Two ONA witnesses told their stories of a Spirit-filled ONA process and a ministry that is saving the very lives of Jamaican lgbt immigrants.  Then two other witnesses, a couple, self-identified as a “Latina Lesbian and a Black Transman,” told of their faith and their affirmation as full human beings in the welcoming environment of the City of Refuge, UCC, in San Francisco and later in two ONA churches in Springfield, MA.  It was a day to remember – and build on!

Pride Celebrations

Each year, we have large, proud and festive UCC delegations marching in Northampton Pride (May) and Boston Pride (June).  Singing, drumming, chanting, waving ribbons, and carrying banners, we have become a group that people recognize and watch for.  The UCC is the largest Protestant denomination in Massachusetts and enjoys a great reputation in the lgbt and ally communities.

The Provincetown Project

The Provincetown Project will soon begin its third year as a street ministry.  Teams of people (lgbt, allies, ministers, lay people and dogs) spent several Saturdays in the summers of 2007 and 2008 in that fabulous town at the tip of Cape Cod, where there is no UCC church and where the closest ONA church is forty-five minutes away.  We gave out rainbow bracelets bearing the message “God Loves You Just the Way You Are!” and “Change the World – United Church of Christ.”   We helped people find an ONA church in their home states.  We talked about faith, the weather, and the best place to find ice cream.  We met vacationers and locals, folks from other countries, singles, families, lgbt and straight.  Over these two years, we have interacted with over 500 people, many of whom sought a listening ear, poured out their hearts, said “Yea, UCC!” and “That’s my church!”  You can read more about it at http://www.macucc.org/emj/TheProvincetownProject.htm