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Theme: We Shall Not Be Moved: Rooted in Love, Justice, and Affirmation

by: Rev. Derek A. Terry, Acting Executive Director of the Open and Affirming Coalition

There are a lot of resources below scroll through and use and adapt anything that makes sense for your congregation.

Anchor Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5–8

5 Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. 6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. (NRSVUE)

Lectionary Scriptures for June 28, 2026, Proper 8:
Genesis 22:1–14 and Psalm 13
Jeremiah 28:5–9 and Psalm 89:1–4, 15–18
Romans 6:12–23
Matthew 10:40–42

Theme Introduction

For generations, people who were told to move, hide, wait, shrink, assimilate, or disappear have found a way to sing themselves steady. From the Black freedom struggle to Stonewall, from ACT UP to Pride parades, from queer elders who survived silence to trans youth fighting to live out loud today, our communities know that singing can be survival. Joy can be protest. Love can be resistance. Faith can be a root system.

This year, the Open and Affirming Coalition invites churches to celebrate Open and Affirming Sunday under the theme:

We Shall Not Be Moved: Rooted in Love, Justice, and Affirmation.

This is not a passive theme. This is not a polite welcome mat. This is a declaration.

We shall not be moved from love.
We shall not be moved from justice.
We shall not be moved from affirmation.
We shall not be moved from protecting the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, and  and others.
We shall not be moved from the truth that LGBTQ+ people are sacred, gifted, called, beloved, and necessary to the Body of Christ.

Jeremiah 17 reminds us that those who trust in God are like trees planted by water. When the heat comes, they do not fear. When drought comes, they keep bearing fruit. That is the image for this moment. Open and Affirming churches are called to be rooted deeply enough to withstand fear, backlash, silence, and hate.

The lectionary for this Sunday sharpens the call. Genesis 22 forces us to reject any theology that asks us to sacrifice our children. Psalm 13 gives voice to the holy cry, “How long?” Jeremiah 28 warns against false peace. Psalm 89 reminds us to keep singing of God’s steadfast love. Romans 6 calls us to refuse death-dealing powers. Matthew 10 tells us that belonging is sacred, and that even a cup of cold water can become an act of gospel resistance.

So we gather with queer joy and holy backbone.

Not tolerance.
Not token welcome.
Not “you can come, but don’t be too much.”
Not “we love you, but please do not make us uncomfortable.”

Affirmation means we bless what God has blessed.

Affirmation means queer people do not have to be healed from who they are.

Affirmation means trans and nonbinary people are not problems to solve, but beloved members of the Body of Christ.

Affirmation means LGBTQ+ people belong in the pulpit, at the table, in leadership, in the choir, in the nursery, in the streets, in the movement, and in the fullness of the church’s life.

Rooted in love.
Rooted in justice.
Rooted in affirmation.

Like a tree planted by water, we shall not be moved.

Call to Worship

Leader: Beloved, some of us came here tired, or carrying grief.

People: But we are still here.

Leader: Some of us came with joy in our bones and rainbows in our spirit.

People: And we are still here.

Leader: In a world that tries to erase queer stories,

People: We shall not be moved.

Leader: In a time when trans and nonbinary lives are targeted,

People: We shall not be moved.

Leader: When fear tells us to be silent,

People: We shall not be moved.

Leader: When shame tries to pull us from the truth of who God made us to be,

People: We shall not be moved.

Leader: We are rooted in love.

People: We are rooted in justice.

Leader: We are rooted in affirmation.

People: We are rooted in God.

Leader: Like trees planted by living water,

People: We shall not be moved.

Leader: Come, let us worship the God who sees the vulnerable, strengthens the weary, and calls the church into holy courage.

All: Rooted in love, justice, and affirmation, we worship with joy. We worship with courage. We worship together.

Opening Prayer

Holy and Liberating God,

You gather us in all our colors, all our names, all our bodies, all our beauty.

You gather the loud and the quiet, the certain and the questioning, the joyful and the grieving, the healed and the healing.

You gather queer children, trans children, nonbinary children, questioning children, fierce elders, chosen families, those who struggle,  those who are trying, those still fighting.

Root us beside living water.  Root us in love that does not flinch.  Root us in justice that does not back down.  Root us in affirmation that refuses to whisper what should be shouted.

Let this worship be sanctuary and spark.  Let it be balm for the wounded and fire for the faithful.

Let it remind us that we are yours, and because we are yours, we shall not be moved.

Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life (Confession)

God of love and justice,

We confess that we have not always loved as you call us to love.

We confess the harm done in your name, especially to LGBTQ+ people:
the exclusion, shame, silence, and fear that have wounded your beloved children.

We confess, too, the ways we all fall short:
choosing comfort over courage, silence over justice, and fear over love.

Forgive us.
Transform us.

Root us again in love, justice, and affirmation.
Make us a church where all people are safe, celebrated, and truly belong.

In the name of Jesus, who welcomed all with courageous love, we pray.
Amen.

Assurance of Grace

Beloved, hear this good news: God does not abandon us to shame.

