The Southwest Association voted unanimously at our 2024 Association Fall Meeting to become an Open and Affirming Association. Open and Affirming (ONA) is the United Church of Christ’s (UCC) designation for congregations, campus ministries, and other bodies in the UCC which make a public covenant of welcome and affirmation to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions into their full life and ministry. Beyond just a welcome of attendance, affirmation means that we advocate for basic human rights of the LGBTQ+ community, support all expressions of loving relationships, and invite LGBTQ+ persons to share in the leadership of the Association as well as partake in the sacraments when offered at Association gatherings.
While the Association is Open and Affirming, not all of our member congregations have adopted this designation. Our congregational listing shows which individual churches are also Open and Affirming.
Open and Affirming Statement (adopted October 20, 2024)
God created diversity, made all of humankind in the image of God, and God saw that this was good (Genesis 1). However, the Christian church has historically denied the full dignity of those with diverse expressions of gender and sexuality and failed to celebrate the full spectrum of loving human relationships that gives meaning to our lives and reflects the love that God shows to each one of us. The Southwest Association of the Michigan Conference United Church of Christ seeks to follow the path of Jesus’ inclusiveness and welcome by being an agent of healing and reconciliation in all communities that have been silenced and dehumanized by interpretations of the Good News that do not recognize God’s love poured out for all humankind.
Therefore, we declare ourselves to be an Open and Affirming Association of the Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ, advocating for and committing to the full inclusion of all people of all sexual orientations, gender expressions, gender identities, and types of families in the vital life of our Association. The Southwest Association also commits itself to the effort to end the systemic injustice faced by people of all expressions of human diversity, including but not necessarily limited to race, class, ethnicity, national origin and residency status, age, ability, sexuality, gender expression and gender identity throughout our society.