We are a Welcoming Congregation, recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association. This means we affirm and include people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer at every level of congregational life—in worship, in program, and in social occasions—welcoming them as whole people.

As a Welcoming Congregation we have pledged to:

• honor the lives of all people and equally affirm displays of caring and affection without regard for sexual orientation.
• celebrate diversity by using inclusive language and content in worship.
• incorporate an understanding of the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual,  transgender, and queer persons throughout all of our programs, including religious education.
• affirm and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues and history.
• affirm marriage equality and conduct same-sex weddings.
• advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, promoting justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society. We speak out when the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are at stake.

We recognize that there’s always something more to learn, and remain open to deepening our understanding about the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people.

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The work of welcome is never done. A new committee has been established to review The Five Practices of Welcome Renewal. The committee works with church staff to make sure we are on track to renew our commitment as a Welcoming Congregation.

Here’s what we all can do today and every day to create a Welcoming Congregation:
Stop by the Visitor’s desk and pick up a pronoun sticker and Pride heart sticker to add to your name tag.
You will communicate:

• I see you
• I respect you
• I welcome you

Make inclusivity a priority

• Use your pronouns on zoom meetings, when introduced to people and when you welcome visitors in the church
• Remind transgender/nonbinary families in our congregation that they are not alone.

Open your hearts and minds to new information

• Attend workshops such as the Transforming Hearts series of workshops we plan to offer to the congregation.
• Disclosure – A Netflix Documentary recommended by UUA
• Disclosure is an unprecedented look into 100 years of transgender images on screen, showing how Hollywood’s projections affect the ways people see trans people and how trans people see themselves.

Be an Advocate

• Stand up for Transgender children in your school district
• Oppose laws that ban participation in school activities, “bathroom bills,” that criminalize providing life-saving gender-affirming health care, and other actions that are deadly for trans and nonbinary people of all ages.

Raise LGBTQIA+ Children and Allies

• Read Raising LGBTQ Allies by Chris Tompkins which walks parents through the many ways they can prevent new generations from adopting homophobic and transphobic beliefs.
• Demonstrate to your children your belief in the worth and dignity of all people
• Teach your children about sexual and gender identity-let them know no matter how they and their peers identify it’s OK

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