Through community, I have been able to encounter God powerfully. My church, Faith United Church of Christ in Dunedin, FL has been such a blessing to me. This faith community welcomed me with open arms, heard my story, and called me beloved. That meant more to me than they will ever know. I have truly experienced the love of God by worshipping with this community. This church models God’s love through their inclusion and justice work. Faith UCC has helped me to encounter and have a deeper understanding of our Creator. According to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Christian community is like the Christian’s sanctification. It is a gift of God which we cannot claim.”1 Faith UCC has been a gift from God to me and my faith has become stronger by worshipping with this congregation.
In the UCC I have found my denominational home. Nurturing a UCC identity means valuing and protecting the covenant that our denomination was founded upon. The covenant is what unites our denomination. This is a covenant that puts Christ at the center of our worship and polity. Jesus prays in John 17 for the church to be one. This oneness comes from being in a relationship with each other even when we might disagree. In the UCC our central identity is rooted in loving God and loving people. In the UCC we believe that God is actively still speaking to us, still uniting us. Nurturing a UCC identity means to partner with God. We are called to be an active participant in our Creator’s still speaking work.
Our faith journey is not done in isolation. It takes a community to raise a Christian. Nurturing a UCC identity is done within a community. At the center of the UCC is always the local church. According to our UCC constitution, “The basic life of the UCC is the local church.” The conference assembles to support and aid the local church in its mission. At the local church level, a community is given freedom and flexibility to build a UCC identity that works in the context of their local community. The local church is not about a building or property, a local church is about spreading the love of God to the world. The local congregation encourages each other. In the joys and the sorrows, the community supports one another through everything. The conferences allow the local churches to have a governing voice. The conferences are vital because through them delegates are elected to vote at General Synod. The conference structure keeps the denomination organized and it makes sure that every local church feels heard, seen, and valued. I will continue to nurture my UCC identity by being a voice for the local church at conference gatherings and General Synod.
Nurturing my UCC identity for me also means being justice and missional focused. A core commitment of our denomination is extending God’s extravagant welcome to everyone. I see a branch of my ministry being committed to reaching out to people who have been left voiceless by churches in the past. I want those individuals to know that they are fully loved and embraced by God just as they are. Living out a UCC identity means being committed to showing all people the love of Christ and welcoming them into the flock as God welcomes. In my opinion, the future of the church is a diverse place where all people come to find hope, healing, and freedom. God doesn’t discriminate, God doesn’t reject anyone because of a person’s sexuality, and God doesn’t build walls. I am fully committed to the UCC’s vision of a God of extravagant welcome and creating space where all feel welcomed to encounter that love. The covenant is expressed when all in the family are given rights and responsibilities within the system. The UCC covenant lives out this call for community by exuding the love and welcoming nature of Christ. In the UCC everyone has a spot at the table. As a gay man, I can fully express my gratitude to the UCC for allowing me to have a voice in the denomination. The UCC’s covenant of grace welcomed me into the family when other denominations turned me away. The UCC will forever be my home and it is my mission to help all people who are hurting experience the love of Christ.
1. Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. London: SCM Press. 1954.