God does not leave us in the wilderness. God does not ask us to sacrifice our beloved-ness in order to be faithful.

In Christ, the old powers do not get the final word. Fear does not get the final word.

Exclusion does not get the final word. Bad theology that rejects does not get the final word.

God’s grace is still rising. God’s Spirit is still making the church new.

So stand tall, beloved. Breathe deep.  You are forgiven.  You are beloved. You are free.

Thanks be to God.

Passing of the Peace

Leader: The peace of Christ is not fragile politeness. It is the fierce peace of justice, truth, and love.

People: The peace of Christ makes room for all of us.

Leader: Let us share signs of peace and remember: every body, every story, every beloved child of God belongs in the circle of grace.

People: The peace of Christ be with you.

All: And also with you.

Invitation to Generosity / Call to Offering

Generosity is one way we stay rooted in love, justice, and affirmation.

We give because queer folk deserve churches that will protect them.

We give because trans people deserve communities that will name them with joy.

We give because individuals who survived silence deserve to see churches become brave.

We give because affirmation takes more than words. It takes resources, courage, organizing, worship, education, care, and public witness.

In a world investing in fear, we invest in love.

In a world organizing against our neighbors, we organize for justice.

In a world trying to uproot hope, we plant seeds.

Let us give as people rooted in love, justice, and affirmation.

Offering Dedication Prayer

God of abundance, receive these gifts as seeds of holy resistance. Let them grow into shelter for those who have been cast out. Let them grow into courage for churches learning to speak. Let them grow into care for LGBTQ+ people who need more than words.

Let them grow into justice, joy, safety, and beloved community. Bless what we give. Bless what we hold. Bless what we build together. Please root our generosity in love, justice, and affirmation, so that your people may flourish. Amen.

Communion Invitation

This is not a table of tolerance.  This is not a table where you are asked to check part of yourself at the door.  This is not a table where LGBTQ+ people are barely allowed, trans people are debated, or wounded people are told to be grateful for crumbs.

This is Christ’s table.  At Christ’s table, the rejected are welcomed home.  At Christ’s table, the hungry are fed.  At Christ’s table, the fearful are strengthened.  At Christ’s table, chosen family is holy.  At Christ’s table, there is room for all! 

Jesus said that whoever welcomes the ones he sends welcomes him.  So when we welcome LGBTQ+ people, we welcome Christ.  When we welcome marginalized people, we welcome Christ.  When we welcome the child, the elder, the outcast, the exhausted, the loud, the tender, the complicated, or any one else, we welcome Christ.

So come. Come if you are joyful. Come if you are tired. Come if you are angry. Come if you are grieving. Come if you have been told you do not belong. Come if you are still learning how beloved you are. This table belongs to God. And God has made room for all of us.

Communion Prayer

Holy God,

From the beginning, you created a world full of beauty, diversity, and possibility, calling it good. You made each of us wonderfully and lovingly, and call us all beloved.

When people cried out, you listened. When communities were threatened, you made a way.
When false peace ignored justice, you called your people back to truth.

In Jesus, you came near with courageous love. Jesus welcomed the outsider into belonging and affirmation, fed the hungry, challenged hypocrisy, and taught us that love is action, justice, and compassion.

On the night before empire tried to silence him, Jesus gathered at the table, took bread, blessed it, broke it, and said: “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took the cup and said: “This cup is the new covenant. Drink from it, all of you.”

Pour out your Spirit on these gifts, and on us. Make us one body in all our difference.

Make us a church where all people are welcomed, valued, affirmed and where LGBTQ+ people, especially trans and nonbinary siblings, are safe, celebrated, and free to flourish.

Root us in love, justice, and affirmation, so we may protect the vulnerable, love boldly, and build a more beautiful world together.

Amen.

Prayer After Communion

God of the table,

You have fed us with grace.  Now make us hopeful in the midst of despair.  Make us tender with one another. Make us fierce for justice.  Make us faithful in the streets, in the sanctuary, at the ballot box, in the classroom, at the bedside, around the family table, and wherever your people are under threat.

We have tasted belonging. Now send us to build it. We have received love.  Now send us to embody it. We have been rooted in grace.  Now send us to stand.

Amen.

Benediction

Beloved, go now like trees planted by living water.  Go rooted in love that refuses shame.  Go rooted in justice that refuses silence.  Go rooted in affirmation that refuses erasure.  Go knowing that affirmation is holy.  Go trusting that even a cup of cold water can be resistance.  Go believing that the Spirit still gives courage to tired people.

When fear rises, stand.  When hatred shouts, sing.  When the world tries to move you away from love, dig your roots deeper.  And whatever comes, remember who you are:

You are beloved.  You are called.  You are necessary.  You are not alone.

And in the power of God, with queer joy in our spirits and justice in our bones,

We shall not be moved.

