ROCK SPRINGS– First Congregational Church will celebrate five years since its adoption of the Open and Affirming Covenant this weekend with a special celebration in worship taking place in the Church Sanctuary at 1275 Adams Avenue on Sunday, April 28 at 10:30 am.

First Congregational Church is a member congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC). Open and Affirming (ONA) is the United Church of Christ’s designation for congregations, campus ministries, and other bodies in the UCC which make a public covenant of welcome into their full life, leadership, and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.

First Congregational Church has had two openly gay Pastors, and married a lesbian couple in 2014. The United Church of Christ has just over 1,500 congregations which have made the same public covenant as First Congregational Church.

Reverend Jason Boyd, Pastor, notes how a congregation which makes an Open and Affirming Covenant can make a difference in the lives of faithful people who are seeking a church which loves and accepts them as God made them.

“It is not uncommon for LGBTQ persons to have grown up in churches which caused them great harm, which saddens us tremendously. In our faith, we rejoice that God loves all God’s children exactly as God made them, and we celebrate persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions as the beautiful children of God whom they are,” Boyd said.

“We are looking forward to reaffirming the covenant we made 5 years ago, and renewing our promise of sharing God’s love with all, especially LGBTQ persons who have been marginalized or hurt, so that they too may know of God’s love for them, exactly as they are,” Boyd added.

First Congregational Church will also be hosting the first ever statewide Wyoming Pride Worship Service on Sunday, July 14.