GAZETTE Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian News

By Rick Carson
With all the commotion in recent months about the Episcopal Church ordaining a gay bishop, Methodists placing lesbian and gay clergy "on trial" and Presbyterians denying the ordination of homosexual clergy, it's easy to wonder whether any Protestant denomination has its act together in a positive way when it comes to gays and lesbians. Well, for one major denomination the "gay issue" is basically old news: been there, done that.

In 1972, the United Church of Christ became the first mainline Protestant denomination to ordain into ministry an "out" gay man, followed four years later with the first lesbian ordination. In 1985 the UCC in its national gathering voted to encourage its congregations to become Open and Affirming (ONA) by publicly welcoming gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders into the full life and ministry of the church.

This is a denomination of impressive firsts - it's almost the original ACT-Up church [click here]. In areas of social, economic and racial justice it's a progressive leader within Protestantism.

The UCC isn't a household name like some other denominations though it has been around since the Pilgrims first set foot in Provincetown (that is, before they pulled up anchor and moved on to Plymouth). The Pilgrims and the Puritans soon came together as the Congregational Church, and centuries later in 1957 the Congregationalists merged with the Evangelical & Reformed Church (with its liberal German Protestant heritage) to become the United Church of Christ. Today, the UCC numbers about 1.5 million members in some 5,800 churches across the country.

The UCC operates on the congregational system whereby each individual local church sets its own policies; the national office may offer direction but it cannot dictate. Theology will vary from church to church (and pastor to pastor) as will the styles of worship - traditional to contemporary and blends in between. There is diversity at the UCC's core with a freedom of conscience and a responsibility to redefine beliefs as times and conditions change.

If you are one of those people for whom the United Church of Christ hardly rings a bell (and if it does you may be confusing it with the very conservative Church of Christ), you're not alone. For those who are organized religion-savvy, many will say the UCC is one of the best kept secrets in-or from-the gay community. While the UCC has a gay-friendly message to proclaim, it hasn't been communicated very well. Earlier this year, as part of the UCC's ambitious God is Still Speaking identity campaign, the Tampa Bay area was a test market for a 30-second TV ad. You may have seen it: a couple of bouncer-types standing in front of a church, only allowing certain people to enter. The message: "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we. No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here." Watch for the ad which is running again during the current Christmas Advent season.

Not all UCC congregations are ONA even though the church nationally has taken such a stand. So if you're gay and want to investigate a couple UCC churches near where you live, you'll probably want to find out if they are ONA. And while many are not officially ONA they may otherwise be welcoming of GLBTs. But some may just be plain unwelcoming. That's the way it is in the congregational system.

Locally in the greater Tampa Bay area, the UCC has been doing outreach to the GLBT community through its presence at the two most recent St. Pete Pride Street Festivals, the Tampa Film Festival Expo this past October and a couple "get-to-know us" potluck dinners. One congregation recently conducted a Bible study on homosexuality, another has for years hosted monthly dinners for people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS and was the original home for the True Expressions GLBT youth support group, another conducted a special Sunday service during Gay Pride month in June and celebrated GLBT History Month and National Coming Out Day in October; one has an active gay men's group and another is the church home for the Pinellas gay couple and their daughters recently caught up in Florida's anti-gay adoption system.

Since many of us are gun-shy of organized religion as the result of earlier negative experiences in our lives, we may have stopped attending church except for special occasions like Christmas or Easter. With Christmas coming up, you might want to use this as an opportunity to check out a UCC church near you. And since just about all church folks are in good spirits during the holidays, you may want to return after the first of the year to see if those smiles and welcomes are for real.

If you'd like to learn more about the denomination, check out www.ucc.org and www.stillspeaking.com. For more information about ONA and welcoming congregations in the UCC in the greater Tampa Bay area, click here.

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