Chronology of Actions in the UCC on the Ordination of Gay and Lesbian People
Contacts: Bill Johnson, Hans Holznagel United Church of
Christ Office of Communication, March 1, 1996
1996
There are more than 180 "open and affirming" congregations. Three are
predominately lesbian and gay congregations: Liberation United Church of Christ in
Cleveland, Spirit of the Lakes United Church of Christ in Minneapolis and Phoenix United
Church of Christ in Kalamazoo, Mich.
1994
University Congregational Church, a UCC congregation in Seattle, calls the first gay
clergy couple in history to serve a mainline Christian denomination. A three-fourths
majority of the congregation votes to call the Rev. Peter Ilgenfritz and the Rev. David
Shull as associate minister.
1994
UCC leaders, including the Rev. Paul H. Sherry, president, join the "March on
Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Equal Rights and Liberation."
1994
In testimony to the House Armed Services Committee, Sherry urges Congress to lift the
ban on military service by gays and lesbians. "To allow the military to discriminate
is morally intolerable and contrary to the values that undergird our society," he
says.
1993
Hours after President Clinton authorizes military commanders to dismiss lesbians and
gays from the armed forces, General Synod — in session at the time — votes by a
wide margin to denounce the ban on homosexuals.
1993
The UCC publishes the only comprehensive curriculum for AIDS awareness and prevention
designed for use in Christian education.
1991
The General Synod "boldly affirms, celebrates and embraces the gifts of ministry
of lesbian, gay and bisexual persons."
1987
General Synod declares opposition to all "sodomy
laws" and resolves to witness publicly against laws criminalizing homosexuality
whenever meeting in a state where a sodomy law is still on the books.
1985
The General Synod calls on all UCC congregations and bodies to study homosexuality and
declare that they are "open and affirming."
1984
The Rev. Diane Darling becomes the first openly lesbian woman called to parish ministry
in the UCC, as pastor of College Avenue United Church of Christ in Modesto, Calif.
1983
Early in the AIDS epidemic, the General Synod declares "compassionate
support" for people with AIDS and urges increased funding for research.
1983
The Synod passes a resolution recommending to UCC regional associations that "in
considering a candidate’s qualifications for ministry, the candidate’s sexual
orientation should not be grounds for denying the request for ordination." The Synod
also "advocates that sexual orientation not be a basis for discrimination within the
United Church of Christ in the employment of staff or use of volunteers."
1977
In Virginia, the Rev. Anne Holmes becomes the first openly lesbian woman ordained in
the UCC.
1975
The General Synod declares that sexual orientation is not a legitimate ground to deny
civil liberties. The Synod supports federal, state and municipal laws to protect equal
rights for all citizens.
1973
The UCC Executive Council, the main deliberative body of the church between biennial
Synods, recommends that sexual orientation should not bar qualified candidates from
ordination. The UCC Gay Caucus receives official standing at General Synod. The caucus
will later change its name to the United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns.
1972
The Rev. William Johnson becomes the first openly homosexual person ordained in modern
times to the ministry by an historic or "mainline" Christian church. He is
ordained by the Golden Gate Association, a grouping of UCC congregations in Northern
California.
1969
Two months before the Stonewall uprising in New York — generally recognized as the
beginning of the modern gay and lesbian rights movement — the UCC’s Council for
Christian Social Action declares opposition to all laws criminalizing private homosexual
relations between adults. The council also opposes the exclusion of homosexual citizens
from the armed forces.
For further information:
Hans Holznagel
Office of Communication United Church of Christ
700 Prospect Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44120-1100
(216) 736-2214
holznagh@ucc.org
The Rev. William Johnson
UCBHM
United Church of Christ
700 Prospect Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44120-1100
(216) 736-3270
johnsonb@ucc.org
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