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Church Allies

_UCC Votes for Open and Affirming

 

BY FRANCESCA SUSANNA

RANDOLPH — When the
Reverend Pam Lucas explains the
meaning of Christian marriage, she
stresses that she speaks only for
herself, what she believes and what
her own understanding is.
“Marriage in the eyes of God is a
faithful, loving, committed,
monogamous relationship between
two people.” Lucas is the acting
conference minister for the United
Church of Christ’s Vermont
Conference, following the resigna-
tion of the Rev. Arnold Thomas
last spring. There are about 153
UCC congregations in Vermont,
Lucas says, with a total of 16,000
members. .

In June of 2002, the Vermont
Conference voted to become an

not to vote, and have just educated
themselves and are keeping the
dialogue open for now.”

The UCC was formed in 1957
from five separate denominations
(New England Congregationalists,
German Evangelical and Reformed
heritages, white American and
African American Christian
Churches, and ethnic churches
organized by the American
Missionary Association). They
claim as their own the first
ordained Black pastor, Lemuel
Haynes (1785), as well as the first
woman minister, Antoinette Brown

(1853). In 1972 the UCC ordained

William R. Johnson, the first
openly gay man to be ordained.
“That led to a conversation about
what it means to be open and
affirming to all people,” explains
Lucas. “How do we offer the kind

A few Vermont‘
pastors have called
Rev. Lucas to let her
know that each had a
family leave their
congregation over the

passage of the Marriage I
Equality Resolution at

the General Synod.

open and affirming (ONA) confer-_
ence in regards to the lgb commu-
nity (there has been no apparent
official comment regarding the sta-
tus of transgenders in the UCC).
What this means is that the confer-
ence will welcome gays, lesbians
and bisexuals -— as they are — for
membership and leadership within
the conference.

That said, within the UCC,
every congregation and level of
organization is autonomous. “We
speak to, and not for one another,”
Lucas says. Of the 153 Vermont .
congregations, 19 have voted to be
ONA. “We’ve had the conversa-
tion in many churches and a num-
ber have decided for the moment

of hospitality that allows us to

‘ open our arms and gather every-

one in and give everyone full
rights and privileges to be who
God calls them to be?”

The road to the 2002 Vermont
Conferencevote, and subsequent
votes of individual churches, has
been a solid twenty years’ journey.
In July of 1985, after much prayer,
study and discussion, the 15th
General Synod adopted the Open
and Affirming statement. This
statement recognizes that people of
all sexual orientations are welcome
into the full life and ministry of the
denomination and that GLBT peo-
ple and their gifts are an essential
part of the community and of the

       
   
     

ministry of Jesus Christ. “We com-
mit ourselves to caring and con-
cern for our lesbian, gay and bi-
sexual sisters and brothers,” it
reads.

In Vermont the conversation
began in 1987 when the Vermont
Conference voted to affirm the
right of candidates to seek ordina-
tion as ministers without regard to
their sexual orientation (OITM
June, 1987). It continued in the late
90’s, when the affirming resolution
was brought to the floor at an
annual meeting by the church in
Bennington, which had become an
ONA church. “They had been
through the process and were call-
ing on the conference to do that,”
Lucas says.

Flash forward to this summer:
the General Synod (the national
organizational body of the UCC)
passes the Marriage Equality

--Resolution, which like every state-

ment and resolution, is non-bind-

_ ing on any of the conferences or

congregations. From Arnold
Thomas, Vermont's delegate,
Lucas learned that three different
resolutions were considered; one in
support of marriage equality, one
saying that marriage was between
a man and a woman, and one in

, favor of continued study. Lucas

reports, “The debate was impas-
sioned but respectful, and the reso-
lution won by an 80 per cent
margin.”

In the aftermath of the General
Synod vote, a UCC church in
Virginia was the victim of arson;
anti-gay graffiti was painted on
that church’s wall.

“The feedback [to the marriage
equality resolution] in Vermont
has been very muted,” Lucas says.
A few pastors have called her to
let her know that each had a fami-
ly leave their congregation over
the issue. In other parts of the
country there has been talk of
churches wanting to leave the
UCC and found another
denomination.

This resolution made by a
Christian denomination, together
with the appearance of four area
churches in this year’s Vennont
Gay Pride Parade, illustrates a new
tolerance for queers in Vermont.
There is a place in Christianity for
queer folk as well as a call to the
GLBT community to make a place
of openness and acceptance for
GLBT Christians. V

Francesca Susanna is a freelance
writer who lives in Burlington.