Texas Office: 12941 I-45 North Freeway, Suite 210 Houston, Texas 77060-1243 281-873-5665 Fax 281-875-4716

www.GulfCoastSynod.org www.BishopMike.com bishop@GulfCoastSynod.org

The Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod
Aprll 18, 2012



1o Lhe Ponorable Mayor arker, Ponorable Lllen Cohen, and all ClLy Councll Members of PousLon,
1hank you for suggesung, proposlng, and hopefully soon passlng Lhe PousLon Lqual 8lghLs Crdlnance.
As 8lshop of 1he 1x-LA Culf CoasL Synod of Lhe Lvangellcal LuLheran Church ln Amerlca, l serve a neLwork
of 122 LuLheran Congregauons from Lukln Lo lreeporL, from Schulenberg 1x Lo CulfporL LA. Cur synod
omce ls rlghL here ln Lhe beauuful and dlverse clLy of PousLon. 1he LuLherans l serve are WhlLe, Afrlcan
Amerlcan, Launo/a, and Aslan, Lhey are young and old, full of dlerlng ablllues, male and female, sLralghL,
lesblan, gay, blsexual and Lransgender, and Lhey are all people of falLh- and Lhey all deserve Lhe dlgnlLy
and respecL oered ln Lqual 8lghLs AmendmenLs such as Lhls.
8uL, more lmporLanLly Lo us as LuLherans, we all need Lo be able Lo serve Lhe world around us. Cur
congregauons work LogeLher Lo make Lhe world a beuer place: feedlng Lhe hungry, cloLhlng Lhe naked,
carlng for Lhe slck, vlslung Lhose ln prlson, [usL as !esus asked us Lo do. 8uL as we do Lhls work LogeLher,
we see LhaL noL all of our members are glven Lhe same opporLunlues Lo make Lhe world a beuer place. lf
a young Launo LuLheran faces dlscrlmlnauon on Lhe [ob, he ls less able Lo use hls skllls and LalenLs Lo help
Lhose around hlm. lf a LuLheran ln a wheelchalr lsn'L respecLed aL school, she wlll be less empowered Lo
speak ouL for oLhers. lf a Lransgender LuLheran ln a nurslng home ls re[ecLed by hls nurse, how wlll he
exLend a compasslonaLe llsLenlng ear? 1he LuLherans l serve need Lhe Lqual 8lghLs AmendmenL so LhaL
Lhey are beuer able Lo work wlLh you, Lo make PousLon, and all Lhe world, a beuer place.
1he LuLherans l serve follow !esus' call Lo love and welcome all people, Lo pay parucular care for Lhose
who are vulnerable, and Lo work for [usuce for all Lhe world. l Lhank you for sharlng Lhls work wlLh us,
and for Lhls sLrong Lqual 8lghLs Crdlnance for PousLon.
ln ChrlsL,

Mlke 8lneharL, blshop
1x-LA Culf CoasL Synod
Lvangellcal LuLheran Church ln Amerlca
Texas Office: 12941 I-45 North Freeway, Suite 210 Houston, Texas 77060-1243 281-873-5665 Fax 281-875-4716
www.GulfCoastSynod.org www.BishopMike.com bishop@GulfCoastSynod.org
8765 West Higgins Road Chicago, Illinois 60631-4101 773.380.2700 or 800.638.3522 Fax 773.380.1465 www.elca.org
12707 I-45 North Freeway, Suite 580 Houston, Texas 77060-1239 281-873-5665 Fax 281-875-4716 bishop@GulfCoastSynod.org