A Red Deer Church has started the process of becoming an LGBTQ inclusive congregation. 

While the Gaetz Memorial United Church has been performing same sex marriages for over a decade, and Pride Worship Services, this process will make them officially inclusive. 

Reverend Jeff Rock says the Gaetz United Church has a long history of being a welcoming and inclusive community, but a recent event made them want to launch the affirming process.

"After the shooting in Orlando at a nightclub there, and the death of 49 people, a young mother in our congregation felt that it was more important now than ever to really publicly declare that welcoming and inclusive community. So we launched the affirming process on Sunday with a showing of the play Oblivion."

Rock says the conversations around what it means to be a church in 2017 is changing quickly. 

"LGBTQ issues are certainly continuing to evolve when we talk about inclusive washrooms, and gay-straight alliances in high schools. And I encourage people from around Central Alberta to engage in these difficult conversations about belonging and meaning. Because they're important ones for society."

Rock says this process will last for about a year with several more conversations taking place, and their congregation will vote after that if they'd like to make it official.

Gaetz isn't the first church in Central Alberta to do this, as St. Andrew's United Church here in Lacombe became an affirming congregation in 2011.

 

A Red Deer Church has started the process of becoming an L-G-B-T-Q inclusive congregation. 

 

While the Gaetz Memorial United Church has been performing same sex marriages for over a decade, and Pride Worship Services, this process will make them officially inclusive.

 

Reverend Jeff Rock says the Gaetz United Church has a long history of being a welcoming and inclusive community, but a recent event made them want to launch the affirming process.

 

"After the shooting in Orlando at a nightclub there, and the death of 49 people, a young mother in our congregation felt that it was more important now than ever to really publicly declare that welcoming and inclusive community. So we launched the affirming process on Sunday with a showing of the play Oblivion."

 

Rock says the conversations around what it means to be a church in 2017 is changing quickly.

 

"LGBTQ issues are certainly continuing to evolve when we talk about inclusive washrooms, and gay-straight alliances in high schools. And I encourage people from around Central Alberta to engage in these difficult conversations about belonging and meaning. Because they're important ones for society."

 

 Rock says this process will last for about a year with several more conversations taking place, and their congregation will vote after that if they'd like to make it official.

 

Gaetz isn't the first church in Central Alberta to do this, as St. Andrew's United Church here in Lacombe became an affirming congregation in 2011