Open and Affirming Covenant Statement   

The United Church in Walpole declares to you that we are an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. Together, we are called to express the love and welcome of Christ.  

As we celebrate the gifts, talents, and resources of God’s diverse creation, we affirm the dignity and worth of every person. We open our doors and our hearts to people of every age, mental or physical ability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and economic circumstance. In the spirit of mutual respect, we welcome you to join us in the life of this church community.

 We trust the words of Jesus: "...anyone who comes to me I will never drive away..." (John 6:37, NRSV)

FOLLOWING IS A LINE-BY-LINE DISCUSSION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EACH SENTENCE IN OUR COVENANT STATEMENT

“The United Church in Walpole declares to you that we are an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ.”

Our covenant statement is deliberate and personal. We are declaring “to you” that we are open and affirming. We believe that if you are reading this statement, you may be searching for these words of assurance that we are a congregation that walks the words of Jesus Christ that “…anyone who comes to me I will never drive away…” We are “open”-all are welcome here. We “affirm” that sexuality is a gift of our Creator and we “affirm” its responsible loving expression, regardless of sexual orientation.

“Together we are called to express the love and welcome of Christ.”

These words convey that we are an active congregation and that statements are not a substitute for action. We must “express” our beliefs through what we do. We live the two Great Commandments, and we extend the extravagant welcome of the still speaking God.

“As we celebrate the gifts, talents, and resources of God’s diverse creation, we affirm the dignity and worth of every person.”

Members of our congregation come from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints bringing richness to our community. We celebrate the diversity that blends us together into one body in Christ. Our congregation was formed in 1927 through the fusion of three very diverse faith communities, and we have remained strong for over 80 years. We have adapted to changing times, and through our ONA covenant, we have adopted the means to invite those who may have felt disenfranchised to share the Good News with us. We acknowledge that we are all children of God, each equal in worth in God’s eyes.

“We open our doors and our hearts to people of every age, mental or physical ability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and economic circumstance.”

Our welcome is specific to several groups who may have felt excluded from faith communities in their past. We have made accommodations in our sanctuary to be accessible to as many individuals as possible. Given the history of institutional religions to condemn or exclude individuals from the life of a church based on sexual orientation or gender identity or, worse, to be silent in the face of such discrimination, we felt it critical to clearly identify our congregation as a true “sanctuary”, a place of safety and security for all who enter.

“In the spirit of mutual respect, we welcome you to join us in the life of this church community.”

It is important to us that anyone who enters our doors feels respected and in turn respects our community of faith. Again, our covenant statement is personal as we speak to the reader to express our welcome. We extend the hand of welcome into the full life and ministry of our church to participate in the work, worship and witness of our congregation, without exception.

We trust the words of Jesus: “…anyone who comes to me I will never drive away…”

(John 6:37, NSRV)

We are a Christian church that follows the teachings and the words of Jesus Christ. Our denomination believes in the living word of God and the duty of each generation to rethink its beliefs as God’s word unfolds and conditions in the world change. The historical and textual setting of many Biblical passages places them at odds with our understanding of God’s desire for us. Passages that address divorce, slavery, women as property are examples. Thus the words “…anyone who comes to me I will never drive away…” captures our beliefs from Scripture that we are all children of God and deserve to be invited and welcomed into the community of faith at the United Church in Walpole.