Week 4 of "Reflecting on our Open & Affirming" By Carol Howie

This Week’s Edition is:

"The United Church of Huntsville (UCC) is an Open and Affirming Congregation, celebrating human relationships that are based on love, responsibility, mutual respect, trust, and fidelity." By Carol Howie

So, my assignment as I chose to accept it..aka mission impossible and a to respond to a mission possible because of my church’s statement that.. “we the United Church of Christ in Huntsville is a an Open and Affirming congregation and we celebrate human relationships that are based on Love, responsibility, mutual respect, trust, and fidelity “. .. I was in the congregation when we voted on this proposition. I felt that we were “already there” spiritually and psychologically so wasn’t real sure if the “words mattered”.. I now think it is Important to say such words Out Loud and in person. So I am very Proud (in a good way) of our congregation.

Wow, really, we celebrate All human relationships based on Love, mutual respect, trust, and Fidelity!! What the heck?? All these are such words of importance in how we see one another and how we live in this world. And how we each can be with what these words can mean in our lives every day. To Reflect on this one sentence in the midst of Our welcoming statement is to be inclusive of the Whole of our welcoming of All…to All…and to each, with their straight, gay eccentric, sweet different, and “normal” behaviors in Love...All means All. Sentence by sentence we proclaim...minute by minute, in our living we can live in the purpose that unites us all to the world around us.

To Celebrate we need to express the joy we know is possible…this is not an easy quest…yet with our church and everyone in it on the same sentence we have a much better chance every minute! With Love, Respect, trust, and fidelity to our commitment to such I celebrate! Love to all…carol howie