ONA Welcome Statement
ONA - Open and Affirming
We would like to extend a warm welcome to you and appreciate your time in visiting this page and learning alongside us. We are a group of congregate members who have spent months in prayer for study and discussion, exploring the path for our church to become an open and affirming congregation.
Much of the information we have studied and shared is provided by the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ with additional resources noted.
We have treasured this process of learning that has allowed for our own growth and to support the process of dissemination disseminating information on this topic to others
Members of your ONA committee attended a webinar on this topic sponsored by the UCC. To start to explore this question, we were asked to consider the following excerpt from the bible, “Accept one another, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” Rom. 15:7 NIV. In response and through our discussion, the following points were raised:
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Most LGBTQ seekers know from painful experience that the words “you are welcome” usually don’t apply to them.
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“Church” is a damaged brand not only to LGBTQ seekers, but to straight millennials who identify with the values ONA represents.
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A public welcome sends a clear message to LGBTQ seekers that they have a home in your congregation.
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An ONA covenant is also a blessing for the congregation.
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LGBTQ seekers and their families bring talent, energy, devotion and commitment to the church.
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Rural churches are now the growing edge for the ONA movement. In rural America, LGBTQ neighbors often lack resources and support structures. LGBTQ youth (and their parents) in these communities often have nowhere to turn.
A congregation’s affirmation and support through an ONA covenant can be a life-saving experience, especially for LGBTQ youth and seniors.
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LGBTQ youth are four times more likely than their peers to die through suicide, attempt suicide, or seriously consider suicide. The Trevor Project estimates that at least one LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13 and 24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds in the United States
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LGBTQ seniors often face neglect and abuse in assisted-living communities and nursing homes. As they enter the time of their greatest vulnerability and dependence on others, they need support structures—especially churches where they and their loved ones can be safe.
As an ONA congregation, we can be part of a growing movement that has restored thousands of LGBTQ Christians, who aren’t wanted by other churches, to the Body of Christ. Imagine if this were the vocation of our church: to restore wholeness to the broken body of Christ!
In comparing ONA UCC churches to non-ONA UCC churches, the ONA churches have more members, are attracting more new members. report higher worship attendance. and report higher budgets and therefore higher income. The growing edge for many ONA churches: young heterosexual adults who identify with ONA values (especially couples with children). One-third of millennials say they have left churches because of homophobic or transphobic practices and teachings. (Source: Public Religion Research Institute, 2014). A confident and well-informed welcome to LGBTQ seekers also welcomes straight millennials and the younger “Generation Z,” and therefore can be an essential element of a congregation’s future.
In service,
Mary Brown, Natalie Coe, Karen Festa, Celia Schneider, Lynn Stack
FHUCC Open and Affirming Committee
If you would like to bring anything to the committee, please contact Mary or Celia.
Mary Brown marybbrown57@comcast.net 802-345-4502
Celia Schneider schneidy@shoreham.net 802-273-2406
Please note that much of the provided content, and all of the bulleted points have been taken from a presentation by
Andy Lang, Executive Director, UCC Open and Affirming Coalition.
You may reach the coalition directly by emailing ed@openandaffirming.org and
we encourage you to visit their website: https://openandaffirming.org