What does the ONA (Open and Affirming) designation mean?
“Open and Affirming or ‘ONA’ is the United Church of Christ’s (UCC) designation for congregations, campus ministries and other bodies of the UCC which make a public covenant to welcome into their full life and ministry all persons no matter their sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.” In 2015 Bethany First Church undertook the certification process to enter in a covenant to be an ONA congregation with a broader definition. Bethany First Church welcomes everyone regardless of whether they belong to a group that has traditionally felt unsafe, underserved and ignored.
Our official covenant states that:
The First Church of Christ, Congregational UCC of Bethany is an Open and Affirming Church.
We are open and affirming to all who wish to share our faith journey.
All people are welcomed by God’s grace and thus we welcome all people of every race, ethnicity, gender diversity, sexual orientation, marital or socio-economic status, age and physical or mental ability into the worship, rites, sacraments, fellowship and leadership of our church.
We recognize and love each and every individual as a child of God.
As God placed a rainbow in the sky after the flood, so we claim the rainbow as a symbol that signifies safety, dignity and sacred work. It is a sign that, in this place, all God’s children are not just welcomed, but celebrated and cherished as well.
At Bethany First Church, when we display a rainbow, we are not making a political statement. We are merely stating that the church is not a place of harm but of safety, trust and life for all God’s children. We accept everyone for who they are, not what they are, believing that all people have worth and dignity. The rainbow doesn’t belong to any one group but to God. It stands as a reminder to be a community where love is louder than hate.
We recognize that all people are created in God’s image and deserve to be treated with love and respect. We at Bethany First Church affirm our commitment to welcome and support all people by living out God’s inclusive love.
