Looks to me like your church welcomes lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender worshippers! Trouble in wingnutland? New church time? Check for "man hands" and adam's apples on some of those church ladies!
ucc.org
Message Concerning the Open and Affirming, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Ministries of the United Church of Christ
By Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer
Minister for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Ministries
Open and Affirming is the way many in the United Church of Christ (UCC) declare their welcome and inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons into the full life of the church. The message of love and compassion, justice and peace are at the very core of the life and ministry of Jesus. Open and Affirming (ONA) ministries and resources are rooted in that Gospel message. The testimonies of these ministries proclaim the truth of God's power to transform cultures of hate and violence into communities of healing and reconciliation. They give witness to the ways in which the gifts of God are being liberated for service in the world.
In developing the ONA policies and programs, careful consideration has been given to the biblical tradition, but there has not been a literal approach to the interpretation of scripture. Rather, a critical method of biblical study has been engaged, which takes into account the language, context, culture and other important exegetical methods employed to discern the meanings of the texts and their implications for contemporary life.
There is a significant and growing consensus among biblical scholars about the few biblical texts that are often referenced as the basis for condemning same-gender loving people of God. Contemporary biblical scholarship argues strongly against this condemnation and finds a much more significant Gospel message that supports the inclusion of LGBT persons into the full life and mission of the church. An example of the biblical scholarship concerning homosexuality and scripture is an article by Rev. Dr. Walter Wink (Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City).
Informed by sound biblical scholarship and his experience of the ministries of LGBT persons, Rev. Paul Sherry, past President of the UCC, wrote a pastoral letter to the church on the rights of LGBT persons in society and their membership and ministry in the UCC, entitled: Now, No Condemnation.
The United Church of Christ (UCC) is not organized in a hierarchical way and therefore we are not a doctrinal church. The local church is the basic unit of mission and has the basic freedom to determine its own mission in light of God's call. This means there is much diversity among members, local churches and other settings of the UCC on "Open and Affirming" LGBT concerns. The work of the national setting of the UCC is guided by the significant body of social policies adopted by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, the representative decision making body of the national setting.
Link Dr. Walter Wink's article
Link Now, No Condemnation
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. —Acts 8:36-38
Since its very beginnings, the church of Jesus Christ has wrestled over issues of inclusion and exclusion. Who can be received as a member? What are the qualifications, barriers, or tests required? Who is permitted to assume a leadership role?
In the Bible, the book of Deuteronomy is very clear that the sexual minorities of that day—eunuchs—were not allowed to be members of the worshiping community; in fact, they were excluded altogether from Jewish life. However, in the book of Acts, we find the painful yet empowering story that poignantly demonstrates the life of grace we find in Jesus Christ—Philip's encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch. In short, this outcast wants to be baptized. Recognizing the boundless invitation of God's inclusive love in Christ, Philip receives the eunuch as a member of the church.
Beginning as early as 1969, the United Church of Christ has wrestled with similar questions of inclusion and exclusion with regard to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. However, increasingly, the UCC is seeking to be a place of extravagant welcome for LGBT persons. In 1972, the UCC ordained the first openly gay person into ministry, the Rev. William R. Johnson. In 1985, the UCC's General Synod declared itself to be "open and affirming" and called upon all settings of the church to become similarly poised to welcome LGBT persons as full members of the church. Despite various perspectives on human sexuality in our local congregations, the movement for full inclusion of LGBT persons continues to spread throughout all aspects of our denomination's life and witness.
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