Living...
We strive to be a community of faith that lives outside of the walls of the church and is the living body of Christ in our communities.
...like Jesus
We aspire to follow Jesus Christ as our exemplar, and to conform our lives to the shape of Jesus.
...with Love
Loving God and loving neighbor are the greatest commandments. Love is the starting point of Christian speaking and acting.
...and Justice for All
We live in hope for the coming reign of Christ, but seek to establish God's kingdom in the present, building a world where the justice of God supersedes the "justice" of the court, state, and institutions around us.
"Open and Affirming" or "ONA" is our tradition's language to declare and identify ourselves as not only welcoming or open to diversity but affirming human diversity and the sacred worth of traditionally marginalized groups in our society and in he church.
In practice, what this typically means that we invite LGBTQIA+ individuals and families as active participants, leaders, and fellow travelles.
Beyond this, Open and Affirming also means being welcoming to nonwhite persons, the economically disadvantaged, the veteran, the refugee, breastfeeding mothers, neurodiverse persons, and children with learning and intellectual disabilities.
St. Paul's Church strives to live like Jesus with love and justice for all.
We therefore affirm:
That the Bible is the center of our knowledge about God.
That science, reason, history, and interpretation are not only necessary to understand the Bible, but that the Bible demands to be taken seriously in this way.
That the traditions of the church are rich, and speak to the cloud of witnesses and their witness of faith. As Paul Tillich taught, "tradition is good but traditionalism is not."
That the Holy Spirit leads our experiences to radically re-interpret scripture, reason, and tradition, and that She is still speaking. As Gracie Allen said, "Never place a period where God has placed a comma."
That the Kingdom of God which Jesus taught is the challenge posed to His disciples: to demand, speak, and witness to justice.
That scripture and experience expect that teaching children is of highest importance. And that teaching children to have empathy for others, speak against injustice, and love the Bible are necessary to build the Kingdom of God.
That love is life-affirming in all of its forms, just as the love present in families takes many very different forms.
That questioning, doubt, and deconstruction are necessary for genuine and honest faith.
That we are called to dialogue and have respectful relationships with those who practice other religions.
That gathering for worship and being in community is necessary for a lived and vital Christian faith.
Links:
(Full text and searchable NRSV translation)
(denomination website)
The United Church of Christ Affirmation of Faith
The Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