The following is a list of questions that the OnA committee has received from our congregation. For each question submitted, a member of the committee researches and provides a draft answer to the rest of the committee. The committee reflects on the draft, suggests edits, and then approves the answer to be posted publicly. 

Throughout this process, we invite you to submit your questions. You may download the question form to print and deliver to the OnA Kiosk in the social room, or you may submit your questions online. Please see the buttons below. 

DOWNLOAD QUESTION FORM OPEN ONLINE QUESTION FORM
Member Questions and Answers from the OnA Committee

Many have asked, “Why does ECC need to become Open and Affirming?  We welcome everyone who comes to our church already.”  It is true; our church already has many signs of inclusion (think about changes we have made to make the church more handicap accessible). So why would we need to specifically mention sexual orientation or gender identity?

Historically society and many religious organizations, including most Christian churches, have rejected members of the LGBTQ+ community, considering their gender and/or sexuality as a mental illness, sinful, or deviant.  When churches have welcomed LGBTQ+ members, it is with the caveat that they leave hidden that part of themselves or change what others would call a “lifestyle”.  So many LGBTQ+ people need to be assured that this church is one where they can feel safe and whole and not judged or marginalized.  This is where the word “affirming” comes in.  As an Open and Affirming church, we will affirm that we see and respect the whole person and will create a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

A second way to look at this question is to ask, is it we who have the power to welcome individuals into the church, or is it Jesus who invites us to his table?  Welcoming can look like an act of charity to those who are different or have been marginalized.  Our committee believes that Jesus has already welcomed LGBTQ+ folks and asks us to celebrate God’s inclusive love for humankind in all its wonderful diversity.  We believe that an individual’s gender and sexuality, like everything else, are gifts from God.  And just like all gifts from God, they enhance and strengthen who we are as a congregation.

Please check out the question and answer regarding what the word “affirming” means for more information.

Being an Open and Affirming church reassures the marginalized population that the community is a safe group in which to assimilate and that the church is a safe place to express who they truly are. What exactly is the definition of marginalized and who are the marginalized people?
The word marginalized refers to the act of treating a person or a group as though they are less significant than someone else. Marginalized people are often shunned or isolated from others which causes them to feel disempowered. There are many marginalized groups. Some of these groups are as follows: persons who are gender non-conforming (a person who expresses their gender in such a way as it does not match the masculine or feminine norms), the LGBTQ+ people, people with physical and mental disabilities, people of a different race, people of a different ethnicity, and people who are non-residents.
Words like welcoming imply those who are not marginalized have the power to accept or reject people who are different in some way. Affirming is much more than welcoming. It is a public declaration that says, “We recognize you for who you are. We will marry you in our church. We will baptize your children. We will be a safe space for you to attend and participate in all the church has to offer. We will have conversations with you about your identity. We will accept whomever you love. You may be different than some, but we will love you as God has taught us to love.”
Many LGBTQ+ people have learned through personal experience that a welcoming church does not necessarily welcome them. Many of these people have learned that a “welcoming” church won’t necessarily encourage conversations about gender identity, pronoun use, etc. LGBTQ+ people of faith don’t want people to ignore their relationships or their identity. They want to be able to be a part of a faith community that embraces their true selves.
Being an Open and Affirming church includes all marginalized people, not just the LGBTQIA+ population. The phrase we so often hear in church, “No matter who you are, or where you are on your life journey, you are welcome here” is extremely important to all marginalized people. By becoming an Open and Affirming church we welcome all people no matter the ethnicity, ability, race, residence status, national origin, class, and age as well as gender expression and sexuality. Remember these words, “Accept one another, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
People joining our church community may not know what we believe unless we are explicit in our language. Being Affirming is more explicit than Welcoming. 
LGBTQIA+ is a term that is often used in conversations regarding sexuality or gender identity. Each of the letters is used to represent a different way an individual may identify their personal sexual orientation or gender identity. They are currently understood as follows…
L - Lesbian - (a female identifying person who is sexually or romantically attracted to those of same/similar gender)
G - Gay - (a male identifying person who is sexually or romantically attracted to those of same/similar gender – it is also used as a broad term referring to any individual who is attracted to those of the same/similar gender)
B - Bisexual - (an individual who is sexually or romantically attracted to both males and females)
T – Transgender - (an individual whose gender identity does not correspond with the sex assigned to them at birth)
Q - Queer / questioning - (queer - relating to a gender or sexual identity that does not correspond to established ideas of sexuality and gender / questioning - an individual who is still exploring their sexual/gender identity)
I – Intersex - (an individual born with genetic, hormonal, or physical sex characteristics that do not fit the typical binary definitions of male or female bodies)
A – Asexual - (an individual who has little or no sexual attraction, however, they may experience romantic attraction)
The “+” at the end of the acronym represents all of the other gender identities and sexual orientations that are not specifically covered in the other initials. Those in the “LGBTQIA” are just some of the more common terms that individuals may use when self-identifying, and it is important to note that there are many others that one may use.
As a committee, we also want to acknowledge that the acronym “LGBTQIA+” is always evolving and we will do our best to update and inform as new terms arise that may be unfamiliar to the congregation.

Answer coming soon

The original Pride Flag was created in the 1970’s by Gilbert Baker, a gay activist. Initially, he used eight colors: hot pink (sexuality), red (blood which is our life source), orange (healing), yellow (creativity and sunlight and is the center of the flag), green (nature, growth and good fortune), turquoise (art), indigo (harmony), and violet (spiritual world).
In the subsequent flag design, the hot pink was eliminated because the fabric was hard to acquire. This version of the flag included only the rainbow colors: red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo, and violet.
The next design was called the New Progress Pride Flag. This flag was designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018. In addition to the rainbow colors, this flag includes the colors black and brown (people of color), pink and baby blue (baby girls and boys), and white (people who are intersex, transitioning, and those who identify outside of their gender). The black stripe symbolizes the people who died during the Aids crisis.
This flag has a different design from the previous flag. The white, pink, blue, black, and brown stripes are in a triangular shape with the traditional rainbow colors being adjacent to the triangle. The arrow shape represents the progress that is still necessary.
Currently the newest design includes a yellow triangle with a purple circle within to represent intersex people.
The Pride Flag is a symbol for the LGBTQ+ people. It serves as a reminder to all of the persecution and struggles the LGBTQ+ people have endured, yet it is also a symbol of hope. When people fly these flags on their homes and businesses, they are publicly declaring to marginalized people, “You are welcome here. You are safe here.”