Open and Affirming Task Force -- 2010
The purpose of the Open & Affirming Task Force at First Christian Church Eugene is to engage the congregation in dialogue, lead groups in study, answer questions, and identify an appropriate course of action for our church to take in regards to this issue in policy as well as in practice.
The work of this task force is an ongoing process – if any individual or small group desires further conversation with a task force member or a pastor, please contact a task force member from list below. We want to equip you to meet your goal well and with confidence.
Please stay tuned, because we will be offering a variety of ways to learn more about LGBTQ issues and discern our path together. Please take the opportunity to educate yourself in the interim. The task force has provided a list of websites, films, & books that may support your desire to learn over the next few weeks.
Update - February 2011: A Pastoral Letter on Becoming Open and Affirming.
The following policy was proposed and adopted by the congregation in February 2011:
Policy: As a way of becoming a more just, welcoming and inclusive church, one that honors the gifts and graces of all individuals, we declare we are an Open and Affirming Congregation and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome in the full life and ministry of our church.
Vision: To be registered with the Community of Welcoming Congregations in Oregon and with the Open and Affirming Ministry Team of Disciples of Christ. To publicize our O & A status on our website, church bulletin and other outreach information. To be open and willing to perform marriages for same sex couples under the same conditions we offer to heterosexual couples. To include this policy in our church’s governing documents as recommended by GLAD (Gay, Lesbian an Affirming Disciples) and the Welcoming Community Network.
Key Definitions
What does it mean to be Open & Affirming?
Open and Affirming means that we “publicly declare that LGBTQ people are welcome in the full life and ministry of our church as a way of becoming a more just, welcoming and inclusive church, one that welcomes the gifts and graces of all persons, regardless of gender or sexual identity."
Visit these websites to learn more about Open & Affirming:
www.gladalliance.org - Disciples of Christ
www.ucccoalition.org - United Church of Christ
www.rmnetwork.org - United Methodist Church (Reconciling Ministries)
www.uua.org/leaders/idbm/bglt/index.shtml - Unitarian Universalist
www.welcomingcongregations.org - Community of Welcoming Congregations
What does LGBTQ mean?
This acronym refers collectively to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, & Queer & Questioning persons, intended to emphasize a diversity of "sexuality and gender identity-based cultures" and is sometimes used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual instead of exclusively to people who are homosexual, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, the letter Q is added for queer and questioning for those not explicitly denoted by LGBT, such as pansexuality, intersex, etc.
TO learn more about LGBTQ persons and how to support them, visit:
http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=290 - definitions & resources
www.transfaithonline.org/ - TransFaith Online
www.clgs.org - Center for Lesbian & Gay Studies at Pacific School of Religion
What is PFLAG?
"PFLAG" is Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. A national support, education and advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, their families, friends and allies. With 200,000 members and supporters, and local affiliates in more than 500 communities across the U.S. and abroad, PFLAG is the largest grassroots-based family organization of its kind. PFLAG is a non-profit organization and is not affiliated with any religious or political institutions.
Visit PFLAG’s website at:
Additional Resources
www.basicrights.org - Basic Rights Oregon
www.soulforce.org - Soulforce
www.hrc.org - The Human Rights Campaign
www.ngltf.org - National Gay and Lesbian Task ForceVisit these websites to hear personal stories from other people of faith:
http://www.ucccoalition.org/resources/articles/houseofprayer/
http://www.ucccoalition.org/resources/articles/onaparent/
http://www.gay.com/families/ and http://www.planetout.com/families/. Website has a new Families Channel on its site.http://www.basicrights.org/?page_id=63 - “50 voices” presentation (Our own Dan Bryant is one of the 50 voices!)
Marriage Equality:
www.freedomtomarry.org - Freedom to Marry
http://www.ucccoalition.org/programs/mep.html - United Church of Christ dialogueBooks & Movies:
The Welcoming Congregation Handbook: Resources for Affirming Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and/or Transgender People, Unitarian Universalist Association
Why Marriage Matters, by Evan Wolfson
Jesus, the Bible, & Homosexuality, by Jack Rogers
Is the Homosexual my Neighbor, by Virginia Mollenkott
What the Bible Really says about Homosexuality, by Daniel Helminiak
For the Bible Tells Me So (@ the public library, in the church office, or on Netflix)
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