Grace United Church of Christ of Loyal Oak

I have "been a friend of" Grace UCC of Loyal Oak [though I have always known that church merely as "Grace UCC of Norton, Ohio"] since the 1980s.

Since the early 1990s, my friendship with that church has been completely historical and certainly "from a distance." I ran across their "Google Maps" page recently and am glad to see that they are continuing in their important work.

Starting in 1981, I had been quite active, both nationally and within the state of Ohio, with the United Church of Christ [UCC] LGBT advocacy group, known at the time as the United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns [UCCL/GC] and now known as the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition.

Rev. Bob and Louise Baldauf, who had served at Grace UCC between 1954 and 1991, had been among the early "allies" for LGBT people. Grace UCC had been the first "Open and Affirming" church within the UCC, even before Riverside Church in New York City which is the official "first" "Open and Affirming" church.

Each week, for many years, Bob and Louise would mail out what I have always called "Baldauf bulletins" that had included the Sunday-morning "order of service" plus many articles, from many different sources, with information about many "peace and justice" issues all over the world.

I still have a large stack of "Baldauf bulletins" that I have saved in a box in my basement.

I am glad to see that Grace UCC is continuing in its extremely important ministry. It had been great to see on-line, recently, a picture of that church with a large rainbow flag near their entrance.

I was married here almost 30 years ago

They have an AA meeting

N.A. celebration 28th of October Halloween

Great place for a meeting