Open and Affirming
Marriage
Brochure Now Available!
A
new resource that affirms marriage
for
same-gender couples from the MA
Conference
Open and Affirming (ONA)
Task
Force
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Open and Affirming (ONA) churches
are congregations in the United Church of Christ which publicly
welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people into
their full life and ministry.
The 185th Annual
Meeting of the Massachusetts Conference adopted the first
Open and Affirming resolution within the United Church of
Christ in 1984.
The resolution was submitted to General Synod
XV, which adopted it the following year. (See the text here.)
There are now 87 ONA churches in the Massachusetts Conference.There are also 3 settings that have adopted an Open and Affirming statement: Massachusetts Conference, UCC; the Andover Newton Theological School; and the Harvard
Divinity School. There are more than 600
ONA congregations
in the United Church of Christ nation-wide. In deciding whether to become an ONA church, most congregations enter a study
process which involves prayer, reflection, educational events
and discussion designed to involve all members and friends
of the congregation. (To find a list of Massachusetts ONA
congregations, go here.)
Numerous resources
for local churches considering becoming ONA, and other information
can be found through the web site of the United
Church of Christ Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Concerns.
For links to specific pages on that site, please see our LGBT Resources page.
Resources available
from the Massachusetts Conference include:
Open and Affirming Study
Packet This study packet has a six-session
curriculum for use in local churches that seek to understand
the open and affirming process in the UCC. Includes: Attitudes
about sexuality; Understanding sexual orientation; Sexism,
heterosexism and homophobia; Family and relationships; Youth
and gay/lesbian/bisexual issues; and the
ONA process. The
cost is $45. To order, contact the UCC Coalition
The
Open and Affirming Task Force is available
to provide guidance and assistance to local churches exploring
this issue, and are available for workshops, consultation,
inquiries and referrals. Please feel free to be in contact
with folks on the task force.
ONA Task Force 2007-08
Ms. Kathie Carpenter, Chair (kacarp@comcast.net)
The Rev. Dr. Frances Bogle
Ms. Donna Collins
Ms. Ginny Curll
The Rev. Ms. Ann B. Day
The Rev. Ms. Laura Ruth Jarrett
Ms. Ivy Tillman
Staff Person The Rev. Dr. Peter Wells
Staff Assistant Ms. Karen Methot
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