Our Open and Affirming Covenant
We the Members of the First United Church of Christ of Shelby, Ohio welcome you.
Regardless of age.
Regardless of race.
Regardless of marital status.
Regardless of gender identity or expression.
Regardless of sexual orientation.
Regardless of ability or disability.
Regardless of religious affiliation.
Regardless of how you interpret scripture.
Regardless of political affiliations.
Regardless of socio-economic status.
Regardless of military status.
Regardless of your past or present.
Regardless of how you may have been treated by any other church in the past.
Regardless of any of these things, or anything else you can think of… however the rest of the world describes you and however you describe yourself; you are welcome at the First United Church of Christ because, “Jesus didn’t reject anyone, and neither do we.”
We promise to always seek to affirm the person who you are with loving hearts and open minds. We promise to follow the teachings of Christ Jesus with you in loving and being loved by God and neighbor. We promise to love you for the person that you are, and whom God created you to be by living out the United Church of Christ’s promise that, “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome at the First United Church of Christ of Shelby, Ohio.”
A Letter From Our Reverend
Dear Church Family,
As summer comes to a close and the kids make their back to school the pace of things will once again begin to pick up here at the church. I must say it is an exciting time it is to be a part of the family of faith here at The First United Church of Christ. On August 28, 2016 by congregational vote, 1st UCC became an Open and Affirming Church. We made history, becoming Shelby’s first ONA congregation and the sixth ONA congregation in the North West Ohio Association of the UCC. Now that the ONA covenant has been voted on and accepted by the congregation our work is far from over. The struggle to continue to be a church that is all-inclusive and welcoming to all of God’s children will continue. God has called us to be a light in this time and place as one of the only ONA churches our community. God has called us to be a church of love, grace, and peace. That my friends is what being an Open and Affirming church is about. Extending God’s radical grace, extravagant welcome, and no strings attached hospitality to ALL people, no matter who they are, where they have been, or whom they love.
When most people hear that a church is ONA, they immediately thinks of the church’s acceptance and affirmation of LGBTQ individuals. It is true that as an ONA congregation, we will welcome LGBTQ brothers and sisters into the fold. However, we must remember that our ministry as an ONA church reaches far beyond the LGBTQ community. For many years, (far before I became your minister), the First United Church of Christ of Shelby has always reached out to folks who were on societies margins. We have always reached out to individuals whom culture said were not good enough to live or be happy amongst the rest. The minorities. The outsiders. The undesirables if you will. This covenant is our moment to shine! Our moment to declare to Shelby and the world that we DO NOT set boundaries on God’s extravagant love and grace for humanity! It is our moment to declare that we will not draw a line in the sand and leave others out of the Kingdom of God because they are different from us. It is our moment to reach out to those who have never gone to church before because they did not feel welcome. It is our moment to introduce people to our loving God by doing one simple thing: welcoming them into our church through loving and accepting them for the person that God created them to be.
For 165 years, 1st UCC has been spreading God’s light and love to the Shelby community. May that light continue to shine as we look to the future and strive to remove the barriers that keep “the lesser of these” out of Christ’s Kingdom, and God’s church. We look to God for strength and guidance as we stand with the thousands of ONA churches nationwide. We also look forward to continuing ministry and working together with other local ministries that are not ONA nor supportive of our ONA stance (Because even though they may not accept or recognize us as Christian, we will accept them and recognize them as Christian because of our bold stance). I will leave you with the words of the song that we closed our congregational meeting with last Sunday. These lyrics have been my prayer through the yearlong ONA process. Will you join me and make it your prayer also? “Guide us to openness! Guide us to openness! Let no one ever be shunned or denied. Make of the Church a bold place of compassion, that all who seek You may come and abide.”
With Joy and Gratitude,
Reverend James R. Robinson