All of who you are is sacred. All of who you are is welcome.
In the 1990s, First Parish was certified as a Welcoming Congregation by going through steps from the UUA.
From the Unitarian Universalist Association:
The Welcoming Congregation Program was launched in 1990 to address widespread homophobia and the exclusion of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people within Unitarian Universalism, and religion writ large. In hopes of fully living into our UUA beliefs and principles, namely “Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations,” we instituted the Welcoming Congregations program. Our aim was to encourage and support congregations in their efforts to outreach and support LGBTQ+ members and their community. Since then, the UUA has approved more then 800 congregations.
Each year, First Parish Bridgewater works to deepen our welcome to the LGBTQ+ & TGQNB (Transgender, Genderqueer, Non-Binary) community through worship services, donations to community partners, and learning.
As a Welcoming Congregation we have pledged to:
- honor the lives of all people and equally affirm displays of caring and affection without regard for sexual orientation
- celebrate diversity by using inclusive language and content in worship.
- incorporate an understanding of the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons throughout all of our programs, including religious education
- affirm and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues and history. affirm marriage equality and conduct same-sex weddings
- advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, promoting justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society. We speak out when the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are at stake.
