ONA Quote of the Month
“ ‘Graceful Engagement’ is not easy for those of us in the LGBTQ community who have been hurt by the misuse of the Bible to condemn our capacity to love and seek love, or to live with integrity in the gender identity God gave us. It will always be difficult to remain patient and faithful in conversations where we may hear the same arguments that drove us out of other churches. In the past, my temptation was to run away from these conversations, or to strike back in anger. But I believe it was and continues to be the vocation of the LGBTQ community in the UCC to take the risk of engaging grace-fully those who are still struggling to accept us in our full humanity. And that vocation applies to our allies, too. We can be grace-ful, not because we are better or wiser, but because, as Paul wrote to the bitterly divided church at Corinth, no member of the Body of Christ can say to another “I don’t need you!” When members of a congregation know they need each other because God has called not some but all of us into one Body, the journey towards an Open and Affirming covenant can open hearts, deepen love, liberate energy, and reveal new ways to proclaim the Gospel in our divided and angry world.”
Andy Lang is executive director of the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ. He is a member of Plymouth UCC in Shaker Heights, OH. You can read the entire article on the ucc website: http://www.ucc.org/commentary_graceful_engagement_04262018
Some of us in our congregation have heard testimony from our transgender friends about the daily challenges they face in public places. I have tried to present both sides of this ballot question. I encourage you to go to the polls in November.
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