Amen

Sermon Idea/Structure

We Shall Not Be Moved

Primary Text: Jeremiah 17:5–8
Supporting Texts: Matthew 10:40–42, Romans 6:12–23

Objective: We are not immovable because we are stubborn. We are immovable because we are rooted. In a world that keeps trying to uproot LGBTQ+ people, erase trans lives, shame queer joy, and deny belonging to those who live beyond narrow norms, God calls us to be like trees planted by water: grounded in love, sustained by justice, and courageous enough to flourish even in hard seasons. Open and Affirming churches are called not merely to welcome, (welcome is not enough), but to ensure belonging and affirmation and to root people in beloved-ness and stand publicly for dignity, safety, and liberation. 

The strength of an affirming church is not that we never face drought, criticism, backlash, or fear. The strength of an affirming church is that our roots go deep. We are nourished by the living water of God’s love, justice, and community.

Movements:

1. The world keeps trying to uproot LGBTQ+ people and their families.
2. Jeremiah says the rooted tree can survive heat and drought.
3. Romans calls us to refuse death-dealing powers.
4. Matthew says welcome (preach/think belonging) is sacred.
5. ONA churches are called to be rooted, public, joyful, and brave.

Preaching line:
“Beloved, we are not here because the world has been kind. We are here because God has been faithful. We are still standing not because the heat never came, but because our roots found living water. And as long as God is faithful, we shall not be moved.”

Children’s Moment

Roots Help Us Stand

Supplies: a small plant or picture of a tree, and a rainbow ribbon or Pride flag.

Show the children the plant.

Ask: “What helps this plant stand up and grow?”

Let them answer.

Say:

“Roots are the part we do not always see, but they help the plant stay strong. Today our church is talking about being rooted in love, justice, and affirmation. That means we want every person to know they are loved by God. We want things to be fair and kind. And we want LGBTQ+ people, people with different kinds of families, and people with different ways of being themselves to know they are not just welcome. They are celebrated and hey belong.”

“Some people have moms and dads. Some people only live with one parent. Some have two moms or two dads. Some live with grandparents or chosen family. Some people are boys, some are girls, some are both, neither, or are still learning who they are. God loves all kinds of people, and God’s family is big enough for everyone.”

Show the rainbow ribbon or flag.

“Do you know what a rainbow reminds you of?”

(Let them answer.)

“In the Bible, the rainbow reminds us of God’s promise and God’s love for the whole world. Today, many people also use rainbow colors to remind us that people are beautifully different, and that everyone deserves love, safety, and belonging.”

“This rainbow is a way of saying: You belong here. God loves you just as you are. And if someone is treated unfairly because of who they are, who they love, or how they express themselves, we stand beside them.”

“That’s part of what ‘We Shall Not Be Moved’ means. We keep loving. We keep being kind. We keep making room for everyone.”

Prayer:

Dear God,
Root us in love.
Help us be kind.
Help us be brave.
Help us celebrate all your children.
Amen.

Music Suggestions

Freedom Songs:

• We Shall Not Be Moved
• Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around
• This Little Light of Mine
• Lift Every Voice and Sing
• Guide My Feet
• Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
• Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Stayed on Freedom
• Ella’s Song (Sweet Honey in the Rock)
• I’m Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table

Worship Songs/Hymns:

• For All the Children Click here fo the Sheet Music
• Draw the Circle Wide Click here for the Sheet Music

Gospel / Contemporary:

• I Need You to Survive (Hezekiah Walker)
• Total Praise (Richard Smallwood)
• I Smile (Kirk Franklin) 

Queer Joy / Nontraditional:

• I’m Coming Out (Diana Ross) 
• You Make Me Feel Mighty Real (Sylvester)
• True Colors (Cyndi Lauper)
• Born This Way (Lady Gaga)
• Freedom (Beyonce)

Final Charge for Churches

This Open and Affirming Sunday, do not make LGBTQ+ people symbols. Make room for our voices.

Do not celebrate Pride without naming the struggle.

Do not name the struggle without celebrating queer joy.

Do not say “all are welcome” when the gospel is calling you to say more.

Say beloved.

Say sacred.

Say trans lives are holy.

Say queer joy is a gift.

Say chosen family is blessed.

Say affirmation is discipleship.

Say justice is worship.

Say love is public.

Say we shall not be moved.

Rooted in love.
Rooted in justice.
Rooted in affirmation.

We shall not be moved.

The death of Jason Collins hit me harder than I expected. Maybe it is because I am a big Black gay man who played basketball. Maybe it is because I know what it feels like to navigate spaces where people assume they already know who you are before you even speak. Maybe it is because, for so many of us, Jason represented possibility.

For younger LGBTQ+ folks today, especially in sports, it might be hard to fully grasp just how groundbreaking Jason Collins was.

In 2013, when Jason came out publicly, he became the first openly gay NBA player and the first openly gay athlete actively playing in one of the four major men’s professional sports leagues in the United States. That might sound like a statistic, but it was so much bigger than that. It was cultural. It was spiritual. It was deeply human.

Sports, especially men’s sports, have long been places where masculinity gets narrowly defined. As a Black man who grew up around basketball, I know those expectations well. Strength is celebrated, but vulnerability often is not. Difference is tolerated only if it stays quiet. You can belong, but only if certain parts of yourself stay hidden.

