What Does "Open and Affirming" Mean?

Community of Grace is an Open and Affirming Congregation, which means we welcome anyone to our church regardless of their sexual orientation.  Why do we do this?  Well, for starters,  our name says it all.  Grace means that God loves us because we simply are God's children.  There is nothing we can do to earn God's favor; we are loved unconditionally.  As followers of Jesus, we are called to love everyone and accept them-there are no second-class citizens in God's eyes.

We also publicly welcome our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters because it's an important witness to the wider culture.  Too often, Christians have set a bad precedent of excluding GLBT people from the life of the church simply because of who they are.  That has led many to see Christians as anti-gay.  Community of Grace, wants to set a different example.  We want to be known as a church that takes God's radical love seriously and extend it to everyone.  We want those who have been excluded to come to know the God that loves them totally.  We want to show that there is another way of being.

Community of Grace is part of a wider network of churches within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that is working for tolerance and respect of GLBT persons.  Community of Grace is part of GLAD (Gay, Lesbian Affirming Disciples), and joins in the ministry of this organization as it works for greater understanding of GLBT persons both within and without the church.  For more information, please click on the "Open and Affirming" logo.

Our church is an Open & Affirming Ministry where all persons are welcome. Click here for more information on Open & Affirming Ministry.