Hillhurst United Church is an Affirming Ministry
Approved Affirming Statement:
Hillhurst United Church commits to be an inclusive community of faith that follows in the Way of Jesus under the banner "whoever you are, wherever you're at, join us on the journey."
We strive to accept each other as we are and welcome the ministry and participation of all persons regardless of age, gender identity, health, race, sexual orientation, differing abilities, religious or ethnic background or economic circumstance.
We hope that in all that we do, including our worship and community life, God's unconditional love is experienced. We do this trusting God is with us on the journey.
How We Live as an Affirming Ministry
Every year on the same weekend (Palm Sunday), we hold special events and services that honour and remind us of the statement that we have made. These celebrations are important to us, as we know it's not enough to simply become an Affirming Ministry, but to always be an Affirming Ministry. The work is ongoing and we are committed to continued learning and awareness.
In 2011, our special guest speaker for our Affirming service was Mayor Naheed Nenshi (listen to the service here). We also hosted a special performance of the hit play, heterophobia.
Mayor Nenshi at our Affirming Service - April 2011
In addition to our annual events, we strive to live out our Affirming Statement year-round, which includes the following:
- The Journey Project, an initiative that will rebuild our Western Annex, the portion of the church property to the west of this historic portion of the building we are currently in. The ground level of the building will be church and community gathering space with the above floors supporting 13 units of affordable housing.
- We provide affordable rental space of our building for diverse groups (Inside Out Theatre, SledIsland, Various Yoga Groups, Rainbow Church, etc.)
- One weekend per month, we host Inn From The Cold, where 15 people from the homeless community (our guests) can have a hot meal, a safe place to sleep, nutritious breakfast, and bagged lunch.
- We participate in the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank, a charitable organization whose mission is to provide quality emergency food to those in need. You can drop off food anytime, although the third Sunday of every month has been designated Food Bank Donation Day, and the food bank will pick it up from our office.
- We intitiate and support social justice events that include everything from how to grow vegetables in your backyard, to addressing issues surrounding world peace.
- Check out our get involved pages to connect with others at HUC!
Affirming Celebration, April 2011
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why do churches adopt an Affirming Statement?
To be Affirming is to recognize that each individual in our community is worthy of being ministered to with respect to who they are, seen in light of the teachings of Jesus. Social constructs of any kind may blind us to the individuality of another person, preventing us from seeing them as Jesus taught us. Ministries with all persons who may feel separated from the church are important. In our time, ministry to and by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transidentified individuals is one of the largest tests of the inclusiveness of the church. We are better equipped to face other issues of separation when we have faced this one.
When a congregation is designated as Affirming, it is making a public statement to all who arrive there that it has taken on a period of reflection regarding barriers to participation and belonging. This can be an important reassurance to someone who is unsure of whether the church is a place in which they can feel safe to be themselves, whether they will be required to hide a minority sexual orientation or gender identity. In the past, the Church, in its broadest definition, has actively sought to exclude GLBTTQQ individuals and families. The Affirming process seeks to address the harm done by that active exclusion.
What is required to become an Affirming Ministry?
A statement of faith concerning the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transidentified individuals in the life and work of the Ministry:
- A continuing plan of action for the Ministry
- A commitment to the Affirming Ministry Program nationally
- An inclusive marriage policy (required since February 2007)
Where does the program come from?
Affirm United is a national program for United Church congregations and ministries that has been in place since 1992. This program is envisioned as a means of support and education for justice-seeking Ministries.
What about other minorities? - Is this a program for them too?
In order to become an Affirming Ministry, a congregation must go through an educational process that reflects on what it means to be inclusive, and evaluates our openness to the ongoing work of being intentional, about how we welcome and include others within the life and work of our ministry. The national kit says “We hope that you will look at a variety of areas that may be barriers to those coming to your community, agism, sexism, racism, ablism, classism and in particular to the Affirming Ministry the issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. The advice we have received from many Affirming Ministries is that this discussion must include as many groups as possible.“
This is borne out of Affirming Statements adopted across Canada.
How many Affirming Ministries are there in Canada?
Of approximately 4000 congregations in Canada, 65 are designated Affirming.
How many Affirming Ministries are there in Alberta?
