On Sunday, September 23, Newtown Congregational Church, UCC (NCC) received its formal certificate from the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ recognizing NCC church as an official Open and Affirming congregation.

An Open and Affirming status is a formal recognition of a congregation that publicly declares itself to welcome and care for all people, regardless of race/ethnicity, national origin, age, economic or marital status, physical or mental situation, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The formal designation was adopted by NCC during its Annual Meeting in June.

Reverend Matthew Crebbin, lead pastor of the West Street church, said the decision to welcome all is “a reflection of who we are and who we have been as a church family.

“It is a decision made by our membership to publicly declare our congregation’s commitment to serving the community in which we live,” he added. “Through this process, our church is expressing our belief that all persons are entitled to be treated with compassion and respect because we believe that every human being is made in the image of God. We want to extend the message that no one needs to be afraid of judgment or exclusion from our church because of who they are. This decision extends a covenant to our community; we want to do everything we can to be a safe place for all people.”

Though the congregation has been on this journey of discernment for many years, Rev Crebbin noted, over the course of the last year, the congregation created a formal process where they prayed, studied scriptures, heard stories from those who had experienced marginalization or hurt due to their identity, and sought to discern together if the time had come for the church to embrace an official Open and Affirming status.

Below is the formal Open and Affirming Statement approved by the congregation:

The Newtown Congregational Church proclaims itself to be an Open and Affirming Congregation. We welcome all persons of all sexual orientations, gender expressions, socioeconomic status, family configurations, personal history, ages, national origins, races, and physical or mental conditions. We embrace all people at any point in their faith journey and affirm each person’s freedom to pursue God’s unique calling. We celebrate God’s inclusive welcome at our Communion Table and affirm that full and equal participation in the life and leadership of our church is open to all. We confess that we continue to discover how to more fully love one another as Jesus loves each one of us. In an often hurting and broken world, we also commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of learning and growing as a community of grace and reconciliation.