Several Sundays ago, members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Sandhills (UUCS), as well as four guests from the public, gathered after the morning service to participate in Sandhills PRIDE’s Safe Zone training presented by Lauren Mathers, executive director of Sandhills PRIDE and Michele Cunningham, Safe Zone lead trainer.
UUCS is in the process of becoming an official Welcoming Congregation, which involves activities and projects designed to educate the congregation about the issues that challenge the LGBTQ+ community and ways in which the congregation can become more supportive and better allies, said UUCS in a press release.
UUCS and Sandhills Pride have had a close connection for over a decade, since before the LGBTQ+ support organization was officially incorporated. In early 2011, the congregation became very active in the fight against NC Amendment One and, as part of their activism, invited members of the LGBTQ+ community to view a series of films and join in a discussion about and subsequent protests against the amendment.
From this early partnership, it was clear that there was a need for a support and advocacy group for the LGBTQ+ community in the Sandhills. A year later, with the support and commitment of UUCS, Sandhills PRIDE was officially formed. In the years since, the two organizations have continued to partner on a variety of projects, including the most recent Safe Zone training.
Offering the Safe Zone training to the UUCS congregation is a major step toward owning the challenges involved in becoming better allies to the LGBTQ community and an official Welcoming Congregation.
“The UUCS Principles that guide our congregation include the belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person and acceptance of one another,” said Liz Harry, a member of the congregation. “We strive to live by those Principles and be open and welcoming to all people and a very important part of that is to be educated to lessen the risk of unintentionally causing harm to someone. We don’t know what we don’t know, and we want to continually strive to learn more so we can do better.”
“The Safe Zone training is one of our most important and effective programs, and we were honored to be invited to be part of this important journey with our local UU congregation. They share our vision and goal of providing more support and safe spaces for everyone in the Sandhills, and we are grateful for their commitment to being a welcoming home for our LGBTQ+ family,” said Mathers.
The Welcoming Congregation Team began the process for UUCS to receive official recognition as an open and affirming congregation in October 2023 and has provided a variety of programs toward that goal.
In addition to the Safe Zone training, other activities the congregation has held as part of this process include a breakfast service with a presentation by Mathers about the mission and services offered by Sandhills PRIDE; a presentation from member, Liz Harry, on diversity; and a sermon from visiting minister, John Saxon, on inclusion and diversity. The congregation has incorporated more inclusive music into its weekly services and is represented on the Sandhills PRIDE business directory as a house of worship that is accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, the Welcoming Congregation team is preparing a proposal for the congregation to amend their bylaws to include an article on inclusion.
For information about the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Sandhills, please reach out to: [email protected]
For information about the Safe Zone training, please reach out to: [email protected].
Contributed/Courtesy photo.
