St. Louis Area Open & Affirming Congregations of the United Church of Christ
2021 Convocation
Welcome! 2021 marks the 10th Annual Open and Affirming Convocation. Like so many other events, this year’s Convocation will be different from in the past, pivoting to an on-line Zoom event.
Open and Affirming (ONA) is the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ's (UCC) designation for congregations, and other settings of the church which make a public covenant of welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. If you are an Open and Affirming congregation, talking about Open and Affirming or thinking about starting the conversation, if you want to explore how to be effective allies, there will be something for you and your church. Come be in conversation with others, learn what it means to be Open and Affirming and how to fully express extravagant welcome to all God’s children. Presented 3/6/2021 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Via Zoom By: Gateway Open & Affirming – St. Louis Heartland Open & Affirming – Kansas City Alliance Q (The Disciples of Christ LGBTQ+ Alliance) / Disciples Mid-America Open & Affirming Team Flyer: www.gatewayona.com/2021-convocation.html Registration: On-line registration only at: https://onacovocation2021.eventbrite.com. A unique e-mail address is required to register. The registration fee is $15.00 per person. There will be no paper registrations and checks will not be accepted. A group rate will not be offered this year. Check with your local church to see if there is any reimbursement available. The deadline to register is 11:30 p.m.(CST) Wednesday, March 3, 2021. During the registration process, you will be allowed to choose the three workshops you wish to attend. Questions about registration or workshops can be directed to: Melissa Hattman, mhattman@att.net. Offering: The day’s worship offering will go to the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ. Gifts may be made at: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=UTH3GTEAB88VC. Or you can scan the QR code. Presenters at convocationGateway ONA Resource line
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Grace UCC of St Louis, MO is the location of these particular doors.
Rainbow Comma T-ShirtsGateway ONA now offers year-round online t-shirt sales! We have a RedBubble account where you can order the classic rainbow comma logo, or the UCC's new "3 Great Loves" rainbow comma logo. Standard shipping is 5-9 days, the products are delivered straight to your home, and we have all sorts of shirt styles as well as mugs and other items!
Classic Rainbow Comma "3 Great Loves" Rainbow Comma We are selling the shirts at cost, so Gateway ONA makes no profit on them. You pay only for your shirt and its shipping cost. Due to limitations in Redbubble's interface, some of the shirt styles allow you to select white or grey background colors. We ask that you choose a "rainbow" color as the background color of your shirt. This is both so that the white writing on the shirt is readable, and so that we look colorful in the PrideFest parade. Thank you, and please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
DonationsAs a non-profit group, we welcome and appreciate any donations you wish to send. Checks can be made payable to "Gateway ONA" and sent to:
Mr. Greg Schmelig, Treasurer Parkway United Church of Christ 2841 North Ballas Road Saint Louis, MO 63131 Other communications may be sent to Gateway ONA 3510 Giles Avenue Saint Louis, MO 63116 |
WE ARE UCCThe United Church of Christ (UCC) is a distinct and diverse community of Christians that come together as one church to join faith and action. We believe in a God that is still speaking, a God that is all-loving and inclusive. We are a church that welcomes and accepts everyone as they are, where your mind is nourished as much as your soul. Our faith is over 2,000 years old...our thinking is NOT.
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WE ARE OPEN & AFFIRMINGTo say that a UCC church is “Open and Affirming” means that it has publicly and specifically declared that those of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions (LGBTQ) are welcome in its full life and ministry. ONA congregations offer a spirit of hospitality and show a willingness to live out that extravagant welcome in meaningful ways.
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WE ARE GATEWAYGateway ONA is a coalition of LGBTQ Open & Affirming congregations of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in the St. Louis area. We provide support to our member churches, run a resource hotline, host annual events to educate on LGBT issues and have a presence at PRIDE.
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