The La Cañada Congregational Church has passed a public agreement to welcoming people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions in their Sunday worship service on June 11.
“We will be the first congregation in La Cañada to publicly welcome LGBTQ people,” said Pastor Kyle Sears, before the members of the church took a vote.
The timing of this announcement, said Sears, is of importance with recent incidents of protests in Glendale.
“The rhetoric against LGBTQ people has become so heightened, that this past week the Human Rights Campaign has declared a national state of emergency for,” said Sears. “Fights are breaking out at school board meetings, and particularly the trans communities [are being] named as enemies of God and God’s people.”
The open and affirming initiative came from the United Church of Christ who formed the covenant in 1985. The UCC is a community of Christian churches across the United States, the La Cañada Congregational church is part of the UCC community.
“Throughout the Los Angeles area, many of the UCC churches are open and affirming. My fellow clergy have shared their stories with me, which only increased my hope that La Cañada Congregational Church could follow these other faithful congregations in making this move,” said Sears in February of this year.
Although the LCC church has tried to pass this initiative in the past, now the church and its welcoming task force have made headway.
“My faith calls me to those who are marginalized,” said Sears. “I have had friends come out to me, and express fear about coming out to the wider church community. Would they be safe? Would they continue to be loved? Would they be accepted as they are?”
Sears is very passionate about welcoming people of all races and genders to feel safe at his church. Taking advice from other pastors at other churches to make this change has set Sears rolling and he doesn’t want to stop.
“Part of our process is reckoning with the reality that many people have felt rejected, judged, or harmed by Christian churches. But we can vow to be different, to change the story for ourselves and for others,” said Sears.
Even though the UCC formed the agreement in 1985, Sears said it is the church’s decision when they are ready to take on the process of open and affirming.
But what is the process to get there?
The church council at the LCC church unanimously formed a Welcome Task Force that guides the congregation through townhall-style meetings, educational opportunities, and personal spiritual reflection. During this time, the task force listens, observes and shares their perspective on open and affirming. Then, they come together to write a statement of welcome, as part of a covenant between the church and the community that clearly states that LGBTQ+ persons are affirmed — as they are — within the congregation.
The task force consists of four church members: Sears, a parent of a transgender person, a LCHS student, and a person who has worked with LGBTQ people experiencing homelessness.
Now that the congregation has formally accepted that statement, Sears plans to have various events in Pride month. Sears has multiple events lined up filled with discussions and special guests on what it means to be inclusive. A pride flag now waves from the church’s flag pole to let people in the community know of the decision.
Although welcoming LGBTQ+ people is the main purpose of the open and affirming initiative, Sears wants to expand the language of the statement to add people with disabilities and those in the minority race to simply be inclusive all around.
“I think it might be important to us to create a welcoming task force every year to specifically identify different needs in the community,” said Sears.
To learn more about the open and affirming initiative at the La Cañada Congregational Church, visit lacanadachurch.org/ona.
First published in the June 15 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
