Welcoming Congregation
Universalist Unitarian Congregation (UUC) has received recognition as a UUA Welcoming Congregation. This designation indicates that UUC has completed the UUA program to become intentionally more inclusive of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender (b/g/l/t) people.
As a Welcoming Congregation, UUC strives to:
- 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.
- Assume the presence of b/g/l/t people and celebrate this diversity by having inclusive language and content in our 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 bylaws 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 advertising and by actively supporting b/g/l/t affirmative groups.
- Offer congregational and ministerial support for union and memorial services for b/g/l/t persons, and for celebrations of family definitions.
- Celebrate the lives of all people and welcome same-sex couples, recognizing their committed relationships, and equally affirm displays of caring and affection 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.
- Affirm and celebrate b/g/l/t issues and history during the church year.
- Attend to legislative developments and work 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.