Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to revisit the landmark marriage-equality precedent that has safeguarded LGBTQ+ marriages nationwide since 2015. For Holy Covenant and the wider United Church of Christ, this is more than a legal footnote, it is an affirmation of what we’ve always believed and known — love cannot be confined by people or parameters.

Holy Covenant’s Witness: Plaintiffs for Freedom & Blessing

In 2014, Holy Covenant families and clergy joined a first-of-its-kind, faith-based legal challenge to North Carolina’s marriage ban—asserting that the state’s restrictions violated both equal protection and the freedom of clergy to perform weddings in their houses of worship. That case helped open the door to marriage equality in North Carolina, setting the table for the nationwide ruling the next year.

“We believed then—and we believe now—that blessing love is not the state’s to forbid nor the church’s to withhold.”

The UCC’s Long Faithfulness

The United Church of Christ’s advocacy for LGBTQ+ dignity spans decades—rooted in Scripture’s call to justice and the Gospel’s wideness in mercy. From early statements in the 1990s supporting equal marriage rights to the 2005 General Synod resolution affirming marriage equality, our denomination has stayed the course: full inclusion, public witness, and pastoral care for all families.

• 1996: UCC leaders endorse Equal Marriage Rights for Same-Sex Couples.
• 2005: General Synod calls for marriage equality across the church and society.
• 2014: UCC files a groundbreaking suit in North Carolina defending clergy freedom and LGBTQ+ couples’ rights.
• 2015: Nationwide marriage equality arrives; congregations continue the ministry of blessing and welcome.

What This Means for Our Community

Yesterday’s decision is both reassurance and invitation: reassurance that the marriage of those in our pews remains protected, and invitation to deepen our practice of joy, protection, pastoral care, and support of the inclusivity and diversity of love.

At Holy Covenant, we mark this news with gratitude—and with renewed commitment to walk alongside LGBTQ+ members, couples, parents, teens, and elders.

“Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling upholding marriage equality is a victory for LGBTQ+ rights. As people of faith, we affirm that God’s image is reflected in every person and every loving relationship.”

“Too often, the Bible has been misused to condemn same-sex relationships—something about which scripture says very little—while ignoring the broader, recurring themes of God’s call for justice, compassion for the poor, love of neighbor, and liberation for the oppressed.”

“For some in our congregation, this attempt to repeal marriage equality has reopened old wounds or stirred valid fears and concerns. To you, I want to say once again, Your love is holy, your marriage is sacred, and the sanctity of love, like our God, is far greater than we could ever imagine.”

— Rev. Christopher Czarnecki, Senior Pastor

“It’s important to our family to belong to a church that honors and affirms loving relationships and marriage equality for all people as we seek to build a just world.”

— Meg Houlihan, Racial Justice & Equity Ministry Team Lead

“Our love is sacred. Our love is blessed. Our love is holy! Love is for everyone! Our faith and connection to the Divine means trusting that love holds us together even through threats by conservatives and those bound by hatred and fear of inclusion and diversity. Today we rest in God’s faithfulness, and we rise to keep welcoming, blessing, and defending every beloved story.”

— Rev. Melissa McQueen-Simmons