Jason challenged all of that.

He stepped into the light in a world that had not made room for him. He did not come out after retirement, when the risks might have felt smaller. He came out while still actively playing, knowing full well the criticism, jokes, assumptions, and scrutiny that would follow. That kind of courage matters.

And for Black LGBTQ+ people, especially Black queer men, visibility matters in a different way.

We know what it means to live at intersections. To be too Black in some spaces and too gay in others. To constantly negotiate belonging. To wonder whether we will be accepted if people know all of who we are. Seeing someone like Jason, a tall, strong, athletic Black man, living openly and unapologetically, mattered more than many people understood.

He expanded the imagination of what was possible.

As Acting Executive Director of the Open and Affirming Coalition, I think often about what affirmation really means. It is not simply tolerance. It is not merely saying “you are welcome here.” True affirmation creates the conditions for people to live fully, openly, honestly, and safely as themselves.

Jason Collins helped make that world possible.

Because of his courage, countless athletes today are able to imagine lives that do not require secrecy. Young LGBTQ+ kids, especially young queer athletes, can now look at professional sports and see people who remind them of themselves.

Representation alone does not solve injustice. But representation can save lives. Representation can plant hope.

And hope matters.

Jason once said that the years after coming out were the best of his life because he finally got to live as his true self. There is something sacred in that truth. There is freedom in no longer hiding. There is power in authenticity.

We mourn Jason Collins not simply because he was the first, but because of the example he gave us. Courage. Integrity. Humanity. The willingness to step forward when no roadmap existed.

May he rest in power.

And may we honor his legacy by continuing to build a world where no one has to choose between belonging and being fully themselves.

Strengthening Our Faith and Ourselves During Overlapping Crises

Register Here

In a time marked by overlapping crises, growing fear, and rising threats to vulnerable communities, faith communities are being called to reimagine what it means to practice peace, pursue justice, and care for one another. Too often, narratives of comfort, false harmony, and watered-down understandings of nonviolence prevent us from responding faithfully to the urgency of this moment. This session will challenge participants to reconsider peace as an active spiritual practice rooted in liberation, explore new understandings of safety and security for faith communities, and imagine the work of justice through a multifaith and intersectional lens. Participants will engage practical conversations around physical and digital security, de-escalation and direct action best practices, caring for the wellbeing of underrepresented leaders and communities, and challenging Christian scriptural and procedural norms to better meet this moment with courage, clarity, and conviction.​

Tickets are offered on an honor-system sliding scale. Please choose the rate that best fits your circumstances.

• Student Rate – $15
For students and seminarians.

• Sages Rate (65+) – $15
For participants age 65 and older.

• Standard Rate – $30
Helps cover the true cost of the workshop.

• Pay-It-Forward Rate – $45
For those who are able to give more and help expand access for others.

We trust you to choose what’s right for you. If the cost is prohibitive, please reach out to us (office@openandaffirming.org)—we do not want finances to be a barrier to participation.

About Our Facilitator:

Tahil Sharma (he/they) is the Faith Director at the National LGBTQ Task Force and an interfaith activist based in Los Angeles. Born to a Sikh mother and a Hindu father, Tahil’s interreligious upbringing inspired a lifelong commitment to bridge-building, storytelling, and social justice. Following the 2012 mass shooting at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Tahil deepened their work at the intersection of faith, justice, and equity, helping communities reimagine interfaith cooperation as a tool for collective liberation.

For more than a decade, Tahil has worked in interfaith literacy, advocacy, and movement building at local, national, and international levels, helping people think more deeply about how religion and spirituality intersect with identity, justice, and public life. While deeply committed to serious work, Tahil brings warmth, humor, and curiosity to every conversation. Outside of organizing, he can often be found at a coffee shop with an iced mocha, spending time with friends, stress baking, podcasting, or stopping mid-walk to pet a dog.

Register Here

Dear Family,

This past weekend I got on a plane Friday morning, flew to the Twin Cities, stood on the lawn of the St. Paul, MN State Capitol on Saturday for the No Kings action, and then turned right back around to make it home for church in Cincinnati on Sunday morning.

It was bold. It was joyful. It was powerful. Over 200,000 people in one place and millions more across the country showing up with courage, clarity, and love.

And then, just days later, on Transgender Day of Visibility, we were gut punched. The Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy.

In the span of a few days, we experienced both the power of the people and the weight of decisions that cause real harm. That contrast is exactly why this moment matters, and why we cannot step back now.

And I know the question some of you may be asking: why go there when we are called to show up in our own communities? The answer is simple. I went to learn, to witness, and because Minnesota has something to teach the rest of us right now.

The No Kings action in St. Paul was the flagship gathering, with tens of thousands present and millions participating across the country in what became the largest single day of protest in U.S. history. But what matters most is not just the size of the crowd. It’s what the people of Minnesota have been building and practicing for years.

