A subcommittee of the Social Justice Committee has been working on renewing our Welcoming Congregation status with the UUA and expects to accomplish that goal by February 2023. However, our goals are much larger than just achieving the UUA Welcoming Congregation status – we want to be sure our congregation understands what it means to be a Welcoming Congregation. That means that we not only welcome people of all gender identities and sexual preferences but that we recognize how we can all grow and learn from everyone who brings a different experience and background to our community and that we open ourselves to what they bring.

In support of this goal, we are very excited to offer a class called “Trans Inclusion in Congregations” to UCF starting in early September. Along with the Adult Spiritual Enrichment Committee, this class will be presented in six weekly sessions on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM at UCF, starting on September 7th. There will be a Zoom option but attending in person is preferred because there will be a lot of discussion in the class. Each session will begin with a 45-to-55-minute video by course leaders Rev. Mykal Slack and Zr. Alex Kapitan, followed by a guided discussion. Sessions will end by 8:30 PM.

The class covers much more than information on transgender people and really talks about how to work toward the goal of becoming a “Beloved Community” that celebrates our diversity and all the benefits that diversity brings.

The course will be facilitated by Amy Jones, Marty Newcomb, Harriet Altman and Barb Thomas. To learn more about this course, please watch this 14 minute introductory video by the creators of the course.

Anyone in our congregation is encouraged and welcome to sign up for this class. We will be sending out a sign-up sheet in mid-August.