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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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