links to 'uncertain and declared spaces' resources

Read the full article on uncertain spaces and declared spaces, with additional examples and stories.

Watch the introductory video on uncertain spaces and declared spaces.

Read my article on exploring uncertainty and embrace at your church.

Read my article on why I no longer believe in lgbtq+ friendly churches.

Check out all "uncertain spaces and declared spaces" posts on this blog. 

PHOOey

PIE 

You may have read my previous post about PIE: about being public, intentional and explicit -- three key components to being a faith community that affirms LGBTQ2S+ people. (if you haven't read it, do so first: https://exclusionandembrace.blogspot.com/2017/01/pie-public-intentional-explicit.html)

I'd like to first suggest that we add an "S" to PIE to make PIES (cuz, you know, lots of pies are better than just one pie): S for Self-Examining >

PIES

A community that examines itself discovers those areas in which more change is needed, those aspects in which they could improve how they love and embrace others.

Here's a brief example of a church being self-examining: 

     A church is located in an older building. There is one main women's and one main men's washroom, both outdated and badly designed. The church has begun holding some learning sessions where they asked some of their queer members to share, and also invited speakers from the queer community to come in. After one of these sessions, where they heard that some transgender people feel uncomfortable in public washrooms, some of the members involved in managing the facility got together. "What can we do to make this better?" they asked. They looked around and realized that there was a storage room located behind the washrooms, which could be converted into a single user washroom. Conveniently, the plumbing connections were nearby. "What if we use the whole space, and make it an accessible washroom while we are it?" someone added. The "accessible" stalls in the existing washrooms were unfortunately based on outdated standards for what is considered accessible and in reality, are very awkward.  So they proceeded with their plans and, once the washroom was complete, made sure to post on the church website that the building now has a "accessible, inclusive gender-neutral washroom".

     Now, such a washroom serves a wide range of people: transgender folx who feel unsafe in gendered washrooms, people in wheelchairs, a parent with a child, a person accompanied by an attendant or caregiver. And it happened because they were learning, thinking and examining their church community and facility.

what does it mean to celebrate all people?

Sometimes organizations make bold statements in their mission, vision and value statements (and the like). But what do such statements mean? How are they realized (real-alized; made real)? 

I offer this as one example of how one can respectfully ask about such statements, in a way that promotes accountability, provokes thinking, and encourages movement forward.

Last summer I wrote to our parish priest about a statement that was sent out in a key document. Here's my side of the email:

---

Hi P,

I have a question for the leadership regarding the following value from the mission action plan document that was sent out:

Welcoming and Open to All
We will live Christ’s words: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We will be a welcoming parish family. We love and celebrate all people regardless of age, culture, sexuality, or socio-economic status.

I’m wondering in particular what the last sentence means. Does it mean that we at our church generally celebrate all people without regard or attention to any of these things, even those things like race, culture or sexuality which are unique and something to be specifically celebrated? Kind of like being “colour-blind” where we celebrate all people regardless of their colour but in fact we ignore their colour and their ethnic / racial uniqueness and what they bring to the table and how the community is enriched by them?

Or will we actually celebrate people for who they specifically are, including race, culture and sexuality? Kinda like the way the LGBTQ2S+ community is acknowledged and celebrated particularly in June here in Edmonton, or the way we in our church region are beginning to recognize and celebrate indigenous peoples?

Related to this: two Sundays ago two women were sitting in the row in front of us. Based on their affection and physical contact, I would assume they are a couple and I wondered, how did they know this would be a safe place to be themselves? It's not a reasonable assumption to make about churches, and the public face of our church does not indicate that LGBTQ2S+ people would be welcome. Did they speak to one of the clergy in advance? Do they know someone who attends here? Were they just taking a chance on us and lucked out? I don't know.

Further related to this: P, you preached about a prophetic imagination. How might we imagine a church where all people are truly embraced and seen as an integral and needed part of the body? A church where none are shamed? A church which makes it obvious that people walking in will be loved and embraced? A church that shines its light on a hill instead of hiding it under a bushel?

Warm regards,

Rob

---

Note: I received a very positive response from our priest, who said that the leadership was discussing this and moving forward to look at specific ways of implementing.

