After our congregational vote, to become an Open and Affirming congregation and accept the welcome statement, the ONA committee chose a new name to reflect our task to live out the entirety of that welcome, not just to gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
To that end, the ONA committee chose to rename itself the Extravagant Welcome Team. Some folks in the congregation have expressed discomfort with this new name, possibly because the word “extravagant” can have negative connotations to those who grew up with it as a word denoting that something was “overly showy,” or someone was “being a showoff.” To explain the significance of the present-day context of “extravagant welcome,” we would like to give some background.The UCC God is Still Speaking campaign website states, “God is Still Speaking is a proclamation, identity, and communication ministry of the United Church of Christ. We spread the message of God’s extravagant welcome, reaching out especially to those who have felt there is no room for them within Christianity and the church – the excluded and alienated, the spiritually homeless, the questioning. In partnership with other ministries of the United Church of Christ, we are building communities where diverse people join together to worship, grow and dream.”
If you have more questions, please visit http://www.ucc.org/vitality/what-matters/we-are-people-of-extravagant.html. Here are some excerpts:
"Jesus didn't turn people away, neither do we. "When you're gutsy enough to make such a claim, it's not always easy to make good on it. Following Jesus' lead, the United Church of Christ strives to keep doors open to all. By God's grace—in the past and today—we do what needs to be done to be bold people of God's welcome.
Jesus lived and breathed gracious hospitality. Even though there were powerful people who opposed Jesus' extravagant welcome, he still embraced those who were often shunned. In the reign of God that Jesus spoke of, he declared there is room for all—children (Luke 18:15-17) and those who are hungry, thirsty, homeless, ill, poor, grieving, persecuted, and in prison (Matthew 25: 31-46 and Luke 6:20-26). Jesus put faith and hospitality together: "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" and those who received Jesus, embraced God (John 13:20).”
"It's not an extravagant welcome to an 'anything-goes' religion, a comfortable form of Christianity, but to a costly form of discipleship," says John Thomas, current president and general minister of the UCC. Thomas calls this kind of discipleship "evangelical courage." It's the other side of the "extravagant welcome" coin. You see this risky faith expressed throughout our history that at times has been hidden. Inspired by God's gift of hospitality, we work for God's welcoming world of love and justice. "Extravagant welcome" is not only a matter of opening the doors of your congregation. It is a commitment to make the world a more hospitable place for all God's children.
Does this help? If you still have concerns regarding the team’s name, please do make direct contact with Amy Kelly, Phyllis Cooke, Pat Konkle, Ken Hall, Al Hurd, or Torvy Hurd, and let them know so that they might convey it to the rest of the team. Or meet with the team at their regular date of the second Tuesday evening or each month.
