Covenant of Inclusiveness

First United Methodist Church
Palo Alto, California

We believe all people are created by God in God's own image, are infinitely and equally worthy, and are equal beneficiaries of God's love and grace.

We believe that God's vision for our world includes the church as a community which embodies love, grace, reconciliation, acceptance, peace, and justice for all people.

We declare our intention to be faithful to God's vision and commit ourselves to the struggle to create a Christian community open to all of God's children.

We affirm the full participation of every person in all aspects of our life together, in the church, in the family, and in society.

We seek at this time specifically to address and advocate the needs and concerns of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons in our church and in our society.

We strive unconditionally to enable and utilize the gifts of all people in all pastoral and lay capacities of the church.

We strive to open all benefits of the church to all people and will actively work to change current societal and denominational prohibitions regarding sexual orientation.

We repent of our participation in and/or passive acceptance of all beliefs that separate us from God, ourselves, and each other.

We commit ourselves to faithful discipleship, which we believe includes challenging the heterosexism present in the Church at large, in our own United Methodist denomination, and in our society.

We pray and hope that our affirmation of wholeness of all people will bring reconciliation to all who find themselves in exile from the family of God because of any manner of prejudice, intolerance or lack of understanding.