We, the people of Epworth-Roanoke United Methodist Church, believe that God's love is expansive and unconditional and that, through Christ, God calls us to love one another as God loves us. We recognize that both well-intentioned and ill-intentioned people have raised barriers that exclude some of God's children from participation in the life of the Church.

We believe that such exclusion is contrary to the fundamental teaching of Jesus and is abhorrent in the eyes of God. Such exclusion creates a rift in the Church, creates separation between our God and ourselves, and creates a need for us to reconcile with those who have been excluded.

We therefore declare that all persons are recipients of God's love and grace. God intends the church to be a community that embodies love, grace, and justice for all people. In particular, we discern that God is challenging our Christian community to accept lesbians and gay men as sisters, brothers and co-workers in the household of faith. We affirm the full participation of lesbians and gay men in every aspect of our church and society.

Further, we welcome and shall support all persons regardless of gender, race, age, cultural or religious heritage, ethnic background, sexual/affectional orientation or identity, or economic circumstances.

We celebrate the worth, dignity, and gifts of every person as a child of God. We hope that our affirmation of the worth of all persons will bring reconciliation to all people within the church who, because of prejudice, hate, homophobia, or ignorance, find themselves exiled from the body of Christ.