Friends!

Thank you. Because of your generosity and commitment, we are excited to share that we’ve raised $195 in new monthly sustaining gifts and $1,880 toward our $10,000 matching grant. Your support is helping us build real momentum as we enter the final stretch of the year.

We now have less than 30 days left in 2025 to reach our goals and strengthen the movement we share. The Open and Affirming Coalition has been doing this work since 1972, and the social and political climate we are living through right now is among the most difficult our community has faced in decades. The rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation is not only deeply painful; for many, it echoes the darkest moments of our past.

In the midst of this, the Coalition remains committed to equipping churches, supporting vulnerable communities, and growing a movement of justice and affirmation across the United Church of Christ. But we are severely understaffed, stretched thin, and working hard to update resources, revitalize our ONA coaches program, and sustain a national movement at a time when the need is great and the harm is real.  We cannot do this alone. We need your help.

Here are three meaningful ways you can support the Coalition right now:

1. Join the Sustainers Circle with a recurring monthly gift to keep this movement strong year-round.
2. Encourage your church to pledge as a Sustaining Church, giving once or twice a year (December and June, or more if possible).
3. Give to our matching grant campaign, The Beloved Fund, where every dollar is doubled and helps us unlock the full $10,000 match.

As a thank-you, the first 30 people who makes a new $20/month sustaining gift or a $250 one-time gift toward the matching grant will receive a free copy of the newly released book about Rev. Robert Wood, a pioneer of LGBTQ+ Christian history.

We also encourage congregations to consider making a regular pledge. Only a small percentage of our ONA churches support the Coalition financially, yet we continue to offer resources, guidance, and technical assistance to every congregation without any financial requirement. Our webinars and trainings are open to all, even when participants cannot contribute. And while we are grateful for occasional sponsorships and support from the national UCC, that assistance averages only about 3.5 percent of our annual budget. 

Your generosity helps sustain a movement that has changed—and continues to change—lives.

Thank you for standing with us, for believing in this work, and for helping us meet the challenges of this moment with courage, hope, and love.

With gratitude and hope, 

Rev. Derek Terry, Acting Executive Director
Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ

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At the heart of the Open and Affirming movement is a simple truth: every person is BELOVED!

Click here to Donate to help us unlock our Matching Grant Goal!

IT’S GIVING TUESDAY! 

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day when people across the country invest in the causes and communities that matter most. For us in the Open and Affirming Coalition, this day is about strengthening a broad and growing LGBTQ+ movement of faith—one rooted in affirmation, justice, and the sacred dignity of every person.

This year, your generosity goes even further.

From now through December 31, every gift to the Coalition will be tripled through a 2-for-1 matching grant. For every dollar you give, a generous supporter will contribute two more—up to $10,000 raised. If we meet our goal, the match will add $20,000, bringing $30,000 into this movement at a time when it is urgently needed.

Today, we’re also excited to offer something special in gratitude.

A Giving Tuesday Thank-You Gift

The first 30 people who give $250 or more will receive a complimentary copy of The Story of Bob | The Life and Times of Rev. Robert W. Wood by Steven C. Law.
You can see the flyer for this campaign above and share it widely.

Who Was Rev. Robert W. Wood?

Rev. Robert Wood was one of the earliest and most courageous pioneers of LGBTQ+ faith activism in the United States. In 1960—decades before “affirming” language entered church life—he published Christ and the Homosexual, the first book by a Christian pastor openly affirming LGBTQ+ people without demanding their silence or celibacy. He marched in early gay-rights protests, preached inclusion from the pulpit, and lived openly with his partner Hugh at a time when such visibility was nearly unheard of. Rev. Wood’s ministry helped lay the foundation for the LGBTQ+ faith movement we inherit today, and the Coalition has long regarded him as one of our most prophetic ancestors. Honoring his legacy this Giving Tuesday is a reminder that our movement exists because brave leaders paved the way with truth, courage, and love.

The biography releases in February 2026, and we will ship copies to qualifying donors as soon as it is available.

Click here to read Bob’s Biography from the LGBT Religious Archives Network website

Why Your Giving Tuesday Gift Matters

Your support today strengthens a national movement that:
• Accompanies congregations committed to LGBTQ+ affirmation, not mere welcome
• Supports ministries across traditions working for justice and inclusion
• Provides coaching and care when churches face hostility or backlash
• Equips leaders, volunteers, and communities with resources and training
• Builds networks of advocacy, solidarity, and transformation
• Helps queer and trans people find spiritual homes where they are fully known and celebrated

This work extends far beyond any single denomination. Your gift strengthens a movement of faith rooted in liberation, courage, and radical affirmation.

Give Today and Triple Your Impact

Your generosity on Giving Tuesday keeps Rev. Wood’s legacy alive and fuels the next generation of LGBTQ+ faith leadership and justice work.

Click here to Donate Now!

Thank you for standing with us—and for strengthening the movement so LGBTQ+ people everywhere can live, lead, worship, and thrive with dignity and joy.

With deep gratitude,
Rev. Derek Terry, Acting Executive Director
Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