Open and Affirming (ONA) Ministry

Congregational Church of Needham, United Church of Christ

February 2000 - Present

• ONA BULLETIN BOARD - features information about the various facets of our ONA ministry, articles, current events, on-going information about the MARRIAGE ruling, RAINBOW STRIPES for church nametags

• BOOK PURCHASES for the library

• Offered ANTI-RACISM COURSES (4 so far, including a youth group course)

• Church donated funds to a NEW CHURCH START in Provincetown

• Gathered NO PLACE FOR HATE Campaign signatures - pledges to interrupt bigotry

• NETWORKED with other churches - First Parish Unitarian, Needham and 4 Open and Affirming UCC churches in Newton, sharing ideas and experiences of supporting diverse populations in a church

• Asked CHURCH COMMITTEES to define how they would live out the statement in their committee's work

• ONA member, Dick Glessner, WROTE A HYMN for 30^th Anniversary celebration of the UCC Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns

• Acquainted NEEDHAM CLERGY ASSOCIATION with our church's anti-bias work

• Hosted BOSTON WOMEN'S RAINBOW CHORUS in 2003 and 2004 to celebrate our church's ONA vote

• HOSTED NEEDHAM HIGH SCHOOL GSA (Gay/Straight Alliance) dances/concerts for several years

• BAPTISM OF CHILDREN of same sex couples

• Participated in GREATER BOSTON PFLAG (Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays) SURVEY and meetings about ONA congregations

• PRIDE CELEBRATIONS - Each June, attended ECUMENICAL PRIDE SERVICE at Old South Church, GAY PRIDE PARADE, with the church's ONA Banner and Needham ONA T-shirts; Needham Church booth at the PRIDE FESTIVAL on Boston Common

• MARRIAGE SURVEY in 2003- Distributed to Church Council and, from them, to their committee members, seeking their opinions on marriage for same sex couples

• MARRIAGE FORUMS - Three FORUMS were held in January and February 2004 on the topic of MARRIAGE FOR SAME GENDER COUPLES. The three sessions featured guest speakers including the Chair of the Freedom to Marry Coalition, the Director of the LGBT Aging Project, Needham clergy, including our two ministers, and one of the plaintiff couples in the Goodridge case. ONA placed information in FOCUS (newsletter) explaining various facets of the SJC ruling.

• MARRIAGE POLICY 2004 - In preparation for the Deacons' discussion of marriage rights, the ONA Committee held an information session for the Deacons. The Board of Deacons articulated the church's policy on marriage, which included weddings of same sex couples.

• WEDDINGS OF SAME GENDER COUPLES since 2004

• MARRIAGE EQUALITY EFFORTS - since 2004, many church members joined the effort to defeat constitutional amendments intended to ban gay marriage. People wrote and phoned legislators, and rallied at the State House to show that many people of faith do support marriage equality. The Committee wrote a marriage rights statement, collected signatures of church members who wanted to make their support public, and raised funds to run this statement in an ad in the Globe West and the Needham Times.

• "IN OUR FAMILY" PHOTO EXHIBIT hosted and staffed by the ONA Committee, in conjunction with the Needham NO PLACE FOR HATE Campaign - Winter 2004

• HOSTED 3 MA Conference UCC WORKSHOPS on Marriage in 2004 (with sessions presented by Susan Cartmell, Heike Werder, Peggy O'Connor, Anne Rousseau) and on the ONA Process in 2005 (sessions by Heike, Anne, and Kathie Carpenter)

In 2005, our Church celebrated the fifth anniversary of the vote to become and Open and Affirming congregation with several initiatives and special events, indicated below by 5^th Anniversary.

• ONA CHILDREN'S SERMON (5^th Anniversary) - An original play about being Open and Affirming, written by Johanna Sweet and performed in worship service on the actual anniversary day, February 13, 2005

• "FACES OF NEEDHAM" Photo exhibit (5^th Anniversary) - March 2005 - Hosted this exhibit featuring photos and personal stories of different Needham families. The exhibit was produced by the Needham Human Rights Commission and included several families from our Church.

• Presented ONA HISTORY at SENIOR HIGH YOUTH Group

• MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE'S WELCOME TABLE advertised ONA Information and Events

• SHOWER OF STOLES exhibit (5^th Anniversary) - April/May 2005 - a national exhibit of liturgical stoles that honor lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people prevented from serving as ministers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Some stoles honor churches.

• CHURCH STOLE (5^th Anniversary) - Stephanie Oddleifson created an anniversary stole for our Church to donate to the project; church people signed their names on the stole

• SPEAKER ON ANTI-RACISM (5^th Anniversary) - Rev. Dr. Andrea Ayvazian (opened up to other houses of worship, schools and communities) - April 2005

• Created ONA BROCHURE (5^th Anniversary) for the church, detailing the ONA ministry and marriage policies

• "CONFIRMATION" GOSPEL CHOIR CONCERT (5^th Anniversary) - May 2005

• ONA 5^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION POSTER - Rollin Morse, a member of the ONA Committee, created a beautiful word splash poster that now hangs permanently in Linden Hall

• Church ENDORSED THE EQUAL MARRIAGE RIGHTS RESOLUTION in April 2005 for Atlanta Synod

• MA CONFERENCE OPEN AND AFFIRMING EVENT - In April 2006, church members participated in "Journey, Justice and Joy," a worship event celebrating 20 years of Open and Affirming congregations in Massachusetts. Stephanie Oddleifson designed a felt panel to commemorate the event.

• ONA COMMITTEE READINGS - Members read books on the Bible and Homosexuality: Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church and The Children Are Free

· VOICES RISING CONCERT

The ONA Committee hosted the acclaimed women's chorus "Voices Rising" for their winter concert in December 2006. They will return in May 2007.

• LGBT SUPPORT GROUPS - The ONA Committee plans to form one or more groups to serve populations in our church and community, such as an LGBT and allies group or an LGBT community group.

• NO PLACE FOR HATE - the ONA Committee will offer a community viewing and discussion of the video "Journey to a Hate-Free Millennium," on March 18, 2007 at our church, as part of Needham's No Place for Hate campaign

Past and present ONA Task Force members:

Deb Abraham, Jackie Allen, Brooke Baker, Kathie Carpenter, Marilynn Cashmore, Jane Clayton-Matthews, Carol Downe, Bob Follows, Kathy French, Dick Glessner, Sandy Glessner, Nancy Lane, Rollin Morse, Barbra Morton, Stephanie Oddleifson, Nancy Pratt, Dianne Rees, Bill Rees, Lynn Rhoads, Anne Rousseau, Diana Roy, Lucia Sloane, and Clark Taylor; Susan Cartmell and Heike Werder as advisors

February 2007