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Becoming an Affirming Ministry

Here at Manotick United Church we try to be as inclusive and welcoming as we can be to people of all races, skin colour, sexual orientation and gender identity. At our March council meeting we decided to go one step further and embark on the journey of becoming an Affirming Ministry.

Why become an Affirming Ministry when we’re already welcoming to everyone?

Because: Jesus’ ministry included all who were excluded for any reason. The Gospel calls us to do the same!

Because: The LGBTQ+ community faces specific and deliberate rejection and shaming in places of worship—The United Church of Canada included. (LGBTQ+ means lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, asexual, intersex, and more.)

Because: We need to be out, public, and proud to be fully present to our communities in all their diversity and struggles.

How? We will work through a reflection/ education process on what it means to be fully inclusive of others, including people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, of all ages, genders, races, abilities, classes, economic status, and other diversities. This process is expected to last around eighteen months, though it may be shorter or longer. We will use the resources of Affirm United in our journey.