As a church that seeks to be All-Welcoming, we believe that each person is created in the image of God and, therefore, has inherent dignity.  This includes people of every ethnicity, race, class, ability, status sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.  For almost 128 years, we have been part of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), a movement formed by Swedish immigrants in the late 19th century united as friends in faith and mission.  In 1996 the ECC adopted the position that the practice of same-sex marriage is not supported by Scripture.   From this position the ECC implemented a policy prohibiting Covenant ministers from officiating or participating in same-sex marriage ceremonies in any capacity.  As a result, Covenant churches around the country who hold a dissenting view have had to wrestle with the question of how to be faithful to the broader fellowship of the ECC as well as to their own convictions.  This fall Hilltop Covenant Church is engaging this very question through a series of discussion groups, which will be held after our Sunday morning worship and coffee fellowship.  This page is dedicated to providing resources to Hilltop friends and members as we go through this discernment process.