Often first-time visitors to our church note that this is a friendly community. They report that they felt welcome here. But, is that enough? How can we go beyond that first greeting to create an inclusive community? That’s the question that stands behind all the essays in “Beyond Welcome: Building Communities of Love.”
A community of love grows when we are attentive to the different experiences of all who would move beyond that initial warm greeting — beyond “friendly” — into a circle of caring. The five sessions of our discussion group based on “Beyond Welcome” will help us each to see more clearly how a friendly congregation moves toward becoming a Beloved Community.
We’ll be reading three or four essays prior to each session, totaling about 20 pages of reading each week. Yes, the essays are short, but no less provocative for that. The questions accompanying each essay will take us deeper into our own experiences of trust and caring in this community and others. We’ll look at the barriers, physical and intangible, that exist in our congregation. And, we’ll envision ways to make change that counts — change that goes beyond welcome.
The Book
To join in the discussions you’ll need a copy of the book “Beyond Welcome: Building Communities of Love”, Linnea Nelson, ed. The paperback version is available online at the
UUA Bookstore. An ebook version is available through Amazon.
The Discussions
Beginning Saturday, May 7 at 2:00 pm and continuing for five weeks Beyond Welcome discussions will meet in-person on the Veranda, under the Covid Task Force guidelines. There’s room for eight participants, and you can sign up at Beyond Welcome: Saturday
Afternoons.
On Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 pm the other track with begin on Zoom. Other sessions will follow weekly. There are eight seats open for Beyond Welcome: Wednesday Evening Zoom.
Sign up for either track to receive more information about the Beyond Welcome Discussions.