LGBTQ+ Affirming Ministries 

Our church is an LGBTQ+ inclusive congregation and welcomes all God's children, no matter where you are in the journey. We are a member of the Open and Affirming Coalition (UCC), Reconciling Ministries Network (UMC), More Light Presbyterians (PCUSA), and Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches.

* For the previous events and journey history, please visit Affirming Ministries Archive page (1999-2022) (link)

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"We believe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer are children of God. We believe the United Church of Hyde Park will be one of the best open and affirming congregations for everyone. Let us work together. Join us."

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Upcoming events

Coming soon, stay tuned!

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2025 activities and progress

• March 30, PFLAG Hyde Park Community Meeting was held at Brave Space Alliance, co-hosted by PFLAG Council of Northern Illinois, Brave Space Alliance and United Church of Hyde Park. There were more than 20 folks from local Hyde Park and Southshore attended. The Interim Board was formed and is ready for the next step.

• March 8, Bi+ Health and Beats. We cohosted this event with Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago (BQAC) in response to Bisexual Health Awareness Month in the church Fellowship Hall. There are one special presentation on this topic, and two amazing musicians, KaiOnTheKeys and Logan Chambers.

• February 8, Donuts, Faith and My Coming-out Stories in the Fellowship Hall.  There were 12 people shared our stories. Venise Keys was the host.

2024 activities and progress​

• November 17, Transgender Day of Remembrance with Candlelight Service was held on Sunday morning.

• October 5, Donuts, Faith, and Coming-Stories in the Fellowship Hall, co-hosted by PFLAG Tinley Park.

• July 14, Participate in PFLAG Tinley Park monthly meeting at Zion Lutheran Church and learn from the best.

• July 6, Participate in the Pride South Side with PFLAG Tinley Park at the DuSable Museum.

• June 30, Participate in the Chicago Pride Parade with Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches. Also, the Pre-Pride Joint Celebration service at Broadway UMC.

• June 8, Donuts, Faith, and my Coming-Out Stories had 15 folks joined us. PFLAG Tinley Park was the co-host. After the event, PFLAG Northern Illinois Council joined us with the conversation regarding staring a new PFLAG chapter in Hyde Park. We were blessed to have them with us!​

• Church's June special offering goes to church's LGBTQ+ Ministries. Folks shared "why LGBTQ+ ministries matter to me" during the worship service.
  • June 30, Edith's testimony
  • June 23, Introduction to the LGBTQ+ Ministry, by Debbie
  • June 16, Peter's testimony
  • June 9, Ken's testimony
  • June 2, Joe's testimony

• March 23, Donuts, Faith, and my Coming-out Stories was held in the Fellowship Hall. There were around 20 folks sharing and listening to the stories.
• We will also provide:
  (1) selected stories from Queer Clergy - A history of Gay and Lesbian Ministry in American Protestantism
  (2) selected stories from Young Queer America - real stories and faces of LGBTQ+ Youth
  (3) selected poem from 100 Queer Poems – An Anthology
  This event was also co-hosted by the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches.
• Responses: Jess Savage from the Windy City Times attended the whole event and wrote a wonderful article. United Church of Hyde Park hosts LGBTQ+ storytelling event (link).
  PFLAG Tinley Park​ also joined us that day and left us a lovely encouragement on their social media (link).

Statement Regarding the stolen rainbow flag (August 2023)
Link to the Statement (August 2023).

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Open and Affirming Statement
​of the United Church of Hyde Park

​Our congregation behaves like the disciple of Christ; therefore, we declare this Statement.

Our congregation welcomes, celebrates and affirms diversity.
We are persons of different ages, education, races, ethnicities, abilities, economic circumstance and nationalities.

We believe the time has come to join other congregations responding to the call of the 15th General Synod (1985) of the United Church of Christ to be open and affirming to all people, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.

We also recognize and endorse the Statement of More Light Presbyterians, which is “Following the risen Christ, and seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality, the mission of More Light Presbyterians is to work for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in society.”

We also recognize and endorse the Statement of Reconciling Ministries Network, which is “We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.”

We acknowledge that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people have often been scorned and devalued as persons and discriminated against, both in society at large and by many denominations and congregations; and therefore we affirm the following:

----- we believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people share with all others the worth that comes from being children of God;

----- we welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people to join our congregation and to participate fully in the life, liturgy, spirituality, employment and leadership of our congregation;

----- we acknowledge the existence of ignorance, fear and hated predicated on differences in sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, not only in our culture, bur also within our denominations and many of our congregations; and we therefore covenant not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation; but, at the same time, we seek to include, welcome and support those whose personal or religious convictions differ from these views on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression;

----- we seek to address the needs and advocate the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in our congregation, in our denominations and in our society; and would actively encourage our three denominations, both nationally and in all their various instrumentalities, to adopt policies consistent with this statement; and

----- we join together as a covenantal community to celebrate and share the reassurance that we are worthy recipients of the love and grace of God.
 
January 30, 2022

* Read the Statement in Korean (link)
"그리스도의 제자로 행동하는 우리 교회는 이와 같이 선언합니다. "

* Read the Statement in Mandarin (link)
"海德園聯合教會–開放與支持聲明"

* For the previous events and journey history, please visit Affirming Ministries Archive page (1999-2022) (link)

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2023 activities and progress

• Special offering designated to The Trevor Project is $389 (in total, from My Coming Out Stories and TDoR Service).
• November 12 - Transgender Day of Remembrance and Candle Light Service. link to the recap video, https://www.youtube.com/live/vFtZlJXrChY

• October 14 - My Coming Out Stories (in response to National Coming Out Day) held in the Fellowship Hall. There were still 17 folks at the event when it was extremely windy and rainy that day!
  Event partners:
  The Open and Affirming Coalition - United Church of Christ
  Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches
  More Light Presbyterians
  Chicago Theological Seminary​​

• August 14 - We received the first rainbow flag from the community to support our Statement (link to the post).
• August 2 - Statement regarding the stolen rainbow flag, approved by the Church Council (link to the Statement).
• June 25 - Participated in the 2023 Chicago Pride Parade with Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches.
• June 25 - Participated in the Pre-Pride Worship and Communion Service, cohosted by various members of Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches. Service video is available here (link to CCWC Facebook page).

• Church's June special offering goes to church's LGBTQ+ Ministries. Folks shared "why LGBTQ+ ministries matter to me" during the worship service.
  • June 18, Danielle's testimony
  • June 11, Kai's testimony
  • June 11 , Judy's testimony
  • June 4, Venise's testimony

• April 15, host the community screen, Pray Away, a documentary film highlighting the harm and pain that many religious institutions have caused to the LGBTQIA+ community due to "conversion" therapy efforts and the trauma from those experiences. There were 50 participants that day. 
  Co-sponsors: Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches, Chicago Theological Seminary, Eden United Church of Christ, Gather, Living Well Ministries, Multitude Films, The Open and Affirming Coalition Of the United Church of Christ, the Lighthouse Foundation - Chicago. 
  Community partners: Howard Brown Health, New Story Chicago, The Night Ministry. 
  Panels: Casey Gustafson (CT Survivor), Pastor Tasha Mitchell (CT Survivor, NewStory Chicago), Rev. Jamie Frazier (Lighthouse UCC), Rep. Laura Faver Dias (D-62m Grayslake), Shaw Washington (Pray Away Impact Producer).
  Call to Action: Rev. Jacki Belile (Eden UCC)
  Especial thanks to Medici's delicious lunch boxes.
  
  Windy City Times also has an article about this event, 
  Conversion therapy doc sparks healing conversation in Hyde Park, by Jess Savage (link).