8 Church:

323.667.1212 fax: 323.667.1212
www.hollywoodlutheran.org  

 e-mail:  dan@NoOn8Church.org

Note:  This site is not a fund-raising site, but a people-raising site.  Get involved if you can, and contribute where you think it will do the most good to stop Proposition 8!

Hollywood Lutheran Church, a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Since 1921.