VIEW FULL SITE MENU Close

ONA Ministry Team Members

The members of the Open and Affirming Ministry Team are the shepherds of the ONA process, guiding the congregation to the best of our abilities. We are here to help you on the journey by providing information, listening to your thoughts or concerns, facilitating conversations, and answering questions. We are not experts. But we have spent a great deal of time preparing ourselves to lead the way. We look forward to working with you.


Members :

Julie Grace (Chairperson)     
Martie Boyer                          
Jill Davies
Henry Donaldson                    
Hope Emery 
Jennifer Kinney                       
Joe Luppino
Edie McClure                          
Karen Wasley       

 

Group Biography:

  • Our ministry team is comprised of seven women and two men.
  • Our ages span the range from youth group member to senior citizens. 
  • Many people on the ministry team are parents of young children and others are grandparents.
  • Several team members have multiracial families.
  • Our team includes gay and straight members and parents of gay children.
  • Some team members have been attending FirstChurch for a short time while others have been attending for more than 80 years.
  • One member has experienced FirstChurch go through the transitions of five different ministers.
  • Most members live in Farmington and others live in West Hartford.
  • Our professions include: attorneys, social workers, software industry professionals, music educators, ESL tutor, television professional, and an aspiring astronaut.


Reasons for Participating on the Open and Affirming Ministry Team:  

  • In my 17 years with the United Church of Christ, this is the only church I’ve attended that was not Open and Affirming.  I have seen what a positive difference it makes in the church and in the community to be Open and Affirming.
  • It’s a matter of faith.  It’s the right thing to do.
  • For me, it’s a social justice issue.  I’ve been committed to that for a very long time.
  • As a lesbian, being on the ministry team makes ONA real, not just theoretical.
  • I hope that “church” can connect us rather than divide us.
  • As a parent of three young children whose sexual orientations are yet to be discovered, I want them to feel accepted in our church, just as God made them.  I never want them to question whether or not they will be welcome here.
  • I want to help the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) youth feel accepted so that they don’t leave our church.
  •  I want to support newly coming out adults and parents of LGBT youth.
  • I’ve always felt that we need to really talk through tough issues.  Get people together and be willing to talk through them.  You might not change their opinions but you will connect with each other.  I believe in the necessity of an open dialog.  It means “I care enough about you to listen and open my heart to you.”
  • I was surprised that our church wasn’t Open and Affirming.  I have friends who are lesbian and gay and see how they struggle.  To me, it’s the whole package.