|
Adult Lifespan Religious Exploration - Welcoming Congregation
Welcoming Congregation History
In 1987 the Unitarian Universalist Association 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.
What is the Welcoming Congregation Program?
The Welcoming Congregation Program is a completely volunteer program for congregations that see a need
to become more inclusive towards bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender people. It consists
of a series of workshops developed by the UUA. The goal of the workshops is to reduce prejudice by
increasing understanding and acceptance among people of different sexual orientations. Some of the
workshop titles include: How Homophobia Hurts Heterosexuals; Connections to Other Forms of Oppression;
Gender Socialization and Homophobia; and Biblical Perspectives on Homosexuality. Many congregations
offer the workshop series several consecutive times as an adult religious education curriculum open to
all members and friends. In some congregations the workshop series (and later the entire program)
is sponsored by a Welcoming Congregation Task Force/Committee created for just this purpose, while other
congregations sponsor the workshop series through their Interweave chapters. In either case, the
workshops are best facilitated by those that have experienced the curriculum.
For more information (a UUA starting point) . . .
“Welcoming Congregation”, What is it? What
does it mean to me? >>> Click Here.
|
