Open and Affirming at The Dover Church

Open and Affirming at The Dover Church

We are here this morning to talk about what kind of church we have been, what kind of church we are, and what kind of church we are going to be
The words we are using are Open and Affirming
why we're having this conversation grew out of two impeti
the words welcoming community in our church catch phrase - welcoming community of faith and service since 1762 - do we really mean everyone?
our parent denomination United Church of Christ - since 1985 - extravagant, all inclusive without exception welcome - UUA welcoming congregations - means the same thing - about gay, lesbian, etc., because traditionally ostracized and demonized by churches and church folks
Motion raised at Annual Meeting in January to clear this up after 10 years of tabling it
Want to do several things in this sermon
Open and Affirming is our DNA
Open and Affirming has been your experience
Open and Affirming is our deepest held communal conviction and aspiration
What's going to happen?
What will it mean?
How will it live out? What will change?
What's in it for us? Or, and here comes my enthusiasm for this - how much more awesome this is going to make our life together in this church
Open is our congregational heritage on both sides - our DNA
non creedal - no set of beliefs we have to agree to
covenant - agree to promises - to God, to each other
everyone who can make these promises is welcome
truth be told - don't even have to make the promises, just can't try to keep the promise keepers from trying to live into their promises
The Dover Church - 1938 merger of Unitarians and Trinitarians - name has neither taking precedence - openness to others and affirming of difference
covenant makes us Christian, not necessarily Trinitarian - certainly far from Unitarianism now
community church - Walter Kraft - different forms of Protestant worship every week so that everyone would feel welcome
UCC - denomination we are member of - UUA - denomination who helped shape us
both seeking to hear how God is speaking in new ways to the ever evolving context of each new generation
treasure tradition, but not bound by it
both forefront of welcome
first in ordaining people who were not white, heterosexual men: women, African Americans, other ethnicities who left ethnic churches to be with us, gays, lesbians, firsts on all counts
all who feel called by God to Christian ministry who are affirmed by local churches and associations as possessing the gifts necessary for such ministry
Welcoming Community
Deacons discussion and survey - this is both who we are, who we want to be, and who we are trying to be
this is most important to most people
what drew you here, what you found here, what you treasure about here
prioritize warm welcome, acceptance and inclusion over any faith stance
this is our faith stance - the affirming part - spiritual DNA
God of love - big embrace - inclusive embrace
this is the God we worship - this is our theologyzA
with this initiative - we are adopting the position denominational rubric - that is recognized by insiders and outsiders as a church of extravagant welcome to everyone and treasuring everyone, without exception, just as we are
what's going to happen?
conversation opportunities
Council form a writing team - statement - words for what our form of ONA will live and look like - volunteers?
review and ultimately approve by Deacons and Council
present to congregation for discussion, possible revision, ultimate approval
then we will be ONA and it will be in our documents, website, and I'll come back to the rainbow out front in a  moment
What will it mean?
Isn't this who we already are?
If it is, then why can't we just say so? I think so, but we have to agree and then we will say so emphatically so people outside these walls can hear it - maybe in our secret hearts, but there's always talk about "some people who might object"
why emphatic?
Community Christian Church - says everything without saying anything
plenty of Christian Community Churches who are leading the persecution, demeaning and exclusion of non-heterosexual people
the flag or something on our sign, website, publications
not us. not here. no way - We are the YES church
go by Eliot church in South Natick coming from Wellesley - very decorous rainbow
Will we become the gay church?
will people move from Ptown, Northampton, San Francisco to be with us
ONA churches already in Natick, Needham, Wellesley, Holliston, Norwood, Milton, Newton
might come from Medfield or sherborn where no ONA churches
story of Tivin
what church wouldn't want new members who just love the church what welcomed their family and affirmed their kids? Those people are going to make this church fly
Will we start teaching homosexuality?
keep trying to teach Jesus, who never said a word about homosexuality or gender identity, except to lift up outsiders and teach love
Next minister gay or lesbian? Not that I plan to go anywhere soon,  but the odds are yes if you want the best candidate, best preacher, most caring, lot of my most gifted colleagues have different kinds of families from mine
what's going to change in how we do church?
we're going to have be more overtly welcoming of absolutely everyone
good for us reserved, uptight Yankees
traditional model - newbies get with our program - shoe horn them in where needed - see what gifts they bring and watch what new thing God is doing in our midst through them
perfect spiritual remedy for the perfectionism of our community
success to afford a house here
beauty and charisma to be popular here
wealth and connection to join clubs
intelligence and hard work for kids at school
athleticism to make the A team
we can loosen our ties and bodices and just try to breath and be who we really are - no judgments - long way to go on this one, but this will make this agenda item 1
might save some teenagers life and his or her relationship with parents - big cause of suicide, self destructive behavior, alienation, homelessness, broken families
In the end, it all comes down to real people, just like us - trying to live into Jesus' commandment that we love one another without distinction
go out on a limb
who knows someone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered?
please rise if you love this person
say his or her name