Entries tagged with “OnA” from Trans-cendental

My church is Plainfield Congregational United Church of Christ, part of the Eastern Association of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ.

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward."

- Mark 9:38-41

Sometimes we forget to recognize that we're more alike than we are different. Sometimes we let differences in one area keep us from working together in another.

But not Friends Congregational UCC in College Station, Texas. Even though many of the churches that worked with Prison Fellowship were critical of gay and Lesbian persons, this Open and Affirming (OnA) congregation did not let this get in the way of participating in Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program, which purchased gifts for children of inmates. Though they didn't agree on the sanctity of same-sex relationships, Friends Congregational realized that had nothing to do with helping children at Christmas. They believed in offering hope to kids whose only fault was having a parent who was convicted and imprisoned.

Unfortunately, after several years of participation, Prison Fellowship removed them from the program.

Prison Fellowship specifically refused to allow Friends Congregational UCC to continue to participate in a program to help imprisoned adults offer Christmas gifts to their children because Friends Congregational UCC is Open and Affirming of gay and Lesbian people.

The Rev. Dan De Leon, pastor of Friends Congregational, said the regional office of Prison Fellowship told him that, because the church belongs to the UCC's "Open and Affirming" program, it would not be allowed to participate in the Angel Tree program.

A Senior Vice President of Prison Fellowship said that, out of 12,000 participating churches, only a few congregations have been disqualified, usually due to doctrine on creation or homosexuality.

I doubt the kids - who would not have known which churches were involved, much less the churches' doctrine - would have cared.

"Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward."

References:

• http://www.ucc.org/news/church-in-texas-excluded-from.html
• http://uccforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4037
  

    A major insurance company that sought out business from a local United Church of Christ congregation in Michigan has subsequently refused to even provide a quote for coverage when it learned the church's denomination supported same-gender marriage equality and the ordination of gay clergy. - United Church of Christ

    West Adrian UCC was approached by Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company to change their insurance. When West Adrian consented to a quote, the insurance company said that the denominations "support" for gay clergy and same-sex marriage made the church too high a risk, and refused to offer a quote.

    Aside from the fact that the insurance agent approached the church without knowing about the denomination's history, which shows a lack of basic research, there are a number of other problems with the company's assumptions.

     Although General Synod 25, the semi-annual meeting held in 2005, approved a resolution supporting same-sex marriage, that action only encourages individual congregations to consider such support. General Synod resolutions do not control congregations, and only "speak to, not for" the United Church of Christ. Likewise, although individual UCC associations (local bodies that organize a small number, usually some 20-100, congregations) may ordain gay clergy, the individual congregations determine who they will call and are free to choose not to accept gay clergy.

     And the UCC "Open and Affirming" (OnA) status is also a local choice. West Adrian UCC had not voted to be OnA. It is ironic that West Adrian may be precisely the type of church Brotherhood Mutual wanted to insure.

     Of course, businesses are free to decline a contract based on the risk involved. Yet this congregation was judged not on its claims history, not on its property, not on its members, and not on its ideology - but on the perceived risk by being a congregation associated with a denomination in which some have chosen to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons.

     In Matthew 5:11, Jesus says, "Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." And so it is with this congregation. May they, and we, see the blessings of being accused of love.