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Beyond Categorical Thinking Workshop
A UUA program titled “Beyond Categorical Thinking”
will be offered
at the Vero Beach Fellowship on Nov. 8. The program will include Sunday
preaching by the Rev. Keith Kron and a three-hour afternoon workshop for the
congregation. The workshop is designed to help participants examine their own
ableism, ageism, heterosexism, racism, and sexism. The visiting presenter will
also meet with the UUFVB Ministerial Search Committee.
The program grew out of a 1989 resolution at the UUA General Assembly that made
equal opportunity in ministerial settlement the policy of the UUA. The "Beyond
Categorical Thinking" weekend program is designed to promote inclusive
thinking and to help prevent unfair discrimination in the ministerial search
process. It is
one of several efforts that the UUA is making to attract, affirm, and serve a
diverse membership.
According to the UUA, search committees and congregations
should be aware of the
ways in which they may inadvertently make discriminations that are unnecessary
and
unjust. Such discriminations may be made on the basis of a minister’s age,
physical ability, race, gender, or sexual orientation. However, these aspects of
a minister’s identity are not indicators of a minister’s skill, leadership
style, or probability of a good match with a congregation. Therefore, it is
important that congregations entering the search process understand the risks of
discrimination so that they may select the best minister they can, and make such
a selection congruent with our denomination’s commitment to non-discrimination
and inclusiveness.
All members of the congregation are urged to put
this program on their calendars
so that they can participate in this workshop related to the ministerial search
process.
Return to Ministerial Search
Committee.
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