What Sustains Us After Pride
By Derek Terry | July 2, 2026
Please Feel free to send us your Pride Photos and stories. Email: Office@openandaffirming.org
Friends,
With Pride Month now behind us, I’ve found myself thinking about all that we experienced together over the past month.
For many of us, June was filled with worship, celebration, advocacy, laughter, tears, and hope. We marched. We prayed. We blessed. We showed up. We reminded LGBTQ+ people (and the world) that they are beloved by God.
For me, it was one of the most meaningful Pride seasons I can remember.
I had the joy of worshiping and serving alongside the people of St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in Cincinnati. I also traveled to the Minnesota Conference UCC Annual Meeting, where delegates made history by overwhelmingly voting to adopt a resolution encouraging settings to advocate for gender-affirming care. I also preached at Lyndale UCC in Minneapolis, and at Danville Congregational UCC in California, and spent time with and ministered with incredible Open and Affirming churches and colleagues across the Bay Area.
Everywhere I went, I witnessed what sustains us. I saw people living, loving, creating, and showing up for one another. I saw communities refusing to surrender their joy. I saw churches standing with LGBTQ+ people not only with rainbow flags, but with affirming hearts and courageous action.
I saw hope that refused to give up!
I left Pride Month convinced that what sustains us is one another. It is joy. It is faith. It is community. It is the wholehearted belief that love is stronger than fear.
Joy is how we survive. Joy is how we resist. Joy is how we keep loving one another when the world tells us not to.
And yet, as Pride Month came to an end, we were reminded why this work matters.
On the final day of Pride Month, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld laws allowing West Virginia and Idaho to exclude transgender girls from participating in girls’ school sports. Even as we celebrated LGBTQ+ joy, another barrier was placed before some of our most vulnerable siblings.
The work continues.
Our movement was never just about one month on the calendar. It has always been about building a world where every LGBTQ+ person knows they belong, where every family is supported, and where every child can grow up knowing they are loved exactly as God created them.
One of the ways we build that world is by telling the truth about who we are and what God is doing in our communities. Every Pride celebration, every worship service, every conversation, and every act of courage reminds someone that they are not alone. Your story has the power to inspire hope, encourage another church, or help someone believe that an affirming faith community is possible.
Help Us Tell the Story
As we reflect on Pride Month, we’d love to celebrate what happened in your congregation or community. Did your church host a Pride worship service? March in a parade? Staff a booth? Bless families? Celebrate becoming Open and Affirming? We’d love to see it.
Share a photo or story on social media using #WhatSustainsONA, text Pride26 to 855-589-2210, or click here to share your story online. Or you can email us your pictures and stories directly to Office@openandaffirming.org Subject Line: Pride2026. Because sometimes the very thing that helped you make it through a difficult season is exactly what someone else needs to hear today.
What Sustains You?
Our What Sustains You? campaign doesn’t end with Pride Month. It continues because LGBTQ+ people still need affirming churches. Congregations still need resources. Pastors still need support. Families still need hope. And together, we are building a movement that reminds people they are not alone.
If this ministry has sustained you, or if you believe it can sustain someone else, would you consider making a gift today?
Every gift matters. Click Here to Donate
Your generosity equips churches, trains leaders, supports LGBTQ+ people and their families, and strengthens a movement of nearly 2,000 Open and Affirming congregations across the United Church of Christ.
Pride Month may be over. But love doesn’t end on June 30 and neither do we!
With gratitude and hope,
Rev. Derek Terry
Executive Director
Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ
