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Open and Affirming

Open and Affirming. Or “ONA”. Brief History of ONA. The National Setting adopted an Open and Affirming Resolution in 1985. This resolution stated the open and affirming, nondiscriminatory nature of the National Setting and encouraged other settings to adopt similar policies.

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Open and Affirming

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  1. Open and Affirming Or “ONA”

  2. Brief History of ONA • The National Setting adopted an Open and Affirming Resolution in 1985. This resolution stated the open and affirming, nondiscriminatory nature of the National Setting and encouraged other settings to adopt similar policies. • The first UCC action regarding gay and lesbian persons was in 1969, “Resolution on Homosexuals and the Law”. • Today there are more than 750 UCC settings which are Open and Affirming. • The UCC General Synod affirmed equal marriage rights in 2005.

  3. Why is ONA Important? • Explicit statement of welcome and affirmation for LGBT people, who have not always been included in the statement “welcoming to all” • Communicates your values to those outside the church. • Commitment to inclusiveness and justice for LGBT Community

  4. The ONA Process • Usually begins with a period of prayerful study, educational experiences, and interaction within the congregation. • Should be led by a committee created to work on the matter of Open and Affirming • May spend time talking with those who oppose ONA, addressing their concerns and hearing their stories. • Most often leads to the writing of an ONA statement and a congregational vote.

  5. Who Facilitates ONA? • The UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns supports the ONA program, maintaining a listing of ONA Churches. • The UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns is a separate entity from the denomination. The Coalition is often partners with Health and Wholeness Advocacy Office (HWA) to resource the ONA needs of the church, e.g., ONA Resource Trainings • When the ONA Resolution was adopted in 1985, the Coalition was ready to resource and facilitate ONA programs. • Health and Wholeness Advocacy is a part of Wider Church Ministries which provides resources and support for Open and Affirming.

  6. What are ONA Consultants? • People who are trained to help facilitate the ONA process. • We want to have them in every conference and region. • We also train ONA resource people for more local work on Open and Affirming. • We look to the conferences to help identify people for these trainings.

  7. What Happens in ONA Trainings? • People learn how to organize in the church community. • We learn how to create an ONA process in a church setting. • We learn how to talk about Open and Affirming, and how to talk about bisexuality and transgender concerns. • We learn how to do one to one interviews, and to effectively tell stories to energize and inform.

  8. Why are ONA Trainings Helpful? • People are empowered to create change and empower others to join their efforts. • ONA resource people and consultants are better equipped to continue to work on their ONA commitment after the vote. • It can help people think about their work in new ways and discover resources and methods for addressing challenges in the ONA process. • Introduces trainees to many resources for ONA.

  9. Ecumenical Trainings • HWA and the UCC Coalition have teamed up with Lutherans Concerned/North America, the Institute for Welcoming Resources, Reconciling Ministries Network, and other welcoming church programs to provide trainings. • At the training I attended, organized by Lutherans Concerned, there were many Lutherans, UCC members, and Methodists. • We had times when we worked in groups with people from our denominations, and spent most of our time in the larger group.

  10. Ecumenical Trainings • Takes you through the steps in becoming ONA. • Provides resources for engaging with the scripture and the tradition with attention to LGBT issues. • Practice with organizing, one to one visits, propositions. • Action planning in denominational groups

  11. After a church’s ONA Vote • To keep ONA alive, the ONA committee should stay active. • Participation in Pride festival • Service with focus on LGBT- 4th Sunday in January • Conversations on marriage • Include ONA in new member classes and confirmation • Shower of Stoles project

  12. Thank you! • Please take the list of trainings back with you, and consider people who would benefit from one of these trainings. Consider who might be interested in taking a leadership role in making the church a place that is welcoming to ALL.

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