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

Every gift matters.  Click Here to Donate

Give Out Day Early Giving is Underway! Give Out Day is June 4, 2026 Click Here to Give Now!

This year Give OUT Day, the nation’s largest day of giving for LGBTQ+ organizations, is June 4, 2026 and we’re asking a simple question:

What sustains you?

Honestly, things feel heavy right now.

If you’re LGBTQ+, or you love someone who is, you know exactly what we mean. It feels like every day brings a new attack, a new headline, a new reminder that some people are uncomfortable with the simple truth that LGBTQ+ people deserve to live openly, safely, and with dignity. Just existing right now is exhausting.  The anger is real. The grief is real. Some days it takes every ounce of energy that I have to stay hopeful, engaged, and keep believing that a better future is possible.

And yet, I must keep going.  We all must keep going.

We keep going because we are sustained. By love, community, faith, creativity, and purpose. We are sustained by the practices, relationships, and moments of grace that remind us who we are and why we keep showing up. Most of us can name something that helps carry us through when life feels heavy.

Maybe it’s your dog who still thinks you’re the greatest person in the world, even on your worst day. Maybe it’s chosen family. A friend who checked in without needing an explanation. Time in the garden. A public witness action. Church. Therapy. Prayer. Art. Music. A group chat that makes you laugh when everything feels impossible. Swimming. Running. Journaling. A quiet moment of peace before the day begins.

We all have something or somethings that helps carry us through.

This Pride Month and Give OUT Day, the Open and Affirming Coalition invites you to honor what sustains you.

We’re inviting supporters to make a gift of $100 (or whatever amount feels meaningful) to help sustain LGBTQ+ affirmation, advocacy, and community during a difficult time for LGBTQ+ people and communities of faith. (Click Here to Donate Now)

Make a gift in honor of the individuals, pets, small joys, and practices that help carry you through.

Need a little inspiration?

• $10 for your dog, cat, favorite plant, or daily walk

• $25 for chosen family

• $50 for the friend who keeps showing up

• $100 for the joy, faith, or community that carried you through

Or make a gift in honor of whatever sustains you.

Every gift matters.

(Click Here to Donate Now)

When you give, you help sustain something real: affirming churches, leadership development, advocacy, coaching, educational resources, and communities where LGBTQ+ people of faith can remember they are loved, worthy, and not alone.

We’re also Collecting Stories!  

If you’re willing, share a photo or story on social media using #WhatSustainsONA. Sometimes the very thing that helped you through a difficult season is exactly what someone else needs to see today.  Or feel free to complete this form and we may share your story on our social media outlets.

For more than 50 years, the Open and Affirming Coalition has helped LGBTQ+ people, their families, and allies/accomplices find belonging, courage, and hope.  This work continues to matter. 

In difficult times, joy matters.  Community matters. Love matters.  Hope matters. The work of open and affirming churches and the people who sustain them matters!  

Let’s celebrate what sustains this movement!

In hope, courage, and solidarity,

Rev. Derek A. Terry, Acting Executive Director

Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ

(Click Here to Donate Now)