In the face of violence, fear, and escalating immigration enforcement, communities in Minnesota have been choosing to show up for their neighbors. Not just people who look like them or share their identity, but their neighbors. That’s what I saw.

I had the honor of being there with Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel and her family, leaders and activists who have been part of this work for a long time. What is happening in the Twin Cities didn’t start on Saturday. It has been building through years of organizing, through the pain of Philando Castile, Justine Damond, George Floyd, and others, and through a sustained commitment by faith communities to stay present and engaged.

There is a word for what they are modeling: neighboring. And it is deeper than kindness. It is a commitment to stand with people even when their struggle is not your own, because their humanity is bound up with yours.

That’s what I learned, and that’s why I went. Because if we are going to call churches into deeper public witness, then we need to see what that actually looks like when it is lived out.

For years, when churches became Open and Affirming, they would ask me, “What’s next?” My answer used to focus on continuing the work internally: keep your team together, keep learning, keep the covenant alive. That is still true. But now, before I say anything else, I say one word: witness.

Our communities need our witness. Not just what we believe, but how we show up publicly. In a time when immigrant communities are under attack, when trans and queer lives are being targeted, and when fear is being used to divide us, silence is not neutral. It is a choice.

Yesterday was Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to honor the lives, courage, and sacred worth of trans people. And on that same day, the Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy. Let us be clear: this is harm, not care.

This is what we are up against. Moments of powerful witness in the streets, and decisions that cause real harm to vulnerable people. And even now, we are witnessing violence and loss in our own time, including the lives of Renne Goode and Alex Pretti. These are not distant stories. These are present realities.

That is why we cannot treat this work as a moment. It is a movement.

The Open and Affirming Coalition is rooted in LGBTQ+ justice, but our work has always been connected to something larger. Across the country, and in places like the Twin Cities, queer clergy and Open and Affirming leaders are helping to lead this work in deeply intersectional ways because we know what it is to be rejected and vilified. We know what it is to be marginalized, to be pushed to the edges, and to be treated as less than human.

And because of that, we do not only show up for ourselves. We show up for our neighbors. Always.

That is why we are inviting churches into public witness through A.C.T OUT — Advocacy, Community, and Transformation. This is how we move from affirmation to action. We are not asking every church to do the same thing, but we are asking every church to do something. March. Teach. Host. Speak. Organize. Support. Show up. Name it, claim it, and live it as part of your covenant.

Being in Minnesota reminded me that this work is not abstract. It is embodied, relational, and rooted in showing up for one another in real time. Because we are neighbors.

If you were at a No Kings action this past weekend, I would love to hear from you. Please share your stories and photos by emailing office@openandaffirming.org, submitting here https://openandaffirming.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/no-kings-3-28-2026-follow-up, or texting NoKings1 to 855-589-2210 to submit from your phone.

Submitting content, you confirm that you are the creator or have permission to share it, and you grant the Open and Affirming Coalition permission to use it in our communications.

This is our moment. To move beyond affirmation, to practice neighboring, and to show up in public witness.

Grace and peace,
Rev. Derek Terry
Acting Executive Director
Open and Affirming Coalition

Today is Transgender Day of Visibility.

And today, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down protections meant to shield LGBTQ+ youth from conversion therapy.

Let us be clear: conversion therapy is not care. It is harm.
It is trauma wrapped in theology.
It is the distortion of scripture to deny the image of God in LGBTQ+ people.

This harm has been fueled by fundamentalist and white supremacist (I refuse to call it Christian) nationalism that has weaponized faith against God’s own beloved.

But that is not the whole Church.

For decades, the progressive Christians movement and the Open and Affirming Coalition have been bold and unwavering, working to heal this harm, to help people unlearn dangerous theology, and to proclaim a gospel rooted in love, justice, and truth.

And still, the work is not done.

Just three days ago, millions of people around the world rose up declaring: no kings, no oppression, no turning back.

They showed us what courage looks like.

Now the question is: will the Church meet this moment?

Not quietly.
Not cautiously.
But boldly.

Our theology must be louder than hate.
Our witness must be stronger than fear.
Our love must be public.

On this day, we are called not just to visibility, but to witness.

To proclaim that trans lives are sacred.
To reject every theology that harms.
To stand with those who are being targeted, erased, and endangered.

Church, this is a moment for clarity.
A moment for courage.
A moment for action.

If we say we are Open and Affirming, then let the world see it.
If we say God is love, then let us live like it.

The time is now.

Will we be found faithful?

Grace and peace,

Rev. Derek Terry

Acting Executive Director, Open and Affirming Coalition

Here is a Sacred Text that I wrote and Shared at Last Year’s Trans Visibility March Empowerment Service

Click here to complete a form to submit your photos and stories. 

Click here to donate to this campaign to help us equip churches with new microgrants.  

Yesterday, I had to do one of the hardest things that I have ever done in my life. I had to put my beloved fur baby to sleep and say goodbye. The above photograph was taken about 10 minutes before her procedure. I knew it would be our last photo together, and I sense that she knew it as well. After I snapped our final selfie, I broke down. And just like the dutiful companion she has been for over a decade, she comforted me in her final moments.

