But because the congregation prided itself on being a place where diversity was welcome, it plunged in. And there were some awkward moments, says LaPlante, but members worked them out. This was something worth doing. The Welcoming Congregation program is a series of workshops developed by the UUA for congregations who wish to reach out to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. The goal is to reduce prejudice by increasing understanding and acceptance among people of different sexual orientations.
Many congregations offer the workshop series several times as an adult religious education program.
The Evanston congregation voted in May 1998 to be a Welcoming Congregation. Just looking at these folks, seeing all the 'family-ness' going on, it's very satisfying. One in five UU congregations are Welcoming Congregations, says the Rev. Keith Kron , director of the UUA Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns . The number has tripled in three years, and at least 200 congregations are working through the program. I tell them that hasn't happened so far.