Outreach to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community
in 1998, Edgewood became an Open and Affirming church as expressed in our Open and Affirming covenant (see below). In response to this covenant, Edgewood members work on a number of projects aimed at welcoming the LBGT community to an open faith community. Current activities include protesting discriminatory legislation, marching in the Michigan Pride Parade, participating in the MSU Welcome Fair, hosting a Family Pride picnic, engaging in political lobbying, working on Second Parent Adoption and more. Edgewood's Open and Affirming Task Force meets regularly to implement these programs.
Open and Affirming Covenant Statement
The Call
Guided by the love of Jesus Christ, Edgewood United Church seeks to be a community of healing, hope, and hospitality. We celebrate the diversity that God created and seek to reflect that diversity in our community of faith. In the Edgewood United Church Covenant Statement on Justice and Peace, we covenant “to conduct our common life in ways that reflect God’s inclusiveness of people of all nationalities, races, ages, abilities, genders, gender identities, and sexual orientations.” We believe we are called as disciples of Jesus Christ “to discover God’s message by standing with the poor, the victims of injustice, and those on the margin of society.”
In standing with those who have been marginalized because of sexual orientation or gender identity, we feel the need to speak and act with enhanced boldness as a congregation and to be more explicit in our inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people into the common life of our church. The Christian church has often judged and excluded lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons from the community of faith or has been complicit by its silence. These actions have served to justify, if not encourage, discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. It is time for Christians to declare that such practices are incompatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Covenant
Therefore, in response to the call of the 1985 General Synod of the United Church of Christ, we declare ourselves and Open and Affirming congregation and we covenant anew:
--to affirm that people of all nationalities, races, ages, abilities, genders, gender identities, marital statuses, and sexual orientations are embraced within the family of God and the fellowship of Edgewood United Church.
--to honor, support and celebrate the partnerships and families of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
--to encourage all persons to share their talents and energy in the worship, ministry, mission, educational programs, and leadership of Edgewood United Church.
--not to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality or marital status when hiring church staff and contracting for goods and services.
--to condemn acts of homophobic violence, to confront the continuing injustice of institutional discrimination, and to advocate equal protection under the law for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
--to empower the Church Council to establish a Task Force to work with the congregation and its boards and committees to implement the covenant statement in the life and ministry of Edgewood United Church.
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