Since then, I’ve been sitting with a lot of grief, trying to figure out how to hold it without letting it take me under. For the last few years, I have talked a lot about joy. Finding it. Protecting it. Holding onto it. Encouraging it. Recognizing it. Joy is important, especially now. Many of us are on the front lines of the fight against authoritarianism, fascism, and injustice. We are doing real work, and it is draining. As we work and fight, we constantly talk about protecting our peace and practicing self-care. But one of the most overlooked sources of that peace is the emotional support, love, strength, and courage we receive from our pets.

They are some of the most faithful, quiet supporters of this movement. They slow us down. They pull us outside. They make us laugh when we don’t feel like it. They sit with us when we’re tired. They love us in ways that are simple and steady, no matter what is happening in the world. Not everyone in our community has children, but many of us have fur babies or other beloved pet companions who show up every single day with love, play, and comfort. They help sustain us, and they help sustain this work.

As a child, I used to watch Touched by an Angel with my grandmother (it was a sort of millennial rights of passage lol), and I will never forget an episode where someone lost a pet and one of the angels said that having a pet teaches you to love without fear, because they will almost always leave before us and we love them anyway. That stayed with me. And now I understand it even more deeply. As a Black queer man navigating a world that often asks me to shrink, I know what it means to love without fear. Our pets teach us that every single day.

So as I try to keep my girl’s memory alive, and not lose myself to grief, I want to turn that love outward.

Introducing ONA’s Spring Campaign: Love Without Fear.

This is our way of honoring the companions who have loved us well by making space for joy, memory, and continued impact in our community.  Here’s how you can be part of it. Share a photo and story of your pet, and we will lift them up on our social media through the end of May as a way of celebrating joy and honoring the companions who help carry us. Help us raise $5,000. These funds will go directly into a new microgrant program launching in June, offering up to $500 to help ONA churches connect their work beyond their walls.

Let us honor our beloved companions by acknowledging their presence and importance in our lives as we keep doing good in the world. Spring is a season of new life. It feels right to mark it this way, with memory, with tenderness, and with action.

Click here to complete a form to submit your photos and stories. 

Click here to donate to this campaign to help us equip churches with new microgrants.  

Let us love without fear. Let us keep going.

With gratitude and a grieving, hopeful heart,

Rev. Derek Terry, Acting Executive Director
Open and Affirming Coalition

Click here to pledge to participate as a public witness in a No Kings event on March 28, 2026.

Over the past year, I have been asking a question that many pastors and people of faith are asking right now:

How should the people of faith be responding in this moment?

At the Open and Affirming Coalition’s National Gathering last year, I issued a challenge to our churches. I said it is time for us to move beyond safe statements and symbolic gestures. It is time for us to A.C.T OUT.

A.C.T OUT stands for Advocacy, Community, Transformation. It is our invitation to move from affirmation to action in a time when so many of our neighbors are experiencing fear, exclusion, and injustice.

This invitation is not about being loud for the sake of being loud. It is about being faithful. And faithfulness sometimes asks us to show up.

I Am Encouraging Coalition Supporters to Participate in No Kings Events.

On Saturday March 28, 2026, communities across the world are organizing public gatherings through the No Kings movement. These events are meant to affirm democratic values and resist the growing normalization of authoritarian power.

As a pastor, I want to be clear: participating in peaceful public witness is not a partisan act.

IT IS A MORAL ACT!

Scripture reminds us again and again that people of faith are called to stand with those who are pushed to the margins of society, silenced, or harmed by unjust systems of oppression. The prophets confronted kings. Jesus spoke truth to power. The early church refused to bow to empire.

Faith has never been about passive comfort. It has always been about courageous love.

That is why I am encouraging supporters of the Open and Affirming Coalition to consider participating in a No Kings action wherever you are located.

The Rainbow Coalition and Our Shared Struggles

The recent passing of activist Rev. Jesse Jackson reminded us of his vision of a Rainbow Coalition. Rev. Jackson helped articulate something that movements for justice have always known: that communities who experience injustice in different ways often share a common struggle. The Rainbow Coalition brought together Black communities, labor movements, farmers, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and poor communities under a shared vision of dignity and justice.

That vision matters now more than ever.

Today we are witnessing policies and rhetoric that target people living at the margins of society (immigrants, transgender people, LGBTQ+ communities, people of color, unhoused people, poor people, and others perpetually struggling economically.)

These are not isolated issues. They are connected and our response must be connected as well.

An Intersectional Moment of Concern

Recent developments across the country highlight how serious this moment has become.

Efforts to remove LGBTQ+ visibility from public spaces, including the removal of the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument, signal attempts to erase the presence and history of queer people.

Researchers and advocates are also warning that federal datasets containing LGBTQ+ information are disappearing, making it harder to track discrimination and health disparities.

At the same time, cuts to public health funding and social support programs disproportionately affect the very communities already living with the greatest vulnerability.

