Open and Affirming
Seeking Faithfulness to the Gospel
in Our Time
In 2003, Church on the Hill voted to become an "Open and Affirming" congregation.
This came as a culmination of a long period of study--the Bible's vision for human relationships, the history of the Christian church's treatment of human sexuality, and the new insights into Christian teaching inspired by the experience of the LGBT+ community and its allies.
Our prayerful consideration of all this led us to conclude that faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ demands of us an explicit affirmation of the God-given goodness of a wide range of human sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender expression.
Along the way, we encountered the painful truth that the church of Jesus Christ has often perpetuated social divisions that arise from human culture and human sin. We know that we can never be free of those influences. But in this time, Church on the Hill responded to the clear call to proclaim a wider, more intentional welcome than we had before.
​
It has been a source of joy and deeper faith for all.
Open and Affirming Declaration
​
Because we believe that each person is created by God in God’s image; and because we believe that all Christians, believers and seekers, are brothers and sisters in Christ, and that Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves; and because we believe that each member of the congregation is an essential part of the body of the church:
We, the members of the Church on the Hill,
United Church of Christ in Lenox, Massachusetts
declare ourselves to be an OPEN AND AFFIRMING congregation,
providing a safe sanctuary where people may enter without fear,
be welcome, and grow in the body of Christ.
​
OPEN to all Christians, whether believers or seekers, regardless of:
Gender identity or sexual orientation
Age, race or ethnic heritage
Mental, emotional or physical abilities
Health conditions
Marital or partnership status
Economic or social standing;
​
AFFIRMING the sacredness of every human life, without regard to:
Gender identity or sexual orientation
Age, race or ethnic heritage
Mental, emotional or physical abilities
Health conditions
Marital or partnership status
Economic or social standing.
​
Celebrating the wondrous diversity in God’s creation,
we invite all to join us in our worship
and to participate in the full life and ministry of this faith community.