- Home
- About Us
- Ministries
- Events
- Building Rental
- Ministerial Staff
- History
Section Links
Who We Are
What We Believe
Open and Affirming
Mission Statement
Sunday Service
Testimonials
Spiritual Links
Recent Sermons
God is Still Speaking
Progressive Christianity
United Church of Christ
Northern California Nevada Conference of the UCC
The Pacific NewspaperAbout Us
Open and Affirming
We are an open and affirming congregation, valuing everyone's race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, calss, physical and mental abilities.
About Open and Affirming
In 1985, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ passed a resolution which included encouraging “the congregations of the United Church of Christ to adopt a non-discrimination policy and a Covenant of Openness and affirmation of persons of lesbian, gay and bisexual orientation within the community of faith.” In 1990 a Western Regional Open and Affirming Conference was held in Burlingame.
Our Open and Affirming History
Ten people from our church attended the Regional Conference, and a two-year study of the O & A issue began.
At the annual meeting in January of 1992, after everyone had a chance to express their views, the following motion was presented and passed unanimously:
“We hereby declare our congregation to be an open and affirming church and move that an ad hoc committee prepare a final open and affirming statement for presentation for a vote at a congregational meeting to be held no later than May 1st”A major conversation took place as to whether the statement would deal with a number of issues of inclusiveness or be limited to the subject of being open and affirming of lesbian, gay and bisexual persons. Our final statement passed on May 3rd.
Meetings took place in the summer of 2007 where we said that since we have so many members who were not here in 1992, it would be a good time to reopen the conversation about Open and Affirming and what it means to our church.
At our meeting on March 16, 2008 it was decided that we have a responsibility to let GLBT folks know we are here, and also a responsibility to counteract the negative messages coming from some faith communities. We will be exploring ways to do this.
We are committed to keeping the entire congregation informed about all meetings and educational opportunities, and welcome all comments and concerns.
Mission Statement
As members of the Congregational Church of Belmont, United Church of Christ, we accept each other's diversity and remain open to one another's spiritual interpretations as we strive to:
- Worship together seeking spiritual growth, inspiration and inner peace;
- Develop a close relationship with God;
- Experience the joys and risks of allowing God to work within each of us;
- Be aware, with humility and love, of the individual struggles and joys within our collective lives;
- Minister faithfully and effectively to one another as an extended family within the local community;
- Do justice in the world God loves;
- Practice inclusiveness and openness to provide a sense of worthiness and acceptance of all people;
- Enable each of us to live a meaningful life.
- We undertake this mission with the help of Jesus Christ.