The Board of Trustees adopted the following policy on first reading. Please send any comments on this policy to programs@hvuuc.org before it is voted on for the second time by the Board.
Welcoming Congregation Annual Renewal Policy
HVUUC became an LGBTQ+ Welcoming Congregation in 2010. The Unitarian Universalist Association introduced a Welcoming Congregation Renewal Program in 2015 to encourage congregations to annually renew their commitment to the needs and concerns of LGBTQ+ people. In 2019 the Board of Trustees at HVUUC voted to pursue this renewal program. In order to institutionalize this commitment to Welcoming Congregation Renewal, responsibility for annual renewal will be delegated as follows:
Programs Trustee
The Programs Trustee will have the ultimate oversight of and responsibility for the renewal process. They will send reminders to relevant committee chairs at the beginning of each calendar year. They will keep a running log of renewal activities, and submit the Welcoming Congregation Renewal Form to the UUA at the end of each calendar year.
Religious Services Committee
The Religious Services Committee has the responsibility of meeting the worship service requirements of the renewal. At the time of this writing, this consists of two Welcoming Worship services per year, and worship service elements celebrating at least six days of LGBTQ+ observance per year. The committee will report to the Programs Trustee the date and content of each of these events.
Religious Education Collaborative
The Religious Education Collaborative is responsible for sponsoring a relevant webinar, course, movie, or book discussion open to all congregants. In order to meet current requirements, attendance should be at least 10% of membership. Additionally, after the event, a Welcoming Congregation Survey will be sent out to participants. The event date, topic, attendance numbers, and survey data will be submitted to the Programs Trustee.
Social Justice Committee
The congregation is required to make a yearly contribution to an LGBTQ+ organization; the selection of the recipient is entirely up to the congregation. The Social Justice Committee will coordinate and effect this contribution each year, and submit the name of the organization and the amount of the contribution to the Programs Trustee.