{"id":165,"date":"2016-05-18T15:45:08","date_gmt":"2016-05-18T19:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.unitarian.ithaca.ny.us\/?page_id=165"},"modified":"2016-05-18T15:55:30","modified_gmt":"2016-05-18T19:55:30","slug":"welcoming-congregation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/unitarian.ithaca.ny.us\/index.php\/welcoming-congregation\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcoming Congregation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, NY, is a \u201cwelcoming congregation\u201d for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (LGBT<\/span>) having gone through an extensive multi-year process culminating in a near unanimous positive vote in 2000.<\/p>\n

What does that mean, and why just welcome LGBTs<\/span>?<\/h3>\n

Our congregation has participated in the Unitarian Universalist Association\u2019s \u201cwelcoming congregation program<\/a>\u201d and has completed the series of educational workshops with the goal of bringing about a positive change. We believe in supporting the \u201cspiritual, political, and social well-being of Unitarian Universalists<\/span> who are confronting oppression as lesbians, gay men, bisexual persons, and transgender persons\u2026\u201d (from Interweave<\/a>).<\/p>\n

We single out LGBTs<\/span> as particularly deserving of our welcome with recognition that institutionalized churches have, for centuries, been a force in the persecution of these minorities. We would like to do our part in redressing these prejudices. As the Rev. Douglas Morgan Strong writes in the welcoming congregation manual<\/a>: \u201cas a subculture in society gay, lesbian, [transgender], and bisexual people may need our support more than [does] the general population.\u201d<\/p>\n

HISTORY<\/h3>\n

In 1987 the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA<\/span>) established the Common Vision Planning Committee. This committee found many negative attitudes, deep prejudices, and profound ignorance about bisexual, gay, and lesbian people, which resulted in the exclusion of bisexual, gay, and lesbian people from their churches. As a result of these findings, the delegates of the 1989 UUA<\/span> General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to initiate the Welcoming Congregation program to educate its members. Each congregation adapts the program to best meet its goals and each unique situation can bring positive changes to individuals and congregation.<\/p>\n

For more information about the UUA<\/span> guidelines for Welcoming Congregations, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A WELCOMING CONGREGATION<\/em><\/strong>?<\/a><\/h3>\n

Any congregation that publicly and successfully welcomes bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people has the following qualities:<\/p>\n