June 19, 2022 marked a truly glorious and historic day in the life of our family of faith. Our congregation overwhelmingly approved our Covenant of Inclusion. And just a few days later, our denomination, the United Church of Christ, approved our Covenant, granting us standing as an Open and Affirming church. Open and Affirming (ONA) is the United Church of Christ’s (UCC) designation for congregations, campus ministries, and other UCC bodies that make a public covenant of welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. We will now be listed on the UCC church map at ucc.org reflecting our ONA status.
Please take a moment to hear the meaningful words of some of our members as we celebrated the First Anniversary of being Open and Affirming:
Covenant of Inclusion
We, The First Congregational Church of Western Springs, United Church of Christ, strive to be people of extravagant welcome. We affirm that all people are created in the image of God, and we celebrate the diversity of God’s creation.
As we seek to become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ and endeavor to live out our shared mission, we respect and gladly receive persons of every race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, mental and physical ability, age, socioeconomic status, marital standing and family structure, and religious background.
We affirm that the Holy Spirit gathers us as a congregation in which all persons are invited to participate in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, blessings, concerns, and joys of our community of faith. We hope and pray that by establishing and embodying this covenant of inclusion, we might fully follow Christ’s commandment to love God and neighbor and be a safe place where God’s love abounds.
If you have questions or would like to connect further on this topic, please reach out to Rachel Shaw Callahan, Alex Onion, or any of the Pastors.
What does it mean to be an Open and Affirming Church?
“Open and Affirming” (ONA) is a movement of more than 1,500 churches and other ministries in the United Church of Christ that welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) members. More than 350,000 members of the UCC belong to ONA churches—and our movement is growing rapidly.
After a time of study, dialogue and prayer, churches adopt an Open and Affirming “covenant” committing their members to welcome LGBTQ seekers, support their relationships, and advocate for their basic rights. All sacraments and rites of an ONA congregation are available to LGBTQ people, including baptism, confirmation, communion, and marriage. ONA churches take seriously the Bible’s admonition to “accept one another, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7, NIV)
What does it mean to be truly inclusive?
Our congregation’s Inclusion Team will continue conversations on the topic of being actively and proactively inclusive, welcoming, and loving to all. In that spirit, we hope to give continued and expanding life to our covenant of inclusivity and belonging at First Congo.
The team wants to hear from different voices to help ensure that our covenant continues to be grounded in faith and reflects our congregation’s commitment to compassion, respect, and unity.
Rachel Shaw Callahan and Alex Onion are co-chairs of this non-constitutional committee. Several church members representing a broad spectrum of our community are on the team, which also includes Pastors Rich and Meredith as ex-officio members. Amy Baldwin, our church moderator, and Kathy Vega, our associate moderator, also serve as ex-officio members.
We invite you to reach out to Rachel Shaw Callahan, Alex Onion, or any of the pastors with your questions, thoughts and ideas about what it means for First Congregational Church of Western Springs to be an open and affirming church.
Our Commitment to Celebrating Diversity & Differences
At First Congregational Church of Western Springs, we believe in the power of inclusion. Inclusivity extends beyond welcoming individuals from all walks of life—it means embracing those with Autism and special needs wholeheartedly. Inclusion entails offering the same activities to everyone while providing necessary support and services to accommodate diverse needs. We actively reach out to individuals with disabilities, striving to understand and appreciate their differences, fostering a sense of belonging within our community. As we recognize April as Autism Awareness Month, we invite you to explore our resources to learn more about Autism, supporting our commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all.
VIDEOS FROM OUR INCLUSION TEAM
Inclusion Team Co-Chairs
Rachel Shaw Callahan, Co-Chair
Alex Onion, Co-Chair
Please join us every Sunday for worship at 8:45AM & 10AM in the Sanctuary. The 10AM service is live-streamed on our YouTube channel.