Open and Affirming (ONA) is the United Church of Christ’s (UCC) designation for congregations and other bodies in the UCC which make a public covenant of welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.

LGBTQ+* people of faith often experience emotional and spiritual injury in churches that condemn their capacity to love and seek love. Because they’ve learned that “All Are Welcome” usually doesn’t apply to them, they can’t assume that any church will be safe for them and their families. With our public welcome as an Open and Affirming (ONA) church we hope to send a clear message to LGBTQ+ seekers that they have a home in First Parish Church. 

The Open and Affirming (ONA) movement for full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons continues to spread throughout all aspects of our denomination’s life and witness. There are now more than 1,800 ONA churches and increasingly, the values that shape the ministry and witness of UCC as we live out the UCC mission to love all, welcome all, and seek justice for all. FPUCC has been an ONA church since 2012.  

* LGBTQ+ is a shorthand for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.” The word “queer” has often been adopted by people who don’t want to be constrained by the identities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, especially young people whose gender identity is “nonbinary.” The plus symbol reflects the diversity of sexual and gender identities in the human family.