We celebrate Christ's love as a special gift to be shared.
Together,
we are a visible witness to the Good News
he announced -
God's love and acceptance
is the source of any repentance that is truly Divine.
When religion motivates
discrimination, second-class citizenship or bullying,
it does not speak for the God of New Creation.
Living the Great Commandment*
is a joy, not a burden.
When we truly "love our neighbor as ourselves,"
we are guided to work for their flourishing
in opportunity, respect and freedom.
*When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was, he said, "The first is... 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31)
Letter to State Representatives
CLICK HERE to see the Letter to Members of the Illinois House of Representatives that the Coalition sent on February 27, 2013. You're welcome to consider it a as model for your own letter writing.
DOMA: Faith-Based Messaging Tips
CLICK HERE to see Auburn Seminary's guidelines to talking and writing about Marriage Equality. They were compiled for discussions about the Defense of Marriage Act, but they are also relevant to Illinois' current debates about marriage equality.
Marriage Equality Rally
There were several congregations from the Coalition represented at the
rally for marriage equality on March 25th at Daly Plaza. The ones we know about are Holy Covenant UMC, Unity Lutheran, and Berry UMC. Here's a picture of Brent Holman-Gomez,
CCWC Planning Team member, at the rally.
The Coalition's Purpose
The Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches is a collaboration of churches and other ministries in the Chicago metropolitan area which welcome and affirm people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We have two goals:
- To spread the message of our members' LGBTQ-inclusion across the Chicago metropolitan area, mindful that a positive message about sexual and family diversity is a gift to all people.
- To connect the leaders, members, and guests of our partner churches for fellowship and education, enabling support and resource-sharing for the practices of faithful welcome.
