As you know, St. Lucas UCC commissioned its current ONA task force in November, 2023. But, do you know why or when Open and Affirming began?
In June of 1969, a Greenwich Village gay bar, The Stonewall Inn, was raided, as had happened so often before, for no other reason than being a place where gay people gathered. Violent protests lasted six days. The Stonewall Riots marked a turning point in the LGBTQ civil rights movement. Just a few months later, the UCC reacted with a resolution written to end social injustice for all. In 1972, the first openly gay minister was ordained as a UCC minister, and UCC members founded the UCC Gay Caucus (later becoming the Open and Affirming Coalition). In 1985, The UCC General Synod urged UCC congregations to declare themselves Open and Affirming. There are now more than 1700 ONA churches.
The link below provides a more detailed timeline and two videos on the development of Open and Affirming.