What is RIC?

Since 1983, the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) program has been a public way for faith communities to see, name, celebrate, and advocate for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions in the Lutheran church. Currently, there are over 995+ settings of the Lutheran church on the RIC roster, including congregations, synods, colleges, seminaries, outdoor ministries, and other Lutheran organizations. Our Savior’s Lutheran became an RIC congregation on Sunday, January 25, 2004. Since then, we have been happy to welcome LuMin (local campus ministry) and four other congregations in the La Crosse Area Synod to the program.

Each year, the last Sunday in January is designated as RIC Sunday, a day we celebrate what it means to live a theology of reconciliation and our ongoing work of welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ people in the life of the church. RIC Sunday at Our Savior’s has been celebrated with members’ personal stories of what being “Reconciled in Christ” means to them.

RIC Online Trainings are available help folks from RIC or prospective RIC congregations learn how to work with church members to discern if a congregation wishes to “come out of the closet” about welcoming people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Please refer to the Reconciling Works website you are interested in learning more. Additional information about the RIC program, including a complete listing of RIC settings and resources for personal and congregational use, are available on-line at the Reconciling Works website.