Open & Affirming

Extravagant Welcome for Everyone

Open Table is an Open and Affirming congregation that affirms the worth and dignity of every human being, extending extravagant welcome to all persons. We affirm lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in particular and assure them full inclusion in the life, leadership, and ministry of our congregation. We acknowledge the suffering they have endured in the context of the larger society. We aspire to develop an increasingly sensitive and informed understanding of God’s good gifts of human sexuality, gender, and relationships. We believe that all people are created in God’s image and thus are loved and blessed equally by God.

Our denomination ordained the first openly gay minister in 1972. The UCC’s Golden Gate Association ordained the Rev. William R. Johnson then, and in the following three decades, our national organization urged equal rights for LGBT people and called on congregations to welcome gay, lesbian and bisexual members. Find more Open and Affirming churches nationwide.