News Release
The Community Church of the Pelhams, United Church of Christ
448 Washington Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803
914-738-1513
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www.communitychurchofpelham.org
Community Church of the Pelhams Becomes an Open and Affirming Congregation
The Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ welcomed the Community Church of the Pelhams as the 1560th UCC congregation to become Open and Affirming on November 5th. Open and Affirming is the status granted to congregation’s who have made an intentional study of both the social science and the scriptural witness about homosexuality, and voted to affirm their welcome to LGBTQ persons into their congregations. The Community Church began its study last fall. The study and discussion process culminated in a unanimous congregational vote on October 14 to approve it’s Open and Affirming statement. In part that statement pledges to welcome and affirm persons who come to the church regardless of differences in “sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, marital status, age, mental and physical ability, as well as racial, ethnic, or social-economic background.”
The study process at the Community Church included two guest speakers (an early pioneer gay UCC clergyperson, a transgendered man who shared about his experience), discussions, Bible studies of relevant scriptures, and two readers’ theater pieces the congregation engaged in during worship over the summer that explored the context and social location of some of the Bible’s prohibitions. For example, the congregation was surprised to discover that the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah had nothing whatsoever to do with homosexual relations, but was rather a divine denunciation for the violation of hospitality codes expected toward foreigners in their midst.
The Community Church is grateful to its Open and Affirming Task Force leaders AnaMarie Medina and Ralph Zinzi who guided the congregation through the process, and for consultation assistance provided by the LOFT LGBT Center in White Plains. The Community Church of the Pelham worships in its building at 448 Washington Avenue every Sunday at 10am, and invites anyone to come join them to encounter the living and Still Speaking God. The church seeks to live out the United Church of Christ motto: “No matter who you are, no matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”