When we step back and look at the whole picture, it becomes clear that what we are witnessing is not a series of unrelated policy debates. It is a broader struggle over whose lives are valued and whose voices are heard and people of faith are called to sound the alarm!

A Public Witness of Faith

Participating in a peaceful demonstration is not about anger or spectacle. It is about bearing witness. It is about standing in public and saying:

God’s love belongs to everyone.
Human dignity is not negotiable.
Justice matters.

Jesus told his followers, “You are the salt of the earth.”

Salt preserves. Salt protects. Salt transforms. Salt melts.

In a time when cruelty and indifference can harden hearts like ice, the faithful are called to be the salt that melts it.

How You Can Participate

If you feel called to participate in a No Kings action, you can begin by visiting:

https://www.nokings.org

There you can find events happening across the country, including both in-person and virtual opportunities.

If you decide to participate, we invite you to also register with the Open and Affirming Coalition No Kings Circle so we can stay connected, support one another, and gather stories after the events.

This is the first call of a broader movement into faithful advocacy as we continue building the A.C.T OUT initiative.

Signs You Can Print and Bring

To help make our witness visible, we have created a series of printable 11×17 public witness signs that you can download, print, attach to foamboard/poster board/ cardboard and bring with you to your event.

Low ink Versions Here:

Salt of the Earth Melts Ice (low ink)

Affirming Trans Lives (low ink)

Stop Kidnapping God’s People (low ink)

Liberty and Justice for All (low ink)

James Baldwin (low ink)

Full Ink Versions Here:

Salt of the Earth Melts Ice (full ink)

Stop Kidnapping God’s People (full ink)

Liberty and Justice For All (full ink)

Affirming Trans Lives (full ink)

James Baldwin (full ink)

A Few Practical Suggestions

If you attend a No Kings event, consider these simple practices:

Attend with a friend or small group if possible.
Wear clothing that reflects your values or faith community if you feel comfortable.
Bring water, sunscreen, and comfortable shoes.
Follow the guidance of event organizers.
Take photos and share them so others can see the presence of affirming faith communities (AFTER THE EVENT. NOT DURING)

If you do take photos, we would especially love to see pictures that include the Coalition signs and logo. Share them: Office@openandaffirming.org

Stories matter. Witness matters. And seeing people of faith standing publicly for justice matters.

A Final Word

In every generation, people of faith must decide whether they will remain quiet in the face of injustice or whether they will step forward with courage.

This is one of those moments.

Participating in a No Kings event will not solve everything. But showing up can remind the world—and ourselves—that the struggle for justice is not finished.

And that people of faith are still part of it.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Derek Terry
Acting Executive Director, Open and Affirming Coalition

Click here to pledge to participate as a public witness in a No Kings event on March 28, 2026.

Click Here to Register!

A Supportive First Step for Churches Exploring the ONA Journey

Walk With Us: A Roundtable to Start your ONA Journey

At a time when many LGBTQ+ people are seeking safety, dignity, and belonging, churches are being invited to respond with brave intention. This guided roundtable offers a supportive, practical first step toward becoming an Open and Affirming congregation.

About This Roundtable

Walk With Us: A Roundtable for those Starting their ONA Journey is a guided, conversation-based gathering for churches and individuals who are ready to begin their Open and Affirming journey.

This is not a lecture or slide presentation. Instead, this is a facilitated, small-group learning space where participants can ask questions, receive guidance, and begin working through what the ONA process looks like in their own context. You will be accompanied step-by-step through the early stages of the journey in a way that is clear, practical, and grounded in real congregational experience.

What You Can Expect

• A guided, facilitated conversation with an experienced ONA coach
• Time to ask specific questions about beginning the ONA process
• A structured introduction to the Building an Inclusive Church toolkit
• Practical insight from churches that have already completed the journey
• Space to discern next steps for your own congregation

Who This Is For

• Churches ready to begin the ONA process
• Pastors and lay leaders seeking structured guidance and clarity
• Individuals helping their congregation take the first step

Meet Your ONA Guide

Barbara Biedenstein (she/hers) is a long-standing member of and serves as the secretary of Gateway ONA, the coalition of UCC churches in the St. Louis area. She has attended and studied the Building an Inclusive Church training. For the past 15 years she has served as the ONA coach for UCC and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) churches in the St. Louis and eastern Missouri areas. She has walked dozens of churches through their ONA journey and brings deep wisdom, care, and practical experience to this space.

Registration Rates (Honor System)

Individual Registration
• Standard Rate – $30
• Pay-It-Forward Rate – $45

Church Registration (per congregation)
• $75 for small churches (under 75 members)
• $125 for churches with 75 or more members

Church registrations are on the honor system and cover anyone in the congregation or on your ONA team who would like to participate. The person who registers will receive the webinar link and is responsible for sharing it with others in their church or ONA team who should attend.

These registration fees help support the ongoing work of the Open and Affirming Coalition, including coaching, training, and resourcing congregations across the country.

Scholarships are available. If cost is a barrier, please reach out to office@openandaffirming.org

Click Here to Register!

