Open & Affirming Statement

ALL are welcome at Skyland Community Church.

In the mid-1990s we chose to be an open-and-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ.

We welcome all people—regardless of race, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, mental or physical ability, marital or financial status—to join us as we work and play together.

We welcome persons with a wide range of beliefs who covenant to help carry out our church’s ministries. As such, we value each person’s uniqueness.

In February 2024 we adopted this new statement to express even greater inclusivity and to renew our commitment to being an open and affirming congregation:

At Skyland Community Church, we invite and welcome all to share in our community life, worship, sacraments, leadership, and ordained ministry. We believe each person is created in God’s image, unique and wonderful. Striving to honor the individual gifts all persons possess, we aspire to provide a safe, loving space for everyone.

We declare ourselves to be an open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. With God’s grace, we seek to be inclusive of all persons without regard to gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, family configuration, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, economic circumstances, immigration status, faith background, and physical, cognitive, or emotional abilities.

Through this declaration, we pledge to follow Jesus’s commandment: “You must love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 13:34). We believe that this love applies to all people.