No Compromise - God is for EVERYONE!

As many of you know, I am the Pastor of Bethel Congregational Church, UCC, which is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. Bethel welcomes everyone, and hopes that we can make a difference in our community. We invite you to be a part of things…
There is a post of ours which features a pic of the church (with the prominent Rainbow Flag “God is Still Speaking,” banner) and for which the caption is: “We are a progressive church open to new ideas. If you have been looking for a church and have not found the perfect one, come make a difference at Bethel.”

In response to that post, we recently received the following comment (copied here verbatim – possible typo and all): “So are the compromising the word of God to bring in everybody?”

I am sharing with you my response, which actually received a “thank-you”. I really hope it helped – I have reprinted my reply at the bottom of this post. Looks like my sermon plans for Sunday may include a bit of adjusting…

And - In the meantime, I am personally inviting every single one of you to come to church, be part of the community, be part of the welcoming love of God, and to make a difference. We need all kinds of people – tall, short, young, old, middle-aged, musicians, parents, grandparents, thin, fat, strong, not so strong, vegetarian, vegan, non-vegan, non-vegetarian, questioning, people who can teach Sunday school, people who just want to be part of a community, millennials, senior citizens, everyone in-between…members who are always there, members who sometimes miss, members who only come “every once in a while”… ALL of you – every one of you, is invited, and welcome. Come find out what’s going on, be a part of it, help plan things and carry them out, or just participate in something now and then. There is a place for everyone in God’s love.

Bethel Congregational UCC The word and love of God are for everybody. Those who hate and exclude people are not following the word of God. We believe that God welcomes all, and that it is our task to fulfill that welcome. Yes, we want to "bring in everybody" - and no - that does not compromise the word of God. It fulfills it.