Open and Affirming (ONA) is the United Church of Christ’s (UCC) designation for congregations, campus ministries, and other bodies in the UCC which make a public covenant of welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.
Today there are more than 1,500 ONA congregations in the UCC. Our congregation is one of them.
On Sunday, August 25th, 2013, during our Congregational Meeting, our members voted to officially become an Open & Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ. The vote was 86 “Yes,” 1 “No,” and 1 “Abstain.”
For more information regarding ONA, please visit the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition website. The UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the United Church of Christ and beyond, and equips UCC congregations to become effective witnesses to Christ’s extravagant welcome.
You can also learn more about Open and Affirming on the National United Church of Christ website. There you will find volumes of information and instructional materials regarding ONA.