Click Here to Register!

What happens when Jesus crosses boundaries, tells the truth, and turns gossip into gospel?

Join us for a one-night online Drag Queen Bible Study with Rev. Marge Erin Spread (she/her), also known as Rev. James Admans (they/them), as we explore John 4:1–30 — the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well — through the lens of queer theology.

Participants can expect:

• Scripture explored through a queer lens
• Historical and cultural context made clear and accessible
• Academic queer scholarship explained in plain language
• Space for honest questions, reflection, and discussion
• A brave, affirming digital gathering space

This event reflects our commitment to creating spaces where LGBTQIA+ people and allies can engage the Bible as a source of liberation, not harm.

About Rev. Marge Erin Spread / Rev. James Admans

She’s living proof that faith and fabulousness can coexist.

Rev. Marge Erin Spread is a dynamic drag minister, theologian, educator, writer, and creative leader whose work boldly proclaims love, justice, and collective liberation. Her alter-ego, Rev. James Admans, currently serves as Pastor at the Church of Christ, Congregational in Millis, Massachusetts.

Originally from Connecticut, Marge earned degrees in Anthropology and Forensic Anthropology before completing her Master of Divinity at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where she focused on Biblical studies, social ethics, and queer theology. During her final year at Union, her advocacy was honored with the Malcolm Boyd Veritas Award for impactful LGBTQIA+ justice work.

She is the editor of Beyond Worship: Meditations on Queer Worship, Liturgy, & Theology, which received a 2023 Independent Publishers Bronze Medal for its contributions to religious thought by queer and transgender theologians from diverse faith traditions.

Rev. Marge is widely known for her vibrant drag ministry, demonstrating that serious theology and bold self-expression belong in the same space.

Learn more at theologyqueen.com.

Registration & Contribution

We believe deeply in accessible spiritual formation, and we also believe in paying queer leaders and trained theologians fairly for their labor. Rev. Marge prepares original teaching materials and brings professional theological scholarship to this event. Your contribution helps sustain this work.

Click Here to Register!

Registration is offered on a sliding scale (honor system):

• Student Rate – $15
• Sages Rate (65+) – $15
• Standard Rate – $30
• Pay-It-Forward Rate – $45

Church Rates (per congregation registration):

• $75 for small churches (under 75 members)
• $125 for churches with 75 or more members

We trust you to choose what’s right for you.

Scholarships are available to reduce the registration fee, including a limited number of 100% scholarships. These are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

If cost is a barrier, please contact us at office@openandaffirming.org. We do not want finances to prevent anyone from participating.

Come ready to learn, reflect, and engage scripture in a way that is honest, liberating, and unapologetically queer.

Faith and fabulousness belong in the same room.

Recording & Privacy
This session will be recorded for registered participants only and will not be posted publicly. You are welcome to keep your camera off if you prefer. To maintain a safe and respectful space, AI meeting note-takers and transcription bots are not permitted.

Click Here to Register!

Supporting LGBTQ+ Communities Under Pressure

Click here to Register

Yesterday, the Pride flag was removed from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City.

Let that sink in.

At the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement. At the site where queer and trans people resisted state violence in 1969. At sacred ground in our collective story.

The Pride flag was taken down.  This is not about fabric.  It is about erasure.  It is about power.  It is about who gets to be visible in public space and who is told to disappear.

Stonewall is not simply a monument. It is a declaration that LGBTQ+ people have always been here, have always resisted, and have always deserved dignity.  Removing the Pride flag from that space sends a message that our history, our families, and our lives are negotiable.

We reject that message.

And yet, for many of us, this moment feels heavier than a single decision. It feels like part of a larger escalation of attacks on visibility, policy shifts that place real bodies at risk, immigration raids that intensify fear in mixed-status families, rhetoric that treats LGBTQ+ people as expendable. 

Stonewall feels like a line crossed.

The Open and Affirming movement exists for moments like this. We were never meant to be just a status or a certification. We are called to visible affirmation, public courage, and embodied solidarity.

But we cannot organize well if we are isolated.  We cannot respond faithfully if we are scattered.

So we are creating space to gather.

A Time to Gather: ONA Support Space is a virtual support and strategy space for Open and Affirming churches in this moment.  This is not a formal webinar. It is not a lecture. It is a facilitated space for care, clarity, and collective discernment.

We will center LGBTQ+ voices and lived experience.  Allies and accomplices are welcome to participate in a spirit of listening, learning, and solidarity. 

We will check in on how our congregations and LGBTQ+ people are experiencing this moment. We will share practical ways to support LGBTQ+ people and their families. We will discern faithful next steps together.

Stonewall reminds us that resistance is part of our story!

Faith demands that we show up.  Love requires that we organize.

Join us:

February 19
7:00–8:30 PM ET
Click Here to Register! 

The Pride flag may have been taken down yesterday.

But our commitment to dignity, justice, and belonging will not be.

With resolve and hope,

Rev. Derek Terry, Acting Executive Director
Open and Affirming Coalition