Information and Education
After a two-year study which included numerous educational after-church forums and information in our church newsletter, the members of First Congregational Church of Reading, United Church of Christ, convened at a special meeting on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2002 to vote on whether or not to adopt an Open and Affirming (ONA) statement, and thereby, declare ourselves to be an Open and Affirming congregation. After some discussion, the statement to the right was adopted by an overwhelming vote of those in attendance. We were subsequently recognized by The Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ as being 413th ONA congregation in the United Church of Christ.

What is Open and Affirming?
Open and Affirming, or "ONA", is a movement in the United Church of Christ wherein churches explicitly pledge that they will include all people, including those who are born gay, lesbian or transgendered, into the full life and ministry of the church. Other denominations have similar movements, although named differently. The statement adopted by our congregation is all inclusive. Thus we explicitly embrace all groups who have at one time or another been shunned or discriminated against by the Christian church, not just those who are gay, lesbian or transgendered, but also those with varying ethnicities, economic or social status, physical and emotional abilities, etc.

Resources
There are many resources on the subject of Open an Affirming. The following are a few reference links that may be helpful as an introduction to this topic:

• Frequently asked questions about ONA (PDF)
• Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ
• Ontario consultants on religious tolerance

To find out more about the First Congregational Church of Reading and our Open and Affirming congregation contact one of our pastors.