United Church of Christ Stories
Fellow Travelers
I grew up in the United Church of Christ in Massachusetts. An adolescent in the 70s, I remember talking about homosexuality at my church youth group. Our youth group leader had "two real, live homosexuals" come and talk to us - a man and a woman. I remember one of the guest speakers saying 1 in 10 of us were gay. I looked around the room and thought, "three or four besides me." Despite this rather gay-affirming moment (at least by 1970s standards), I managed to largely suppress my sexuality. Nonetheless, when I felt an urge to become an ordained minister, I resisted. I figured that since I was gay, God couldn't really want me to be a pastor.
I continued to attend church while I was in college (in St. Paul, Minnesota). During those years, I began coming to terms with my sexual orientation, accepting me as the person God created. Then, I was able to really hear God's call. So I pursued ordination. Because I was part of the UCC, I was able to be out at seminary, mostly out during the ordination process (I was still a little chicken at that time), and out during the process of seeking a call to a local church. I am now serving a small church in a rural-becoming-suburban community in the greater Seattle area.
As I have continued to grow and mature in my relationship with God, I have found that the path Jesus offers is truly one of liberation. Our society asks us to meet certain cultural norms - being heterosexual, being married, having kids, consuming lots of "stuff," chasing after an ultimate unfulfilling "good life" - and we build closets to hide who we really are as we attempt to present a self that meets these norms. Jesus calls us out of these closets. And the more I come out of them, the more I become the person God created and the deeper my relationship with God is.
At the same time, Jesus calls us to share this liberation with others. So the United Church of Christ has a strong history of working for social justice. From supporting food banks to marching in gay pride parades, from building Habitat for Humanity homes to lobbying congress, local congregations and national bodies of the United Church of Christ work for freedom and peace and wholeness.
It is important to me to have a community of faith, fellow travelers on this journey of liberation. I am pleased to say I have found it within the United Church of Christ.
(Rev.) Jeffrey Spencer
Lucky
I am the 6th generation of my family in a UCC congregation. The United Church of Christ is extremely welcoming to the GLBT community, and my church is proud to be an "Open and Affirming" congregation. Many in our local gay community are now active and happy to belong to such a welcoming congregation. We now have about 350 GLBT members out of 1700 active members. Our GLBT group at the church was joined by about 100 straight members to march in the gay pride parade this year!! The church does perform Holy Union ceremonies for same-sex couples, and they have helped to break down the walls of injustice and bigotry. The church is VERY vocal on social justice issues. I strongly suggest that anyone searching for a church home look into the UCC. I was very fortunate to grow up in such a loving church!!
Anon.
Out in the Parsonage
Not only are my partner of 17 years and I happily gay and active in the life of our church, I'm an ordained pastor and we live in the church's parsonage! My congregation in Sudbury, MA, warmly welcomed the two of us three years ago and has continued to lend us every support. Our church, Memorial Congregational, is part of the United Church of Christ, a denomination which has supported the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people since the late 1970s.
The community in general has been very receptive of our presence. Sudbury is about 15 miles west of Boston. Like many of the surrounding communities, Sudbury has experienced intense growth among young families in the past ten years. It seems that for many of these young adults, homosexuality is a non-issue. Our church reflects the town's demographics. We have seen a lot of growth in the past three years, and most of our new members have young children. At the worst some of these folk have felt indifference about my lesbian, but the majority take pride in belonging to a congregation that was brave enough to call an out, gay, senior pastor.
My partner and I both sincerely hope that other gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people will visit their area religious communities. More and more churches and synagogues are welcoming us into full participation. It's worth the risk of venturing through the doors to find one's self embraced completely!
Peace,
Rev. Lisa D. Schoenwetter
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