Open and Affirming (ONA)
We seek to become more open and affirming of all persons without regard to their gender, race, skin color, marital status, class, national origin, age, physical condition, mental ability, or sexual orientation.
To further our ability to understand and bring to the forefront issues of discrimination in the larger community, we have passed an Open and Affirming Resolution and formed the Open and Affirming Committee.
Our Open and Affirming Resolution
On May 1, 1994, the congregation overwhelmingly adopted this resolution, which was amended in May 2004 to include transgender persons:
We the members of the United Church of Christ in New Brighton, declare that we are an "open and affirming" congregation of the United Church of Christ. We seek to become more open and affirming of all persons without regard to their gender, race, skin color, marital staus, class, national origin, age, physical condition, mental ability, or sexual orientation. We welcome to our congregation all who seek to follow a Christian way of life and want to be part of a Christian community.
We believe that all people are created in God's image and that our value as human beings is given to us by God and that God loves everyone without exclusion. We celebrate God's wonderful gift of human sexuality and the nourishing, life-enhancing place it can have for us.
We encourage and support the developing and nurturing of relationships -sexual or not - which are characterized by mutuality and honesty, fidelity and respect, commitment and stability, love and care.
We know that, in the history of the Church and our culture, Christians and others have been very rejecting of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender people. We believe God calls us to move away from these rejecting attitudes and actions - especially in the Church's life.
We pledge to continue the struggle toward full inclusion of all God's people into the United Church of Christ and the Church universal. We very specifically welcome Christian people of all sexual orientations to share in the life and leadership, ministry and fellowship, worship and sacraments, responsibilities of our cultural and secular organizations, our state and nation.
We commit ourselves to oppose discrimination and prejudice against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in our attitudes and relationships, our culture and secular organizations, our state and nation.
We continue to welcome all people to share in the life of our congregation - including those who have difficulty accepting all these declarations. We are a United Church of Christ, committed to being a sign of God's open and affirming love for all people.
ONA Task Force Mission Statement
To provide timely information to our congregation about gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender (GLBT) issues/events within our church and the wider GLBT community.
To promote our church to the GLBT community.
To inform the greater Christian community that we are an Open and Affirming congregation.
To .participate in church and GLBT events such as PRIDE, National Coming Out Day, and ONA events/meetings.
To encourage/inform our members.
To discuss issues.
