We Are a Welcoming Congregation

Unitarian Universalism is widely known for its commitment of welcome and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and families. Those categories of sexual identification have expanded over time to include non-binary and other identifications.

We are one of the few religions that ordains openly LGBTQ people, and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) also provides assistance in their settlement. Our LGBTQ clergy participate fully in our faith community as pastors in some of our largest congregations. The UUA has been one of the leaders in advocating for Marriage Equality since 1984, and through its efforts, helped secure that.

The UUA officially certifies those congregations who have demonstrated their qualifications in this area, as Welcoming Congregations, and 63% of UU congregations in the U.S. are recognized as such.

Here are the significant dates in our process of becoming a Welcoming Congregation:

February 8, 2015 Congregation voted to apply for WC status
March 16, 2015 Application was made to the UUA
May 15, 2015 Status as a Welcoming Congregation was granted.

These are some of the steps we took prior to, and during this certification process, and since:

we organized formal and informal education about the worth and dignity of every person
we used our Sunday messages to inform and stress that same idea
we adjusted our bylaws to include an affirmative non-discrimination clause
we added more inclusive language in our Service welcoming statement we showed four movies, open to the public, Milk, In and Out, The Birdcage, and Philadelphia, to raise awareness about LGBTQ myths, struggles, and open and hidden discrimination
we called legislators to encourage passing of marriage equality measures
we held a rally at the County Courthouse, in favor of gay marriage
we hosted a Pride Picnic for the area, which was attended by local politicians and TV reporters

Eagle Point Park, Clinton