Five are in Edmonton, one in Lethbridge. Deer Park, Knox, Scarboro, Symons Valley, Parkdale, St. Thomas, and Wild Rose United have become Affirming Congregations in Calgary. There are several other Calgary congregations that have a group looking into this.
What makes an Affirming Ministry different from any other in which people are unprejudiced and welcoming?
As the national program reminds us, to be in ministry to and with all involves an attitude of sensitivity and openness to the gifts and graces of each person in the body of Christ. It requires an appreciation that teaching and learning are a two-way process of mutual listening and understanding. This is not always easy and takes some specific efforts to hear others’ stories. An Affirming Ministry is one that is making an intentional effort to listen and learn from people who have been silent in the past.
What has been happening at Hillhurst?
An introductory message was delivered at Hillhurst’s Annual General Meeting on Pentecost, June 2006. A group of congregation members interested in participating in a process of discernment met over the course of the subsequent 7 months, holding informal conversations regarding the nature, need and process of an affirming initiative. Representatives from this group first met with the Hillhurst Church Board on January 17, 2007 and preliminary authorization was granted for the Affirming Committee to proceed with exploratory discussions, and to make known to the congregation that such discussions were underway.
The formal aspect of the discussion was launched on February 13, 2007, when written information was made available to the congregation outlining the basis and aims of the Affirm United program, and a sampling of Affirming Statements was posted and circulated. At the March 18, 2007, Annual General Meeting, there was a discussion of the role of the Affirming discernment process at Hillhurst. Written information was provided. Educational events on sexual orientation and gender identity, led by the Calgary Sexual Health Centre, were held on May 10 and 13, 2007 and on January 13, 2008. A group of people met on Monday, March 31, and had a spiritually enriched conversation about issues facing gay people and their place in the church. The April 27 worship service was dedicated to Affirming.
In addition, informal discussions have continued, and worship services have included a variety of opportunities to meditate both on our own inclusiveness generally and on our openness to GLBTTQ participation and ministry specifically.
There was an opportunity to view a DVD about 3 Affirming congregations in 3 provinces of Canada, and to meet with representatives from Calgary’s other Affirming congregations on May 26, 2008 at 7pm. This was an information-oriented meeting, and an opportunity to discuss questions about the practical implications of adopting an Affirming statement.
The final draft of Hillhurst's Affirming Statement was circulated starting May 18. A vote to adopt the statement was held at our AGM on June 22, 2008, and was passed by the congregation.
The formal celebration for becoming an Affirming Ministry took place in April of 2009 (Palm Sunday) and every year on the same weekend, we hold special events and services that honour and remind us of the statement that we have made. These celebration are important to us, as we know it's not enough to simply become an Affirming Ministry, but to always be an Affirming Ministry. The work is ongoing and we are committed to continued learning and awareness.
What about same-sex marriage?
The congregation’s leadership made a decision on this before the introduction of Affirming in June 2006. The Board of Hillhurst United passed a vote on April 11, 2006 to make this a church that will solemnize same-sex weddings. The Affirming statement would be a sign of the congregation’s commitment to full inclusion in marriage as part of full participation in congregational life.
What's next?
Our ongoing work of learning will continue, with a focus on practicing hospitality, hearing one another’s stories, creatively managing conflict, and seeing God’s light in one another. The learning gained through our discussion of sexual minorities will take us into our efforts to address homelessness in Calgary and much more.
There will be continued opportunities to view the Affirming DVD, and the documentary For The Bible Tells Me So, and Fish Out of Water, both of which are on loan here. You can also view the moving documentary, Cure For Love, for free at the NFB website.
There will be further opportunities to learn how to provide a welcome to, and receive the spiritual gifts of, those who may not be able to count on a welcome in all churches, and in particular those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transidentified.
And - whatever else the Spirit brings our way…
“In God's family, there are no outsiders. All are insiders. Black and white, rich and poor, gay and straight, Jew and Arab, Palestinian and Israeli, Roman Catholic and Protestant, Serb and Albanian, Hutu and Tutsi, Muslim and Christian, Pakistani and Indian, Buddhist and Hindu - all belong...God's dream wants us to be brothers and sisters, wants us to be family...In our world we can survive only together. We can be human only together..." -Desmond Tutu