New Open & Affirming Congregations
We’ve been remiss lately, reporting new Open & Affirming Congregations in Crossbeams. Here’s a list of new O&A Congregations added this year, in the order that they have been added:
First Christian Church, Colorado Springs, CO
First Christian Church, Cuyahoga Falls,OH
Missiongathering, Issaquah, WA
Disciples Christian Church, Bartlesville, OK
Riverside Christian Church, Wichita, KS
New Covenant Christian Church, Nashville, TN
Most of these churches became O&A after a period of careful prayer, education, and reflection on the welcome in their community. One – Missiongathering – is a new church start, and began it’s existence as an intentionally Open & Affirming Congregation.
And as a highlight, check out the video from New Covenant Christian Church in Nashville.
Remember, Alliance Q has resources and tools to help every congregation take the next step on it’s journey of welcome. Check out our resources here and here, and contact Mark Johnston, Executive Director of the Open & Affirming Ministry Program, and mark@disciplesallianceq.org.
On Pentecost Sunday, instead of a sermon, they staged a dramatization of New Covenant’s journey toward becoming O&A which featured a pilgrim who encountered members portraying the congregation’s attitudes and postures towards others at different phases of the congregation’s journey of welcome, inclusion and affirmation, including some that weren’t too loving or grace-filled.
You can find the video here. You might want to forward to minute 53, where the dramatization is introduced.