Welcoming Congregation

Starr King UU Church is dedicated to the living tradition of Unitarian Universalism through extending love and acceptance to all people and recognizing the inherent good of all persons. We believe that part of living our faith is to be a welcoming place for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people. Our congregation confirmed our commitment to this principle by becoming a Welcoming Congregation in 2001.

What it Means to Be a Welcoming Congregation

Member congregations of the Welcoming Congregation program commit to:

• Be inclusive and expressive of the concerns of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender persons at every level of congressional congregational life.

• Celebrate the lives of all people and welcome same gender couples, recognizing their commitment their committed relationships and equally affirming displays of caring and affection with regard to sexual orientation.

• Seek to nurture ongoing dialogue between bisexual, gay, heterosexual, lesbian, and transgender persons, and create deeper trust and sharing.

• Advocate for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people, attending to legislative developments and working 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.

Starr King Unitarian Universalist Church continues to affirm our commitment to be a safe and affirming place for all persons regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, making every effort to create a religious community where everyone is welcomed and cherished for who they are.

Resources

To learn more about this important UU program, we recommend the following resources. The books are available from the UA bookstore. To order go to www.UUA.org/bookstore.

Interweave, a member organization affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association, and dedicated to the spiritual, political, and social well being of Unitarian Universalists who are confronting oppression as lesbians, gay men, bisexual persons, transgender persons, and heterosexual allies.

The Welcoming Congregation: Resources for Affirming Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and/or Transgender People. Broad and flexible framework for affirming diversity and sexual orientation and gender identity in church life.

A Chosen Faith: an introduction to Unitarian Universalism. John Buehrens and Forest Church. An imaginative outline of the main ideas behind UUism. Includes a chronology of UU history.

Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide. John A. Buehrens, Editor. Essays by contemporary UUs provide an overview of UU beliefs, practices, and history.

The Challenge of the Liberal Faith. George N. Marshall. Popular introduction and study guide to UUism.