Plymouth United Church has always been “a community that welcomes all and affirms all,” says Rev. Ginny Brown Daniel, who is pastor of the church in nearby Spring. Daniel has served as Plymouth’s pastor since 2003.

However, this month it became official.

During a special June 4 meeting, the church’s nearly 100 members overwhelmingly voted to publicly become an open and affirming congregation.

In means that church officials have gone on record saying they welcome everyone, including gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender members.

There are a total of 17 United Church of Christ congregations in the Houston area, many of which are accepting of gay Houstonians even without the open and affirming designation.

Plymouth joins Houston Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church and Houston First Congregational, who previously adopted formal open and affirming policies.

In 2005, the United Church of Christ, which has more than one million members, voted to approve a resolution endorsing same-sex marriages. It’s a gesture that takes on added relevance following the Senate’s recent rejection of a Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

“Every church, every church member, will probably say, ‘Sure, we love all people,’” Daniel says. “But as many in our society have experienced, when we go to church and we say, “this is a part of who I am, whether it’s, African-American, or I’m poor‚ or I’m gay‚—whatever it seems to be—those doors and that welcoming nature begin to kind of quietly and very subtly close.”

Daniel points out that

discrimination within the church is done with the belief that God wants it.

“I think the most harmful piece of that is that it’s done in the name of God, that it’s done almost to protect others,” she says.

Daniel and her congregation chose to directly fight against those sentiments with the adoption of a formal policy.

The motion, which was drafted by a church committee, states, “We agree to welcome, accept and nurture all those who seek to worship with us and become a part of our faith community, including, but not limited to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community; those who are physically or developmentally disabled; and all regardless of ethnic or national background.”

The proposal was passed after six months of scripture studies by the congregation and via smaller home groups.

Kirk Johnston began attending services at Plymouth in October 2004 and became a member in January 2005. He is now one of five openly gay church council members and the communications director for the Houston Association of the United Church of Christ.

The 10-member Plymouth church board also includes a member of the Houston chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and, several gay-friendly members.

For Johnston, Plymouth’s one-love mentality has been particularly redeeming.

“When I was 13, I was already pretty sure I was gay,” he says. “I had a gay uncle, also, who was a drag queen in New Orleans. My dad said, ‘He’s going to straight to hell for that.’

“That kind of hit home for me. I think a lot of people go through that. It created some major trauma in my life.”

Daniel says about 30 percent to 40 percent of Plymouth’s members are openly gay, and many see it as a more personal alternative to the larger Metropolitan Community Church of the Resurrection (MCCR) and Bering Memorial United Methodist Church.

During discussions to adopt the new policy, Daniel says members, “intentionally talked about what does the Bible say, and what does it not say, about homosexuality.

“We took the passages that have traditionally been used as weapons against the LGBT community.”

Plymouth and, in a larger sense, the United Church of Christ organization have seen increased visibility in recent years because of a series of controversial television commercials that echo sentiments of welcoming gay church members.

Daniel says Plymouth has seen approximately 45 new church members in the past year precisely because of those spots.

But higher numbers aren’t the ultimate goal, Daniel says.

“My thing is not about membership,” she says. “It’s about providing a safe place for everyone to feel loved.”

And while some may see officially adopting the policy as redundant for a church that already welcomes any and all members, Daniel—and Plymouth United as a whole—simply see it as another step in realizing and maximizing God’s love.

“We were very intentional in naming this,” Daniel says. “A large part of this process is for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community. The church has been very abusive to LGBT folks.”

The pastor is no stranger to discrimination.

“I’m not lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, but I am a woman, and I know what it’s been like for the doors to be shut from the church for me,” she said.

“For us as a church community in Spring, what we wanted to do was simply to reflect about our church community and how we can be open—how we can truly, genuinely be a community that welcomes all and affirms all.”

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