On August 10, UCC members attended the Austin PRIDE Festival 2019, to spread love and acceptance with this amazing community.
We handed out branded “pronoun pins” where people had the option of writing in their pronouns for their gender identity, plus UCC koozies, candy, and postcards about our church that say, “This Church Loves You.”
The membership council and Rev. Chelsea McCutchin worked to approve and arrange this evangelism opportunity—which is living into UCC’s professed identity as an open an affirming congregation, and into the promises that Chelsea made to her search committee when she was hired. Living intentionally and lovingly in community with marginalized people is not only a mission of University Christian Church, but also the mission of Jesus Christ.
Here are a few of our members' experiences from this year's Pride:
“It was great to hear people from different age ranges, college students to older adults, say 'Thank you for being here' and 'It’s good to know there is a church I could go to.' I spoke to one woman who knew which building was ours and said, 'It’s good to know you’re there because walking into a church building that looks like yours could be a risk.' Whether or not we get tons of new visitors, it was totally worth it to just remind people that there are Christians out there who care.” – Polly M.
“I was so happy when two couples asked if we would hold gay wedding ceremonies, since they had to rush and get married after gay marriage was legalized. To me, it shows how much these couples love each other to want to recommit themselves to their partners for their 10-year wedding anniversaries. It also how the church is changing.” – Shawna K.
“My favorite part was hearing the stories from people – some who have been turned away by their church and are now seeking spiritual help. There was one man who was in his 50s and said he would love for his mother to attend our church so she could see how open and affirming churches love all of their members” – Henry.
God’s love knows no bounds; this is one of our principal goals at UCC.