[towards an inclusive church]

Progress report: 

1. The church bulletins have had the Treaty statement (bottom of page) and a rainbow on the cross (upper left).

2. The church has started a "Towards an Inclusive Church" Committee, which I've been asked to be part of.

3. This week, the following appeared in the bulletin, and the committee was asked to come to the front where the priest prayed for us. 

Prayer & Blessing for the ‘Towards an Inclusive Church Committee

In response to the last General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, our congregation expressed a strong desire to be a more openly and explicitly welcoming congregation. To that end, Vestry has appointed a group of individuals in our parish to lead our congregation through the process of becoming and being a community that openly welcomes and embraces people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. One might say: surely, we are already such a community! And they would be right! We are a community that welcomes all people, but we feel it is important to go through an intentional 'Welcoming Process' in the life of the faith of our congregation.

So there is indeed progress being made at Christ Church, which  after a long time waiting is exciting...

an affirming and embracing parish

Our parish announced this summer that they are an inclusive parish and that they will perform same-sex marriages. Subsequently, I was asked to be on a committee to help make this a reality.

The following mind map contains some of the ideas I've been thinking about in preparation for our first meeting:

Click image above for a bigger version.

Click here for a PDF version of this mind map
Note: the PDF version may be more recent.

[clarity about church policies]

Church Clarity has a simple goal: make it clear what a church's policy is on things that matter to those who might attend. Here's how they put it on their homepage:

There are millions of churches around the world. They represent a wide spectrum of beliefs, which are translated into actively enforced policies. At the level of the local church, policies are often communicated unclearly, if they are disclosed at all...

Together, we're establishing a new standard for church policy disclosure:  We believe that churches have a responsibility to be clear about their policies on their primary websites. Following a simple, yet consistent method, our crowdsourcers submit churches to be scored on how clearly their website communicates their actively enforced policies. Once the information is verified by Church Clarity, it is published to our database.

Their current focus is on policies related to LGBTQ+. This is critical for LGBTQ+ people, especially if they get involved with a church on the basis of it appearing welcoming, only to find out later that there are policies which prohibit their involvement in leadership, or which prescribe discipline if they get married, etc.

They are currently accepting ratings for Canadian and American churches. Look them up and submit your church, especially if it is LGBTQ+ positive:

https://www.churchclarity.org

You can also sign up to be an advocate or use some of their resources (like the yellow image above) to help promote the site.

[welcome and safe at steinhauer united]

In the lobby of Southminster Steinhauer United Church in Edmonton. 

Rainbow banners fly outside the front doors.

declared spaces inside declared spaces

This site has extensive discussion of uncertain spaces and declared spaces. Much of it has focused on the big declaring that a church can do in terms of how welcoming and embracing it is. The outward signs, and the many inward ways which make the declaration more than just words and empty gestures.

One of the ways a church or organization can declare itself further, which has not been discussed here yet, is by having specific declared spaces within a broader declared space. As will be seen in the following examples, some of these specific spaces are physical spaces; others are "spaces in time". As well, there are also ways for people within a church or organization to declare themselves...


declared "spaces in time" within declared spaces

These are defined declared spaces that happen at certain times, within a broader declared space. Here are some examples.

example 1: standing stones services

Several churches in our parish hold Standing Stones services once a month, in some cases during the regular Sunday morning service time.

"Standing Stones is a gathering of Aboriginal and Non-aboriginal People to explore God in an Aboriginal Context.  We come to worship Jesus, infusing Cree symbols into Christian ceremony.  We smudge to purify our minds, hearts and spirits in order to come to a clearer understanding of God; we seek wisdom in Aboriginal story and scripture, we ask for God’s healing water and prayer on ourselves and our community and we celebrate God’s activities in our lives though the sharing of bannock and berries.  Standing Stones is a fresh expression of Jesus to the Aboriginal Community and to the diocese.  The hope is that this gathering is a means of Christ’s reconciling Love to heal ancient wounds and enlighten the next generation of all Canadians."(source)

[evergreen presbyterian declares itself]

I came across this image in an article by Mary Button, Mission Developer at Evergreen Presbyterian Church, in Memphis. The article itself is worth reading, as it talks about how she and the church respond in open ways to what is happening around them.
Give it a read: Art as Resistance in Uncertain Times.

Love the way the church windows, being located in a store front, are right at the street level. No fences and manicured lawns between passersby and this building. There are the windows, and on them this church has declared what they are about.

