What does it mean to be a ‘Welcoming Congregation”? To be ‘Welcoming’ means to be intentionally inclusive towards bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and Queer people. One way to accomplish this is by participating in the Unitarian Universalist Association’s “Welcoming Congregation” workshop series. This is an introspective and interactive educational journey into the issues surrounding the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. The yearlong program developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association is intended to educate the congregation and community about how to be purposeful in its welcome and outreach to the LGBTQ community. Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church began the Welcoming Congregation program in February, 2010. It was concluded in March, 2011, with a congregational vote to become officially recognized as ‘Welcoming’. Official recognition as a Welcoming Congregation allows churches to be acknowledged as deliberately open safe spaces for bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and Queer persons; to take positions on oppression in our larger communities; and to accomplish outreach. During the year of our program, we also designed and constructed a fully ADA-compliant gender-neutral restroom.
How does being a Welcoming Congregation benefit me, a "straight" person? Confronting prejudices in a non-judgmental, non-threatening group allows us to explore their origins and gain knowledge. Understanding our prejudices leads to spiritual growth and congregational unity.
Now that we’ve become a Welcoming Congregation, what next? Though we’re one of the later congregations to complete this process, it will never be too late to support and promote awareness, compassion, understanding, and acceptance. Continuing education about others and the issues they face is truly a life-long endeavor. We have formed an actively engaged Interweave group which meets regularly to put talk into action.
