News & Announcements
FCC Natick Statement, Posted to Facebook on July 29th
At First Congregational Church of Natick, we are celebrating twenty years as an Open and Affirming Congregation. That means we are fully open and affirming to people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. We declare loudly and with conviction that our LGBTQIA+ siblings and selves are fully beloved by God – and each other.
On Sunday, July 28, we arrived at worship to discover that flags and banners around the outside of our building had been taken down. The rainbow-colored pride flag, the pastel transgender flag, and the green mental health flag were all crumpled and thrown under bushes. The banner in celebration of our 20 years as an Open and Affirming congregation was folded on the ground. They were replaced by what is known as the Christian flag and a banner declaring “Jesus is King.” Also left behind were copies of an anonymous letter focusing on a narrow interpretation of a few verses of scripture. Not included in the letter were the many bible verses calling us to care for the stranger or love our neighbor.
Once cleared by Natick police, we were able to remove the unwelcome messaging and joyfully restore our flags and banner to this historical building in the center of town. Our congregation gathered for worship and proclaimed, as we always do, “No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” Especially those who have been told by other churches that they are broken, sinful or wrong for who they love – or who they are.
Following worship, we gathered around our flags, blessing and rededicating them to the critical work they do for us – declaring to all who pass by the message of God’s love for all, including and especially our LGBTQIA siblings and selves. We have heard from many people in the community – not just in our congregation – that our flags at the center of downtown Natick give them a sense of belonging in town. Tearing down the symbols of a historically marginalized group can never be framed as God’s work – it is an action that inflicts heartache and pain on our entire community.
This church values discussion and reflection. We would be glad to have a conversation with anyone who has concerns or questions about our faith, our actions, our understanding of God and the world. We will not be anonymous in our declaration of our convictions, and we will not spread them around the community under the cover of night. We invite honest and thoughtful dialogue. And we will most certainly continue to proclaim the Good News of God’s love for all people.