Since the development of the Fort Collins WCN Group in our congregation, two questions have consistently been raised. Both are legitimate questions and deserve a response.
The first is: Why the need to be public or somehow official about the fact that we welcome LGBT persons? Aren't we already a welcoming congregation?
The second is: Why does WCN focus on the LGBT community when the Community of Christ should be welcoming everyone? Aren't there other populations that should be included in the Welcoming Community Network?
The answer to the first question has to do with the historical religious community's lack of acceptance or welcome of homosexuals. Not only have churches been hostile to these persons, but the culture at large has been, and still is, hostile and even violent to LGBT persons. (Witness the murders of Matthew Shepard and Angie Zapata in our own backyard) Still in the 21st century the so called religious right has been extremely public in it's denunciation of and hostility towards the LGBT community. Therefore if a religious community feels that being true disciples of Jesus Christ means recognizing the inestimable worth of all persons and desires that the LGBT community knows it is welcome - it needs to make that declaration public - otherwise it will be assumed that the views of the more vocal Christian Community would apply.
The answer to the second question is that while there are other populations that may not feel welcome in Christian churches, the LGBT population is the one most openly discriminated against. Our own denomination actually has policy statements discriminating against this group. The sacrament of marriage is denied to them, as is ordination unless they remain celibate (a requirement not made of other populations). While there are certainly subtle acts of discrimination or lack of welcome to other groups on the basis of socio-economic status, political views, immigration status, age, marital status, race, mental or physical ability, homelessness, etc. - there are no official policies that actually discriminate against those populations. Even in our government the LGBT community is denied equal rights and when the courts have pointed out that, for example, same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, some states including our own, have rushed to amend their constitutions to perpetuate and legally justify that discrimination.
Those are some of the reasons why WCN's main focus is on the LGBT community. Never-the-less, when congregations have determined to publicly welcome that community they have, in almost every case, made their welcoming statement inclusive of all populations. Samples of Community of Christ WCN congregations welcoming statements are on our webpage at: http://cofchristrm.org/FortCollins/samplesWCN.html
If you would like to discuss this or other issues concerning the focus of WCN, please contact the pastor or any member of the Fort Collins WCN Group.
RETURN 6/9/09 JLM