I hope that you all have seen the save the date email that Chris Krebs sent out, on behalf of the Welcoming Congregation Implementation Team (WCIT), for the Preemptive Radical Inclusion workshop after the service on Sunday, May 7. Cindy Beal, a long-time UU Religious Educator and founder of Justice and Peace Consulting, will facilitate the 3-hour workshop in the Parish Hall.

Preemptive Radical Inclusion, is a way of cultivating a deeper, more profound, more fulfilling experience of being and doing together. At its core, preemptive radical inclusion is about developing our capacity for relating to each other and ourselves with greater love, acceptance, appreciation, and justice. This hands-on workshop will support us in raising our awareness about privilege, acknowledging our natural human desires for both comfort and familiarity, and expanding our willingness to engage with each other and with potential newcomers in open-hearted, fully welcoming ways. Cindy will help us explore our personal and congregational commitments, our openness to explore what it means to intentionally create a community of welcome, and our willingness to set aside assumptions and beliefs in order to risk being relevant.

The WCIT have been doing good and thoughtful work as they help us figure out the next steps we will take as a community to understand ourselves better and become more truly welcoming. Preemptive Radical Inclusion starts with us – with congregation members, staff, and leaders. It is not about “the other,” but about “all of us together.” I am looking forward to the workshop and hope to see you there.