Massachusetts Conference Edition

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Annual Meeting marriage resolutions

May, 2004

Two resolutions on the topic of marriage will be presented at the 205th Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Conference, UCC, June 11-12, at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley.

In Support of All Marriages

This resolution, In Support of All Marriages, calls upon
local churches and associations:

• To value and be supportive of all marriages and all families without prejudice or discrimination,
• To provide opportunities for the study and discussion of the biblical foundations of marriage and the understanding and experience of marriage in our faith tradition,
• To listen to each other as we share our deeply held convictions about the importance of marriage,
• To study Jesus' teachings,
• To pray for God's guidance, and, above all,
• To bear witness to our covenant, respectfully aware of our differences as well as our agreements, and always renewing our commitment to journey together as a community of Christian faith.

It further requests that the Board of Directors direct the appropriate commission(s) to collect and/or develop a broad range of resources on marriage (such as Bible study and discussion guides, video, book, and Internet resource lists, legal information, etc.) and make them available to both congregations and clergy by the fall of 2004.

The resolution was submitted by the Board of Directors of the Old Colony Association.

In Support of Gay and Lesbian Couples to Marry

This resolution, In Support of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's Decision Affirming the Right of Gay and Lesbian Couples to Marry, asks the 205^th Annual Meeting to affirm the Conference's commitment to be an Open and Affirming Conference in the United Church of Christ and calls upon local churches, associations, and the commissions of the Conference to join together to celebrate and affirm the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision granting gay and lesbian people the right to legally marry in the Commonwealth.

It further calls upon all local churches, associations and commissions of the Conference to take as much action as possible to affirm and welcome gay and lesbian couples who seek to have marriage ceremonies in our churches, and to challenge neighboring faith communities to do the same.

The resolution was proposed by the Council of the Church of the Covenant, Boston; Newton Highlands Congregational Church, UCC; and First Church of Christ, Congregational, Northampton.

Other resolutions

Other resolutions to be voted on, concerning Massachusetts Prison Control Units, Seafarers' Rights, and Fair Trade Coffee, were described in the April Mass. Conference Section, along with the proposed clergy compensation guidelines. Full texts of all resolutions are available on the Annual Meeting page.