Open Hearts: Resources for Affirming Ministries in the United Church of Canada and Wider Society Alyson C
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Open Hearts Resources for Affirming Ministries in The United Church of Canada Alyson C. Huntly in conjunction with the Affirming Ministries Program Coordinators Revised April 2020 Open Hearts: Resources for Affirming Ministries in The United Church of Canada and Wider Society Alyson C. Huntly Copyright © 2011 Affirm United/S‘affirmer Ensemble Revised 2017; 2020 Affirm United/S‘affirmer Ensemble P.O. Box 57057, Ottawa, ON K1R 1A1 www.affirmunited.ca With open hearts, open minds there is welcome in this place there is welcome in this space there is welcome with embrace with open hearts. Mary-Ellen Kish © 2008. Used with permission. This resource was developed collaboratively by The United Church of Canada and Affirm United/S‘affirmer Ensemble in response to a need for resources and educational materials to support Affirming Ministries within this denomination and among its partners. The United Church of Canada seeks to fully honour and celebrate the gifts and diversity of all its members and leaders, including those of different sexual orientations and gender identities, and encourages its member communities of faith and ministries to make a public statement of welcome, inclusion, and justice-seeking by becoming Affirming Ministries. Affirm United/S‘affirmer Ensemble is an independent organization within the United Church. Affirm United created and sponsors the Affirming Ministry Program. Members of Affirm United‘s national council provided guidance and feedback in the development of this resource, and many Affirming Ministries shared their insights and experience of being Affirming. Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 The Purpose of This Resource ........................................................................................ 1 How This Resource Is Organized ..................................................................................... 2 About Language ........................................................................................................ 3 Part 1: Affirming Ministries ............................................................................................ 5 Affirm United and the Affirming Ministry Program .................................................................. 5 Signs of an Affirming Ministry ........................................................................................ 10 We‘re Already Welcoming, So Why Become Affirming? .......................................................... 12 How to Become an Affirming Ministry .............................................................................. 15 Sample Affirming Vision Statements from Affirming Ministries .................................................... 20 We‘re Affirming, So Now What? Program and Action Ideas for Affirming Ministries ........................... 23 FAQs about Affirming Ministries .................................................................................... 27 Strategies for Addressing Opposition, Fear, or Concern .......................................................... 30 The United Church of Canada and Issues of Gender Diversity and Sexual Orientation ........................ 33 Part 2: Education, Discernment, and Action Planning for Affirming Ministries .......................... 35 Openings and Closings ............................................................................................... 35 Affirming Ministries: The Basics ..................................................................................... 37 Storytelling Circles ................................................................................................... 39 The Bible and Issues of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity ................................................. 41 Activity Sheet: Bible Passages and Daily Living ..................................................................... 44 Handout: Instructions for Small Groups ............................................................................ 47 What Would It Mean for Our Ministry to Be Affirming? .......................................................... 48 Handout: Case Studies for Small Groups ........................................................................... 50 Discerning Visions, Hopes, and Possibilities for an Affirming Ministry ............................................ 53 Developing an Affirming Vision Statement .......................................................................... 54 A Five-Step Process for Developing an Action Plan ................................................................ 56 Explorations for Youth ............................................................................................... 58 Explorations for Children ............................................................................................ 60 More Ideas for Learning and Reflection ............................................................................. 63 Part 3: Resources for Affirming Ministries ........................................................................ 65 How to Obtain Resources ........................................................................................... 65 General Print Resources ............................................................................................. 65 United Church of Canada Resources ............................................................................... 67 Gender and Sexually Diverse Youth ................................................................................ 68 Children ............................................................................................................... 68 Popular Films on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity ........................................................ 70 Documentaries on LGBTQIA+/Gender Identity Issues ............................................................ 70 Two-Spirit Topics .................................................................................................... 72 Trans Topics .......................................................................................................... 72 Links to Organizations ............................................................................................... 73 United Church Resources on Aboriginal Peoples and Indian Residential Schools ............................... 74 United Church Resources on Antiracism, Racism, and Cultural Identity ......................................... 74 Open Hearts: Resources for Affirming Ministries in The United Church of Canada - 1 Introduction This is a resource for and about Affirming Ministries. Affirming Ministries are communities of faith, regional councils, educational institutions, outdoor ministries, chaplaincies, and other ministries within the United Church and among its partners that publicly declare their commitment to inclusion and justice for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Although Affirming Ministries make an explicit statement about issues of sexuality and gender, their commitment to justice is far broader. They continually grow and change as they seek to live more fully into God‘s way of welcome, love, and justice for all creation. Just as God rejoices in the goodness and diversity of creation, so too Affirming Ministries honour and celebrate diversity. One justice issue is not seen as more important than another, for in our culture of prejudice and power, injustices are interwoven and often mutually reinforcing. Work for change happens in many ways and in many contexts. Affirming Ministries work in many different ways toward the healing and wholeness of creation—challenging bias and discrimination based on appearance, ability, culture, class, or age; working to end racism; promoting economic justice; increasing accessibility; or caring for the planet. Affirming Ministries seek to go beyond issues of gender identity and sexual orientation to work for justice and inclusion for all people. Affirming Ministries provide information, acceptance, support, and justice-making for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities and for people exploring their place on the spectrum of human sexuality. These ministries declare, in words and actions, that God loves and celebrates all people. And they call upon the rest of the church and society to do the same. The growing network of Affirming Ministries within the United Church was initiated in 1992 by Affirm United/S‘affirmer Ensemble,1 an organization that works for the inclusion of people of all gender identities and sexual orientations within the United Church of Canada and society. The United Church of Canada officially endorses the Affirming Ministry Program and encourages its ministries to participate. Through a process of discernment and reflection, Affirming Ministries discover what it means for them to be inclusive and justice-seeking. They prepare a statement of faith and vision that sets out their ongoing commitment to work for justice on issues of gender diversity and sexual orientation within their ministry, the wider church and community, and to support and participate in the Affirming Ministry Program. The Affirming Ministry Program encourages United Church bodies (such as communities of faith, regional councils, outdoor ministries, chaplaincies, education centres, and outreach ministries) to study what it means to be publicly welcoming and inclusive. The program provides information and education