What Do You Believe In
Are you a racist? A sexist? A misogynist? A homophobe? I would think you are probably not any one of those things and you would probably think that I am not and we probably don’t think of our church friends are any of those things.
But what does the community at large know about Lynn Valley United Church? They know we are a church. That can mean a lot of things both positive and negative. There isn’t much else to define us from the outside. Affirm United has declared March 14 to be P.I.E. Day, which stands for Public Intentional and Explicit.
We are being called to state our beliefs in a way that makes a Public statement that the outside community can see. Our Affirming Ministry Committee has been in discussion with the District of North Vancouver and the Parent Participation Preschool about painting the crosswalk across Mountain Hwy in rainbow colors. We are looking at installing a rainbow coloured bench outside, to invite all the people who like to sit and enjoy the sunshine on our walkway. We would like to paint a symbol on our front steps to publicly state our beliefs with no hesitancy. We are being called to be Intentional. This means that when we make a decision, plan a program, open the door to invite someone in, we are aware of what we say and what we do so that people of all genders and sexual orientations know that they are welcome and belong. We are being called to be Explicit. Being explicit means having a Visioning Statement that spells out that gender identity and sexual orientation do not limit one's participation in this community. In fact, diversity adds to the color of the fabric of our community. Being explicit means that our marriage policy states clearly that if you want God to bless your union, we would be honoured to be a part of your celebration. Being explicit means standing up for the rights and freedoms of the Queer Community around the world.
To help us celebrate and understand more about PIE Day we have a very special treat in store. Unfortunately this year we will not have actual pies (wait until next year for that) but we have Pam Rocker, a fabulous public speaker for the LGBTQIA2S+ community, the Director of Affirm Connections, and a Spokesperson for Affirm United, coming to preach on Sunday, March 14. And as a virtual dessert, Pam will be joining us for a conversation on Zoom immediately after Worship. Those of you who were able to join in with Lauren Kirkey last week will know how fabulous it was to hear her speak and be able to ask questions in person. https://youtu.be/AlUDKkifYkE. This is a link to a short promo video of Pam’s about PIE Day.
God gives us so many blessings. It is really hard to believe that we are truly worthy of all that is offered to us. When we open our hearts to others, God just floods in and fills us to the brim. May you have a week full of Love and opportunities to be Public, Intentional, and Explicit about Who You Are!