Open and Affirming History

In 1985, the United Church of Christ General Synod passed a resolution that recommended that local congregations consider becoming Open and Affirming churches.  This "ONA" status would mean that our church would be fully open and welcoming to gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual persons.  In 1990, the Just Peace Committee of First Congregational Church UCC felt that it was time to study the ONA process and contacted the National UCC for the study guide and resources.  This educational process was intended to lead us to vote to become an "Open and Affirming" church.  As a justice issue, this seemed like a natural next step for a Just Peace Church.  All were invited for initial discussions and a special effort was made to include those who were hesitant about the issue.

The ONA study group met after worship on Sundays and soon discovered that we as a committee had a lot to learn ourselves before we could share with the wider congregation.  We discovered that the gay and lesbian community felt welcome as members but did not have the same rights and privileges that other members had.  It was a surprise to some of us that they felt uncomfortable talking about their families or their relationships.  We made an effort to design an educational process that would help us to better understand what it meant to be affirming.

We planned education forums and panels and invited members of other denominations and other Open and Affirming Churches to share their personal journeys, both positive and not so positive.  We heard heart-warming stories of acceptance and heart-breaking stories of rejection from churches, but mostly about how wonderful it would be to be open about their own families and partners.  We also had a Saturday workshop where we participated in profound and painful exercises.

Our church grew in understanding and in membership as others who wanted to know about the process joined our community.  The process opened us to better communication with all our issues and helped us to be real with each other.  The benefits were for all of us regardless of our orientation.

This period in our church history was not easy.  It took an additional two years to work through the misinformation and hesitation, yet during that time our relationships with each other within the congregation deepened, we were becoming closer and it was time to vote.  The affirmative vote took place January 19, 1993 and made us a part of the wider United Church of Christ Open and Affirming Network.  We were part of a larger vision in the UCC and in society.

Becoming an Open and Affirming congregation was not an end to our process but the beginning.  We voted again in 1999 to amend our ONA mission statement, which already invited full participation and stated that we would be "non-discriminatory in practices" to specifically include union ceremonies.  We also worked against the anti-gay marriage initiative on the California ballot.  More recently, as our congregation has become more diverse, we have added transgender to our Open and Affirming vocabulary.

Now, on the occasion of our tenth anniversary of becoming Open and Affirming, we celebrate again.  It is wondrous to imagine what is ahead.

Compiled by Ann Appley for our 10-year anniversary as an ONA congregation.