Amarillo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (AUUF) welcomes all as part of the Beloved Community regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We celebrate the richness that comes from diversity.
On May 24, 2013, AUUF was recognized as a Welcoming Congregation by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.
A Welcoming Congregation is one that has taken intentional steps to become more welcoming and inclusive of people with marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities. It is part of a comprehensive program that (1) examines documents and literature; (2) promotes use of specifically inclusive language during services; (3) provides a series of workshops designed to both educate and explore individual, congregational, and community attitudes and behaviors toward sexual minorities; and (4) culminates in a vote by the congregation as to whether or not to apply for recognition as a Welcoming Congregation.
Why single out LGBTQ people? The Rev. Douglas Morgan Strong probably states it best in the Welcoming Congregation manual:
For centuries the church has been a leading force against sexual minorities. It is not surprising that gay people are reluctant to reach out to the very institution that oppresses them. Yet gay, lesbian, [transgender], and bisexual people have no less need for warmth, caring, and affirmation than anyone else who calls the liberal church their religious home. In fact, as a subculture in society gay, lesbian, [transgender], and bisexual people may need our support more than the general population.
AUUF worked hard to achieve Welcoming Congregation status. However, this is a commitment rather than an end point. We are now challenged to keep the momentum going and continue having those deep conversations and always revisiting the question of what it means to constantly be striving to deepen our welcome of all–looking for our growing edges around sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, and also race/ethnicity, ability, economic class, language, and more. Our ADA restroom is gender neutral. The restrooms marked for Men or Women may be used by those whose gender identity/expression matches the label on the door.
Learn more about the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Welcoming Congregation Program.
The Welcoming Congregation Bulletin
This bulletin is an e-newsletter from LGBTQ Ministries, part of the Multicultural Ministries office of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Each monthly issue offers a tool to use, an action to take, a story to inspire, and news to share.
Subscription to The Welcoming Congregation Bulletin is open to all – email lgbtq@uua.org for more info, to subscribe, and to submit content ideas.
Each issue of the Bulletin is also available as a pdf file.
Archive with each current and past Welcoming Congregation Bulletin