Good Morning.  My name is Jason Ornduff, and I am a member of the church’s Open and Affirming Task Force.  I have been asked by the Task Force to give you a brief summary of the work we have been doing for the last year, why we are doing it and what we will be doing in the future.

First, a little background.  Back in 1985, the UCC General Synod adopted a resolution calling for its individual churches to make public statements welcoming persons of all sexual orientations and identities into the full life and ministry of the Church.  For each individual church that takes this step, the UCC will certify the Church as an open and affirming church.  At the GCC leadership retreat back in August 2006, the question was raised whether GCC should become an open and affirming church.  The Executive Board appointed a task force to explore the issue.

During the past year, the Task Force has discussed the issue at length.  As part of our own discussions, we have brought in ministers from outside our congregation to discuss with us differing viewpoints on sexuality, with a particular emphasis on interpretations of Biblical text.  Following these meetings, the Open and Affirming Task Force made a formal recommendation to the Executive Board that this Church “take all steps necessary to prepare for and present to the congregation the question of whether Glenview Community Church should become an open and affirming local church of the United Church of Christ.”

To be Open and Affirming (“ONA”) is to publicly declare that people of all sexual orientations are welcome to participate in the full life and ministry of a local church in the United Church of Christ. This includes, but is not limited to, membership, leadership, and employment.  To be Open and Affirming is to believe that God’s affirmation of the gifts of loving committed relationships and sexuality is not restricted to those who are heterosexual and to witness to God’s inclusive love for all.

In many segments of society, including the church, what the Christian call to love one another means and how it is to be extended to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals is being discussed.  In the midst of this discussion, members of Glenview Community Church and their children, family members, and friends are often addressing this issue on their own.  The actions of a faith community today can have meaning and great importance for generations of its members to follow, for the churches with which it is in covenant, and for the society that may be shaped by the living witness of Christian principles.

Therefore, to facilitate that discussion, the Task Force will be holding a series of open meetings and programs on the matter in the coming year.  The goal of our Task Force is to educate and allow individual members of GCC to make up their own minds about the Church becoming an Open and Affirming Church at a congregational vote at a future date.  After each service today, there will be a table in the Mayflower Room staffed by members of the Task Force.  Please stop by and speak with one of us.  We ask that, regardless of your immediate viewpoint, you open your mind to arguments on all sides of the issue to becoming an open and affirming church. The Task Force members strongly believe that there are benefits in taking such a journey together as a faith community and experiencing the growth that will come from it. 

Thank you.
December 9, 2007