Open and Affirming Welcoming Statement and Covenant
Welcome Statement
“In the face of love, everyone is equal.
Let everyone have the freedom to love
and pursue their happiness.”
~ Tsai Ing-wen (President of Taiwan)
“There is no longer Jew or Greek;
there is no longer slave or free;
there is no longer male and female,
for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
~ Gal. 3:28 NRSVUE
At Zion Reformed UCC, we:
Love like Jesus, are Open to all people, Value one another, and know that Everyone is welcome.
Open and Affirming Covenant
No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. Because Jesus
has taught us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind,
and to love our neighbors as ourselves, we commit Zion Reformed UCC to be an
Open and Affirming church. We invite people of every race, gender, ethnicity,
sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, marital status, economic
circumstance, and physical and mental ability to participate and share their talents
and energy in worship and sacraments, leadership positions, ordained ministry, lay
ministry, learning, service, mission and fellowship. We believe that God is still
speaking and with God’s grace, we journey together in Christian faith.
has taught us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind,
and to love our neighbors as ourselves, we commit Zion Reformed UCC to be an
Open and Affirming church. We invite people of every race, gender, ethnicity,
sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, marital status, economic
circumstance, and physical and mental ability to participate and share their talents
and energy in worship and sacraments, leadership positions, ordained ministry, lay
ministry, learning, service, mission and fellowship. We believe that God is still
speaking and with God’s grace, we journey together in Christian faith.
To learn more about faith and sexual orientation, visit www.gaychurch.org
ONA Fellowship
The ONA Fellowship is formed to serve as a support group and planning/advocacy group including LGBTQ+ folk and allies. We will meet following worship on the second Sunday of each month. Bring a snack to share.
Church ClarityChurch Clarity publishes a database of churches with their LGBTQ policies, Women in Leadership policies, and how clear those churches are about those policies.
Zion has been submitted and will post a link as soon as Church Clarity publishes it.
LGBTQ Policy
Will you hire LGBTQ+ people for any ministry role? Yes
Will your church’s clergy officiate a wedding for LGBTQ+ people? Yes
Will your church ordain LGBTQ+ people? Yes
Are there any LGBTQ+ people on your leadership team? Yes, the lead pastor is a gay man
Women in Leadership Policy
Can women preach in the primary church service? Yes
Can women be ordained (or recommended for ordination)? Yes
Can women serve as elders or in all governing bodies? Yes
Can women serve as senior pastor/minister? Yes
Who currently serves as senior pastor or equivalent of your church? Man
Do women and/or non-binary folks make up 50% or more of your church’s leadership team? Yes
How often do women and/or non-binary folks preach? Often, the previous senior pastor for 3 years was a woman
