We are a Welcoming Congregation
Murray UU Church became a Welcoming Congregation on April 11, 2004, after a congregational vote, an exercise in democracy that allowed us to formally state our desire to be intentionally welcoming to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgender persons by intentionally accepting their contributions to our congregational lives.
Our Mission Statement – We are a group of concerned members of the Murray Church congregation who are exploring our thoughts, feelings and knowledge about sexual orientation and gender identification with the goal of raising the awareness of the congregation about these issues and identifying ways to reach out to the gay, lesbian and transgender community.
We publicly acknowledge and welcome bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people in accordance with guidelines established by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). We:
- 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 marriage 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 affirms 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 celebrates 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.
Additional Resources
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Ministries
LGBTQ Ministries is a department of the Multicultural Ministries team of the UUA. Multicultural ministry encompasses many aspects of identity—race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ability/disability, class, age, language, citizenship status, and more. Our LGBTQ ministry efforts are grounded in the intersections of these identities.
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Bookstore
- Email: bookstore@uua.org
- Web: www.uua.org/bookstor
Symbols
Use of the Rainbow Flag by the gay community began in 1978 when it first appeared in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. Borrowing symbolism from the hippie movement and black civil rights groups, San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag in response to a need for a symbol that could be used year after year. The 6 Colors of the flag are Red for life Orange for healing Yellow for sun Green for nature Blue for harmony Purple for spirit.
The Pink Triangle is easily one of the more popular and widely-recognized symbols for the gay community. The pink triangle is rooted in World War II times, and reminds us of the tragedies of that era. Although homosexuals were only one of the many groups targeted for extermination by the Nazi regime, it is unfortunately the group that history often excludes. The pink triangle challenges that notion, and defies anyone to deny history.