[fishing tips, from rev. dr. john pentland]

"Fishing Tips is an open invitation to be curious. Using an ancient story as inspiration, John Pentland reflects on how Hillhurst United said "Yes" to throwing the nets on the other side of convention. The result was innovative, invigorating and transformative."

In the 1980s, Hillhurst United opposed the ordination of gay and lesbian people. Today, they are an affirming congregation. This book is by the minister who played a key role in this transformation.

Of particular interest to the topic of uncertain spaces and declared spaces is Fishing Tip Eight: Say Who You Are. This chapter has two parts: Naming Ourselves, and How a Name Leads to Action & Grows Your Church

For more on the book, click here: http://www.hillhurstunited.com/fishing-tips

Check out an article that discusses if a church can be biblical, evangelical and progressive.

[PIE: public, intentional, explicit]

As I continue to think about uncertain spaces and declared spaces, I came across this important concept from the Affirm United website. It presents three key aspects of being a declared space in a crisp, clear way:

Most congregations do their best to be welcoming, but being affirming goes deeper and is public, intentional, and explicit, in their commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Think “PIE”: Public, Intentional, and Explicit.

Public: An Affirming Ministry uses symbols and signs which are echoed outside and inside the church building, in worship, and in all other facets of church life. The broader community should also know what it stands for; a witness to the wider community that God’s love extends to everyone equally and without reserve. This is still a radical message!

Intentional: An Affirming Ministry is deliberate in their process of study, education and dialogue with members of their faith community (both during the Affirming process and as a piece of their ongoing work), to ensure that the history of oppression and discrimination by the Church is both understood and acknowledged, and that continued growth, education, and celebration are part of its ministry.

Explicit: Affirming Ministries should explicitly indicate in their Mission and Vision statement – and everywhere else! – that the LGBTQ+ community is a part of and embraced in all facets of church life. And as part of the Affirming process, their faith community will explore and explain how to live out that commitment.

Source

Read more about this at
http://affirmunited.ause.ca/frequently-asked-questions-about-affirm-united-saffirmer-ensemble/

[can a church be biblical, evangelical and progressive?]

Here's an article about a Calgary church that believes in Jesus and loves and embraces people -- in reality, not just abstractly.

Can a church be both open and inclusive on social questions and at the same time evangelical in outreach and committed to scripture and doctrine? Wouldn’t you want to be part of a church like that?

It is not hard to find theologically open churches that aren’t engaged with scripture and doctrine. And it is easy to find churches committed to scripture and doctrine that make the lines of belonging impossibly narrow. Could a church offer the best of both worlds?

John Pentland, minister at Hillhurst United Church in Calgary, Alberta, thinks so, and his church seems poised to reach a generation of Canadians who are skeptical of religion in general and Christianity in particular. He admits that this is surprising—those looking for innovative congregations and dramatic church growth are not likely to look at the United Church of Canada.

"Biblical, evangelical—and progressive" by Jason Byassee

Oct 28, 2016

Source

Click here to read the rest of the article.

p.s. this post is tagged with "uncertain spaces" because Hillhurst is the opposite of an uncertain space — it is a great example of a declared space.

why I no longer believe in lgbtq+ friendly churches

I used to be in favour of lgbtq+ friendly churches.

My denomination, according to head office, has at least four lgbtq-friendly churches in this area¹. Generally, these churches are welcoming of people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, allow involvement in ministry at all levels and have pastors who are theologically progressive.

Despite being lgbtq-friendly, these churches are uncertain spaces to many people, in that they have not declared if and how they value and embrace diverse peoples. To be specific in this context, these churches do not say anything about being lgbtq+ friendly, their website gives no indication of their welcome and there are no rainbows on the sign out front. The effect is that people in the neighbourhood and, in fact, even people inside the church itself, might have no idea.

And so initially I had thought that they needed encouragement to move toward becoming churches that openly declare that all people are welcome and valued. This is particularly important so that people who are at the edges and who belong to minority groups would know which churches will walk with them on their spiritual journey.

That's what I used to think. But now, I no longer believe in lgbtq+ friendly churches.

It’s not because they are hesitant to proclaim that the good news they believe truly includes everyone. It’s because just as lgbtq+ friendliness is absent from the signs and the website, so are all things lgbtq+ absent from the culture and structure of the church.

