June 2008

UUSIC – A WELCOMING CONGREGATION
Tova Vitiello

Celebrating the lives of all people and the ways in which they express their love for each other.

On Friday, May 18, 2007, the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City celebrated its tenth anniversary as a Welcoming Congregation, and the tenth anniversary of our Interweave Chapter, with a concert featuring The Quire and performances by members of our UU congregation.

Eighteen years earlier, in 1989, the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association approved the "Welcoming Congregation" program, a program that confronted heterosexism and the oppression of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals in the United States.

While we assumed that our own congregation was inclusive, members of UUSIC believed that it was important to formally welcome lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender people because much of the justification for their oppression was and still is ''religiously'' motivated. We wanted to provide an environment where people could feel safe and "tell the truth of who they are." So, in the spring of 1995, the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Task Force was formed at UUSIC. Within the year, it became the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Task Force (in fact, UUSIC included transgender people before the UUA did).

The members of the original task force were Charles Eastham, Miriam Kashia, Virginia Melroy, Gay Mikelson, Virginia Lee Stamler, Sheila Streeby, Theresa Ullerich, Tova Vitiello, and Mark Yuskis. The primary focus was to organize and help implement the Welcoming Congregation process.

In preparation, the task force met regularly for two years. We completed a series of 10 workshops with our UU Society. In addition, we provided forums, showed relevant films, held discussions, sold t-shirts whose logo affirmed all people, and kept UUSIC informed through newsletter articles. We also sponsored a First Sunday Breakfast, made a UU banner, and marched in Pride Parades with others from our congregation.

On May 18, 1997, when our congregation voted unanimously to become a Welcoming Congregation, the task force evolved into the UUSIC Interweave Chapter. UUA official recognition  of  our  work  soon  followed.  During   the   next decade, our Interweave Chapter and our congregation have continued to carry out the commitments and actions inherent in being a Welcoming Congregation.

Interweave serves as a resource for RE, and provides adult forums and service programs on LBGTQ concerns.  We oppose all legislation that discriminates against people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Interweave also continues to support and sponsor a wide range of LBGTQ events and activities, many of which are listed above.

Because the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City is a Welcoming Congregation, lesbians, bisexuals, gays,  and  transgender  people have a safe place to develop mind  and  spirit.   UUSIC  affirms  and  promotes  the inherent worth and dignity of every person; we enter into a "covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support."

Since 1997,
Interweave  has:

Marched each June in the annual Pride Parade behind our "UUs Affirm All People" banner

Donated 20 books dealing with LBGTQ issues to our UU library, choosing books on a variety of topics and written for audiences of all ages

Maintained an LBGTQ bulletin board in Channing Hall

Written a monthly Interweave article for the UUSIC News

Supported the annual Pride Talent Show

Participated in Lobby Day in Des Moines

Here at UUSIC, we feel more than tolerated or accepted -- we feel celebrated!
 

TAKING A STAND AGAINST NUCLEAR ARMAMENT
Marilyn Jennewein

The declaration stated, “The act of declaring a Nuclear Free Zone is intended as a moral statement and public witness. …We feel strongly that the moral dimensions of this issue are sufficient cause for the congregation to communicate its concern to the large society.” This may have been the first time that the congregation as a whole took a formal public stand on a major political and moral issue, for a concern expressed before the vote was that the declaration ran counter to “the past policy of individual voice and action in our local Society and not Society public witness.” Nonetheless, the congregation approved the declaration by a vote of 80 to 9.

Check it out!

Learn more about UUSIC historical resources available
at the State Historical Society of Iowa.