Welcoming Congregation

The Hopedale Unitarian University Community welcomes bisexual, lesbian, gay and transgender people. Hopedale is an officially recognized Welcoming Congregation by the Unitarian Universalist Association. As such, we affirm to:

• Include and address the needs of b/g/l/t persons at every level of congregational life—in worship, in programs, in social occasions, and in rites of passage—welcoming not only their presence, but the gifts and particularities of their lives as well.
• Assume the presence of b/g/l/t people and celebrates this diversity by having inclusive language and content in their worship.
• Fully incorporate the experiences of b/g/l/t persons throughout all programs, including religious education.
• Include an affirmation and nondiscrimination clause in our by-laws and other official documents affecting all dimensions of congregational life, including membership, hiring practices, and the calling of religious professionals.
• Engage in outreach into the b/g/l/t community in its advertising and by actively supporting b/g/l/t affirmative groups.
• Offer congregational and ministerial support for union and memorial services for b/g/l/t persons, and for celebrations of...family definitions.
• Celebrate the lives of all people and welcomes same-sex couples, recognizing their committed relationships, and equally affirm displays of caring and affections without regard to sexual orientation.
• Seek to nurture ongoing dialogue between bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and heterosexual persons and to create deeper trust and sharing.
• Encourage the presence of a chapter of Interweave.
• Affirm and celebrate b/g/l/t issues and history during the church year.
• Attend to legislative developments and works to promote justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society.
• Speak out when the rights of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people are at stake.
• Celebrate the lives of all people and their ways of expressing their love for each other.

In 1987 the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) established the Common Vision Planning Committee. This committee found many negative attitudes, deep prejudices, and profound ignorance about bisexual, gay, and lesbian people, which resulted in the exclusion of bisexual, gay, and lesbian people from their churches. As a result of these findings, the delegates of the 1989 UUA General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to initiate the Welcoming Congregation program to educate its members. Each congregation adapts the program to best meet its goals and each unique situation can bring positive changes to individuals and congregations.
 
The Welcoming Congregation presents a broad and flexible framework for tackling the problem of affirming sexual minorities in our church communities. Through its superb array of workshops, readings, and worship materials, The Welcoming Congregation offers the chance to become more inclusive, more integrated...more welcoming.
 
To learn more about the Welcoming Congregation program, see the UUA website at www.uua.org /obgltc.