[saint giles' welcomes...]

A sign outside of Saint Giles' Anglican Church in Cambridge. Photo by Lauren VanderHout.
Used by permission.

unknown embrace (a poem)

in this church, that synagogue, in this Edmonton of ours
arms open wide to embrace all who enter

yet mouths do not proclaim
signs never tell, websites omit
that

lgbtq+
are welcome letters
in these spaces hidden in our city

poem by rob goetze

---

Poet’s comment:

Edmonton has places that are known to be welcoming to all people, and places that are known for being excluding. This poem is about places that are embracing yet few people know, because these places do not clearly articulate that they value and embrace diverse people, and hoping that these places will make themselves known….

I submitted this poem to the Fall 2016 Poetry Route poem competition which was part of the 2016 Edmonton Poetry Festival. The theme was "unknown Edmonton". Submissions were limited to a maximum of ten lines of ten words each, to ensure that the poems will fit on bus posters.

The competition received 156 entries. While my poem was not one of the four winners, it did make it into the shortlist of twenty four.

More info on Poetry Route competition.

[how to tell if your church is welcoming for transgender people]

Related to my exploration of declared spaces and uncertain spaces, an article on queertheology.com asks,

Is your church welcoming of transgender people? And if it is, does anyone know?

Lots of churches declare their “open and affirming” status on their websites. Or they will put a rainbow flag on their church sign or website homepage. But those symbols often don’t tell the whole story. Many churches that have done a lot of work on gay and lesbian issues haven’t bothered to study anything about transgender people. They have outdated language on their websites or don’t mention transgender issues at all.

Read the rest of the article...

A second article on their site is titled: How do we reach more transgender people?

This one addresses the question: 

Hello! We’d like to do outreach to the transgender community, but we’re not sure how. We’ve had trans worshipers in the past, but none currently. What’s the best way to reach trans people who are looking for a safe and affirming worship space?

https://www.queertheology.com/how-do-we-reach-more-transgender-people/

Getting personal:

Callan Williams shares about her own experiences with various churches as a transperson, making it clear that the "transgender experience is essentially different than the lesbian, gay and bisexual experience in a number of ways."

Read the rest of the story at:
https://callan.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/welcoming-trans/

how your church sign looks to outsiders

Just hype? Actually, a study done of 16 - 29 year-olds found that these are the top three words associated with Christians....

The bigger question is: what words would you like to have associated with your church?

How could you make this a reality?

uncertain spaces and declared spaces: an introduction (video)

A key video to watch if you and your church value and embrace diverse people:

I recommend watching full screen if possible, as the graphics are important.
(click here to watch video if your device does not show the video above)

---

Read the full article on uncertain spaces, with additional examples and stories.

Check out all "uncertain spaces" posts on this blog.

church of the illiterati

This church declares itself clearly as a place that welcomes and embraces those who can't read.

Well, maybe.  Their sign does raise several questions:

If this really is a church for people who cannot read, what does it matter what the sign says? Or would it be better to call it "the church of non-readers"? Now it is possible, of course, that this church has specifically used the name "Illiterati" to reclaim the name, perhaps similar to the way queer has been reclaimed by some lgbtq+ groups, or like the church which calls itself the Scum of the Earth Church.

And then one might ask, how would someone who doesn't read know this is the church for them? Would some kind of image be helpful? Or would people find out about it via word of mouth and radio ad campaigns?

And does the Church of the Illiterati embrace everyone? We don't know, as they haven't said. And this means that overall, they are still an uncertain space. Except to non-readers. Maybe.

[st. lydia's dinner party church]

St. Lydia's is a small church in Brooklyn, where the service takes the form of worship happening around a dinner shared together. It is particularly counter cultural in Brooklyn, where the pace of life is fast, meals are often eaten on the go or standing up and often alone, kitchens and eating areas are often too small to accommodate many people.

However, even in my city, in the churches I've been part of, communion is usually done in pews or going up to the front in rows. Having the eucharist as a real meal eaten together is unusual, and would be especially meaningful if eating with non-family members.

I also like the way that they make some declarations right on the home page. Along with affirming GLBTQ, they refer to dispelling isolation, reconnecting neighbours, and subverting the status quo.

Read more about St. Lydia's:
St. Lydia's website.
Article in The Atlantic
Article in Faith and Leadership