Rev. Ann C. Fox
(508) 992-7081
RevAnnFox@aol.com
Unitarian
Universalist
Society of Fairhaven
Welcoming Congregation
We are a Welcoming Congregation for the GBLT Community
- This congregation publicly welcomes the bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender community.
- You are included in our worship services, in our programs, religious education, social events, and in our rites of passage, including marriages.
- Our language is inclusive and supportive.
- We are advocates for promoting justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society.
In Celebration of our UUA Certification as a Welcoming Congregation,
many of our congregation gathered to form a rainbow of diversity.
A full color photo is on display at Coffee Hour.
October 21, 2007
Although we have been a Welcoming Congregation in spirit and practice for many years and voted unanimously to become an official Welcoming Congregation in 2005, we finally got our “act together” to apply for and then receive in June 2007 certification as a Welcoming Congregation from the Unitarian Universalist Association! On October 21, 2007, we had a service to celebrate this wonderful occasion and many of us wore our colors of the rainbow especially for this photo. A Welcoming Congregation welcomes ALL, including GLBT people (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender). We are proud!
GLBT Stories on Film and Television
Like many of you, I view the winter season as a time to recharge. I also try to use this time for quiet reflection, particularly on the long cold days we’ve experienced of late.
I’ve also learned to make more use of my time indoors, so I typically look to either catch up on reading or view movies to pass the time. Recently, I had an opportunity to view the movie, Milk, in Seekonk. The director, Gus Van Sant, chose to tell the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man in the U.S. elected to public office (a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors), and the significance of Milk’s life for many people today. Some of you may recall that I chose to reflect on the life and work of Harvey Milk, when last year we celebrated our Welcoming Congregation status. I hope you will consider viewing this wonderful film, and understand it in the context in which Harvey Milk lived his life, and the profound effect his sacrifice (assassination) had on the greater movement to achieve lasting civil rights and freedoms in the United States for GLBT members of our congregation and those of other churches and distant communities.
In addition, if you missed the Lifetime Channel T.V. movie, Prayers for Bobby, with Sigourney Weaver, (which aired the weekend of January 24, 2009), I hope you’ll take the opportunity to view it if it is broadcast again. The story is a poignant example of how our beliefs and values, or more specifically our faith, is often challenged within the context of our own family, and how we either transform our beliefs or risk suffering unbearable loss when we cannot.
Finally, I hope you’ll consider joining me in late spring, for a chance to view a fantastic documentary, Anyone and Everyone. I viewed this documentary in Taunton several months ago and had the opportunity to meet a couple featured in the film, Carol and Ed Bonetti. In short, this documentary traces the struggles of several families across the U.S. as they worked to accept their child’s gay identity, and their own transformation as a result. Ed and Carol agreed to be available to answer questions about their experiences, and their current work with PFLAG, provided we agree to show the documentary. Rev. Fox proposed that our UU Church host an evening supper, to include Ed and Carol, and a chance to view the documentary. We will try to coordinate this with local Gay Pride celebrations in May or early June.
It is through authentic discussion and inquiry that we broaden our awareness and understanding, and I hope that you will consider taking a look at one of the movies/documentaries I’ve referenced here, and perhaps consider attending a showing of Anyone and Everyone. As Harvey Milk once said, “Hope will never be silent.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
With warm regard,
David Sykes