First United Church Joins Fairness for All Families Coalition

FIRST UNITED CHURCH OF TAMPA (UCC) RESOLUTION AGAINST WRITING DISCRIMINATION INTO THE FLORIDA STATE CONSTITUTION

WHEREAS all people are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27);

WHEREAS the words, examples and life of Jesus the Christ, as reported in the Gospels, teach us how to live lives of inclusive love and abundant welcome for all of God?s children, especially those who have been legally, spiritually or by culture and tradition marginalized and oppressed in society;

WHEREAS we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (The Declaration of Independence, 1776);

WHEREAS the Eleventh General Synod of the United Church of Christ in 1977 called for full civil rights for, and the full spiritual inclusion of, all people without regard to sexual orientation;

WHEREAS the Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ in 2005 recognized the importance of fidelity and integrity for all covenanted relationships;

WHEREAS a significant and ever increasing number of congregations in the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ have voted to become ?Open and Affirming? congregations and almost 70 UCC churches in Florida have voluntarily and enthusiastically joined the ?Still Speaking? identity campaign aimed at proudly proclaiming God?s extravagant welcome to ALL people;

WHEREAS the proposed ?Marriage Protection Amendment?, which states:

Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."

will likely appear on Florida?s ballot in November 2008 and, if passed, will write discrimination against law abiding Florida residents into Florida?s State Constitution;

WHEREAS the title ?Marriage Protection Amendment? is inaccurate and misleading since no current or future marriage will be threatened or endangered by the civil recognition of loving and committed same-sex couples; just as no same-race marriage was threatened when mixed-race couples fought for and won the legal right to participate in civil marriage by way of the United States Supreme Court ruling on Loving vs. Virginia in 1969;

WHEREAS the so-called ?Marriage Protection Amendment? is broadly worded so as to ensure that all forms of legal recognition for unmarried couples, whether gay or straight, could be subjected to constitutional challenges;

WHEREAS the proposed amendment, if approved, will lead to a loss of existing domestic-partner recognition and benefits for same-sex and opposite-sex unmarried couples (including elderly and retired couples) by governments and municipalities in Florida that currently offer them; including, but not limited to, the right to visit a loved one in the hospital or to make important medical decisions when a partner is incapacitated;

WHEREAS religious organizations and faith leaders cannot be required or pressured by law to perform any marriage that contradicts their beliefs and/or traditions, even when a couple is legally eligible to be wed (i.e. mixed faith couples, divorced individuals, etc.);

AND WHEREAS the Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ in 2005 urged congregations and individuals of the United Church of Christ to work against legislation, including constitutional amendments, which aim to deny equal marriage and partnership rights to couples based on gender;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that First United Church of Tampa (UCC) states its strong opposition to the so-called ?Marriage Protection Amendment?.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that First United Church of Tampa (UCC) strongly supports any lawful and peaceful action aimed at keeping the so-called ?Marriage Protection Amendment? from becoming enshrined into the Florida State Constitution; including endorsing and assisting the Fairness for All Families campaign to defeat the amendment.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that First United Church of Tampa (UCC) welcomes and encourages any and all Florida congregations of the United Church of Christ to join us as co-signers of this resolution.

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that First United Church of Tampa (UCC) encourages the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ to pass a resolution opposing the so-called ?Marriage Protection Amendment? and to support the efforts of Fairness for All Families in their lawful and peaceful campaign to bring about its defeat.

This Resolution is prominently displayed on our church website at www.ucctampabay.org.