Our FCCC “Open & Affirming Statement”

We, the congregation of the Franconia Community Church of Christ, declare ourselves to be an “Open and Affirming” congregation. By this we mean that we believe that diversity of sexual orientation, and of gender identity and expression, are aspects of God’s good gift of sexuality.
As with all matters of orientation and identity, and indeed in all areas of human life, we believe that one ethic of love in Christ applies to all within our fellowship: As Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
And so, relying on God’s grace, we seek to be a congregation that includes all persons, embracing differences of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, mental and physical ability, as well as racial, ethnic, or social-economic background. We seek to follow Jesus, who ministered mainly to outcasts, but preached also to insiders. We welcome all to share fully in the life and leadership, ministry and fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities and blessings of participation in the way and work of our congregation.
We believe that, through our diversity, we can all grow and practice a unity of Christian faith that transcends our differences. We believe that in Christ ‘there is no longer Jew or Greek . . . slave or free . . . male and female’ (Galatians 3:28) for ‘we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another’ (Romans 12:5).
We pray that the welcome and affirmation which we seek to extend to all reflects God’s grace and love made known in Jesus Christ, and in which we are charged and empowered to act through the Holy Spirit.