Welcoming Progress in 2014
The GLAD Alliance added 19 ministries to the Open & Affirming Ministry Program in 2014. These include the first primarily African American congregation to join the O&A Ministry Program (Liberation Christian Church, St. Louis, MO) and the first Disciples seminary to join the program (Brite Divinity School, Ft. Worth, TX).
The “Most Improved State” in 2014 is Missouri, with four new O&A congregations, followed closely by Ohio with three. This year also saw the addition of the first Canadian congregation, Sugarbush Christian Church in Guelph, Ontario.
Ministries that have joined GLAD’s Open & Affirming Ministry Program since July 2013
First Christian Church, Albany, OR, 9/9/2013; Eastwood Christian Church, Nashville, TN, 9/11/2013; Brite Divinity School, Ft Worth, TX, 9/17/2013; First Christian Church, Des Moines, IA, 10/2/2013; Bixby Knolls Christian Church, Long Beach, CA, 10/8/2013; Community Christian Church, Rochester, NY, 11/1/2013; Lacey Community Church, Lacey, WA, 11/5/2013; Brentwood Christian Church, Springfield, MO, 12/16/2013; Fringe: A Community Growing, Columbus, OH, 1/28/2014; Sugarbush Christian Church, Guelph, ON, 2/10/2014; St. Andrew Christian Church, Goodlettsville, TN, 3/6/2014; Union Avenue Christian Church, St. Louis, MO, 3/6/2014; Saguaro Christian Church, Tucson, AZ, 3/28/2014; Galileo Church, Mansfield, TX, 4/9/2014; First Christian Church, Chicago Heights, IL, 4/10/2014; Origin Fellowship, Spokane, WA, 4/30/2014; Monte Vista Christian Church, Albuquerque, NM, 5/1/2014; Firestone Park Christian Church, Akron, OH, 5/27/2014; National Avenue Christian Church, Springfield, MO, 7/9/2014; Carthage Christian Church, Cincinnati, OH, 7/14/2014; Chapman University Office of Church Relations and the Disciples on Campus student group, Orange, CA, 9/3/2014; First Christian Church, Farmville, NC, 9/19/2014; Liberation Christian Church, St. Louis, MO, 9/26/2014; Table of Grace, Jefferson City, MO, 10/14/2014; North Christian Church, Columbus, IN, 11/4/2014; Canoe Camp Church of Christ, Mansfield, PA, 12/2/2014; First Christian Church, Mesa, AZ, 12/8/2014.
This brings the total count of O&A Ministries of the Christian Church to 131.
Some of the ministries added to the list have been welcoming for years and understood the importance of joining GLAD’s Open & Affirming Ministry Program. Others more recently have journeyed to a place of welcome and affirmation.
When a church joins GLAD’s Open & Affirming Ministry Program, LGBT people and indeed all people are assured that the congregation is a welcoming place. Joining the O&A Ministry Program is a means of being that much more ‘out,’ or Open about your congregation’s welcoming and affirming stance. O&A Ministries participate in the work to build a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that welcomes persons of all gender expressions and sexual orientations to the full life and leadership of the church. O&A Ministries are joined in this work with other welcoming church programs in many other denominations.
Since the Orlando General Assembly in July 2013, 27 ministries have been added to the list of O&A Ministries. Twenty congregations were added to the O&A Ministry Program in the two years prior to the Orlando General Assembly, and Dr. Johnston, Executive Director of the Open & Affirming Ministry Program, expects to double that and add 40 congregations to the Ministry Program in the biennium leading up to the next General Assembly this July in Columbus, OH. Dr. Johnston reports that “I would love to do even better than that, since my goal is for 5% of all Disciples congregations to be Open & Affirming by the time of the next General Assembly.” Using the 2014 Yearbook count, 5% of Disciples congregations would be 173, and that goal will be met when 48 more churches join the program (along with the other ministries that are part of the program).
Can you help meet that 5% goal? If your church isn’t part of the Open & Affirming Ministry Program, you can learn all you need to know about becoming an Open & Affirming Ministry here. Perhaps your church is welcoming and hasn’t joined the O&A Ministry Program, perhaps your church is in process to become Open & Affirming. Either way, contact Mark Johnston at mark@gladalliance.org for resources and guidance to continue the journey to more welcome.
Is your congregation part of GLAD’s Open & Affirming Ministry Program? Find the entire list of O&A Ministries here.
No matter where you church is (or isn’t) on its welcoming journey GLAD has resources to increase welcome in your congregation. Find suggestions for the next step on your journey here.