Are we? Yes, and… We proclaim it to the world: “The Unitarian Universalist Community Welcomes and Celebrates the Presence and Participation of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Persons.” (Adopted in 1998)
Pursuing that vision, several of us joined with Central Unitarian Church of Paramus in 2020 for an adult RE course on “Transgender Inclusion in Congregations.” It taught us that inclusion begins with how we make this a true place of welcome for all. This is our aspiration in proclaiming ourselves a “Welcoming Congregation.”
We’ve heard sermons from Rev. Sarah, and Lily Carayannis that prompt us to deepen our practice of inclusion, and our Covenant reminds us that welcome is grounded in how we relate to each other.
Last Sunday in his message for Indigenous People’s Day, Michael DeSantis quoted the words that open every service at his home congregation in Brooklyn: “Whoever you are, whomever you love, wherever you are on your life journey, whatever the color of your skin or your country of origin, whatever your gender or the source of your faith, you are welcome here.” He said, “Truly that is a profession of a belief in what MLK called a ‘Beloved Community.’ A profession of a belief in a world where all people belong. And yet I think all of us know that much work remains to be done until we have that world.”
Every congregation believes they are welcoming and friendly. Of course we are! We Unitarian Universalists, especially, see ourselves as open and inclusive—a place where all (and we mean ALL) are welcome. Some of us think that’s so wide a welcome that we don’t need to add a specific word of welcome to People of Color. Some of us think that it goes without saying that people with any kind of disability are included here. But still, we proclaim it out front of Anderson. “Black Lives Matter!” The Rainbow/Trans flag communicates without words. And our recently added ramp speaks loudest of all. We’re backing our beliefs with concrete action!
So, of course, we’re a Welcoming Congregation! And… we still have room to grow. There’s room inside Anderson, if not in our parking lot. There’s room in our hearts for (what people who look like me call) “more diversity.” We want to grow. We want to overcome the dispiriting statistics of what’s happening to almost every religious/non-religious organization in our country.
The Board is tremendously excited about the energy and spirit that we sense all around us at USR. We look at the joyous photo of the Homecoming crowd gathered in front of Anderson, and we feel enthused and optimistic. And yet… there’s more… We can’t escape the truth that we are (I am) majority white, and gray. (I’m only too aware that Michael DeSantis’ class is exactly fifty years after my own!)
(So don’t get me wrong: When I say that we can enhance our welcome, I’m not unhappy about how it’s going. I don’t want to slay your joy. It’s precisely because we’re in a healthier place, that I believe we’re able to improve our practices of hospitality.)
Michael’s words on Sunday about belonging resonated deeply: “We’ve all had these moments in our lives, where we found ourselves in places where we felt like we didn’t belong.” Perhaps none of us feels as fully welcome at USR as we yearn to be? Could that in some way hamper our hospitality?
Each of us, individually, practices welcome and inclusion. So none of us is to blame when USR leaves a first-time visitor standing alone while we talk to each other. (It has happened.) None of us is to blame when USR runs out of offerings at coffee hour. (We don’t want to waste.) Can we think of moments when we could have been the welcome that we all yearn to receive?
To make entrance for newcomers easier, the Board has just published the 2022 Resource Handbook and a first draft of a new Photo Collection. If we look at our hospitality with fresh eyes, we can learn to be even more inclusive. The Board of Trustees is committed to radical welcome, inclusion and membership growth. It’s work that we must do together!
Sincerely,
Jack Lohr, President for the Board of Trustees
PS: The Board meets tonight, 10/12/22, on Zoom (us06web.zoom.us/j/82658329756) and our meetings are open to observation.
