Open & Affirming

Open and Affirming

In 2008, by a unanimous vote of the church body, Centre Street Church adopted this statement:

"We, the congregation of Centre Street Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, declare ourselves to be open and affirming of all people. With God's grace, we seek to be a congregation that embraces differences of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, mental and physical abilities, and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic status. We welcome all to share in the life and leadership, ministry, fellowship, sacraments, responsibilities, and blessings of participation in our faith community."

The United Church of Christ has been a strong advocate for the rights of LGBTQ+ people since 1969. In 1985, the UCC's General Synod urged congregations to "Declare Themselves Open and Affirming," and the first fifteen ONA congregations were certified two years later. Today, with 1,711 churches on board, ONA is the largest and fastest-growing LGBT-welcoming movement in the Body of Christ.

Since becoming Open and Affirming, Centre Street Church has been focused on living into this calling. Join us for worship on Sunday morning and you'll be greeted by a rainbow flag flying outside. A hand-embroidered banner with our ONA statement hangs just inside the door. You'll be offered one of the UCC's rainbow comma pins as our gift, and if it's the first Sunday of the month, we'll invite you to join us in reciting our Open and Affirming Statement.

We celebrate Pride Month and National Coming Out Day, and we mourn on Transgender Day of Remembrance by speaking aloud the names of those who died through acts of anti-transgender violence. Open and affirming is not just a label on our website—it's who we are.

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Lending Library

Just outside the sanctuary door, you'll find our Rainbow Lending Library, a project of the Downeast Rainbow Alliance. Borrow a book, take a rainbow lapel pin, and check out the resources.

Rainbow Crosswalk

In 2021, Centre Street Church members and community friends came together to paint Machias's first rainbow crosswalk. The colors of the rainbow flag are now proudly displayed right in front of the building as a sign of our extravagant welcome.

Weddings

During the political fight for equal marriage, Centre Streeters were a loud, stubborn, persistent voice for justice—until the State of Maine finally made the right call in late 2012.

In keeping with our Open and Affirming status, we stand firmly in support of the legal right of everyone—no exceptions—to marry the person of their choice.

Since 2012, it has been our honor and privilege to have couples from a diversity of backgrounds hold weddings in our sanctuary.

Marriage is a sacred and wonderful ritual, but it can still sometimes be a challenge for LGBTQ+ couples to find a church that offers them the extravagant welcome that all God's children deserve.

At Centre Street, we welcome weddings for all couples, regardless of sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identification.

Just email us at [email protected], and Sarina Brooks, Director of Pastoral Care, will get in touch with you about the details.