Fairlawn Becomes an Affirming Church
Fairlawn April 12, 2015 — The Right Reverend Gary Paterson, United Church Moderator, officially declares Fairlawn an affirming church, celebrating the richness and diversity of our community, including 2SLGBTQIA+ (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual and more) people.
Fairlawn’s Affirm Faith Statement
Fairlawn Avenue United Church believes in Jesus’ vision of God’s kingdom which includes all people. Accordingly, Fairlawn declares our commitment to be fully inclusive, in all aspects of our life and work, of all people of all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities.
Fairlawn holds as our core belief: We are not alone. We are connected to God and each other by love. In that inclusiveness that is founded on love, we also invite to our table all those who may be economically, physically or mentally challenged or who have been discriminated against because of ethnicity, sexual orientation, race, gender or age.
We declare this as we seek to be in the eyes of God and of all people a vibrant, growing and welcoming church community.
Affirm United
“As an Affirming Ministry, we celebrate the diversity of God’s creation. We celebrate the richness of our community when we have diversity in age, gender identity, racial and cultural backgrounds, mental health, sexual orientation, ability and family configurations. We seek to create a safe space with an open invitation to bring every aspect of your whole self into your participation within this ministry.”
~ Open Hearts, United Church of Canada
