Can you believe that the National affirming Pi Day is celebrating its fourth birthday on March 14th? It's been such a pleasure to see how faith communities across the country have leaned into being people who embody the unconditional love of God. Some of you are wondering, what does Pi have to do with being affirming? Well, the acronym Pi, P-I-E, stands for public, intentional and explicitly. Those three words are a shorthand for we want to be faithful people in communities who are actively welcoming and affirming to the LGBTQIA and two-spirit communities. What we're really saying is, beyond the words in the statements, what does it look and feel like to be affirming in your community? This year's theme is, everyone gets a slice. Looking at the 2S LGBTQIA plus acronym, which represents an endless diversity of identities and expressions, we acknowledge that some of the people who are represented by these letters often tend to get left out or underserved. I invite you and your ministry to consider which folks you may not have included in your affirming programming and educational efforts. For example, you could consider how to make your washrooms gender inclusive or all gender, or have single stalls available for those who don't feel comfortable or safe using the washroom that fits their gender identity, or ask everyone in the community of faith to place their pronouns on their name tags. What about exploring ways to include bisexual or pansexual folks who can often feel invisible if they appear to be in a heterosexual partnership? Consider sharing stories from intersex or asexual people who often get left out of the acronym. You could invite a two-spirit person to share their experiences with your congregation if they're willing, or consider doing a book club with a book written by a two-spirit offer. Those are just a handful of ideas to get your creativity flowing. As for me, I'm going to do some more learning about what it means to be non-binary and how the ways we speak in our liturgy emphasize a binary gender understanding of people and of God. The love of God and the pie of affirming never run out. We seek to be people of faith who live into the reality that everyone belongs and everyone gets a slice. you