The St. John's Congregational Affirmation

St. John's U.C.C                        Elkhart, Indiana

February 20,2006

The U.C.C is a protestant body of more than a million members and 5000 congregations.  It has a unique, independent nature that enables individual congregations to take exception to some actions of U.C.C General Synod while still embracing the spirit, faith, and leadership of the United Church of Christ.

In that spirit, St. John's United Church of Christ, of Elkhart, Indiana, after reviewing reports of the actions of the United Church of Christ in Atlanta, Georgia in 2005, did choose to declare and clarify our areas of affirmation and dissent of statements made by General Synod 25.

The following is a brief summery of our positions on several key points.

1.  We affirm the faith set forth in the Basis of Union of the United Church of Christ:

"The faith which unites us and to which we bear witness is that faith in God which the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments set forth…”

2.      We respectfully dissent with all who believe that our covenantal unity can be renewed or sustained apart from the historic and apostolic faith contained in the Old and New Testament and in the Ecumenical Creeds and Reformation Confessions.

3.  We affirm with General Synod 25 our "faith in Jesus Christ, the head of the Church. " We further affirm our belief that that the confession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is essential for Christian profession, church membership, and ecclesiastical leadership.

4.  We respectfully dissent with all who re-interpret the teachings of Holy Scripture, the Ecumenical Creeds, and Reformation Confessions, in manners that violate the historic understanding of them.

5.        We affirm the overwhelming witness of Holy Scripture, church tradition, the U.C.C Book of Worship, and the ecumenical church that marriage is between a man and a woman.

6.  We respectfully dissent with the action of General Synod 25 to support equal marriage rights for same sex couples.

7.  We affirm that God is still speaking to the church and the world in our time.

We appeal to clergy and congregations of the United Church of Christ to affirm the faith set forth in the founding documents of the United Church of Christ and to remain active, vocal members of their Associations, as a continuing witness to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the place where God has called them.