Pride Pics!
Want to see photos of FirstU's 2025 Pride activities? Pop over to the UU Pride page for a slide show of the highlights!
UU Pride Socials - Summer ScheduleAre you here and queer? Come hang out with us!
FirstU's monthly by-us-for-us social and support group for gender and sexual minorities is back! Here's our summer schedule! Sunday, July 13, at 7:00pm on Zoom. Email [email protected]to get the zoom link. Sunday, August 17, at noon, in person at FirstU! This will be an allies-welcome, open to all, shirt-decorating and sign-making party following our annual Pride service and in preparation for marking in (or cheering on) the Pride Parade. We'll have t-shirts on hand, available at pay-what-you-can rates OR you can bring one of your own to decorate. Bring your cishet spouse, questioning bestie, or supportive family out for snacks and socializing while we make Pride swag together! |
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WE ARE AN OPEN, AFFIRMING, AND WELCOMING CONGREGATION
We embrace Two-Spirit, gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, asexual, intersex, and questioning (2SLGBTQ+) people into our spiritual community. We work to promote acceptance, inclusion, understanding, and equity for 2SLGBTQ+ people and families in Ottawa and society at large. We fight homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and other forms of hatred and oppression. |
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What We Do
Our Embracing Diversity Committee works to promote equity, inclusion and diversity within the congregation. We design and oversee the implementation of an annual plan of educational, advocacy, outreach, and community-building activities, and recommend policy/procedural/structural changes in Congregation operations.
We host an annual Pride service, present film screenings and have hosted an interfaith panel of queer clergy for Pride Week. We present workshops - like "Beyond Tolerance" on creating safer spaces, and our Intern Minister, E.N. Hill's, home grown workshop series, "No More Kyriarchy". Previously the committee has supported fundraisers for community organizations (e.g. the Ten Oaks Project in Ottawa), organized workshops for congregants about power, privilege and unconscious bias.
Upcoming plans include continued collaboration with local 2Slgbtqia+ choirs and other community groups, creating a Welcoming Guide to provide FirstU's teams, groups, and committees with guidance on furthering their inclusivity, and inviting Branch Out Theatre to present their workshops at FirstU.
We host an annual Pride service, present film screenings and have hosted an interfaith panel of queer clergy for Pride Week. We present workshops - like "Beyond Tolerance" on creating safer spaces, and our Intern Minister, E.N. Hill's, home grown workshop series, "No More Kyriarchy". Previously the committee has supported fundraisers for community organizations (e.g. the Ten Oaks Project in Ottawa), organized workshops for congregants about power, privilege and unconscious bias.
Upcoming plans include continued collaboration with local 2Slgbtqia+ choirs and other community groups, creating a Welcoming Guide to provide FirstU's teams, groups, and committees with guidance on furthering their inclusivity, and inviting Branch Out Theatre to present their workshops at FirstU.
Check out our forum on anti-racism, featuring Councilor Rawlson King:
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Our Congregational Focus: Cultivating Compassionate Communities
We focus on Cultivating Compassionate Community by putting our values of inclusivity, justice, diversity, and the inherent worth and dignity of all, into real action to support the holistic wellbeing of marginalized people.
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What does our new congregational focus, Cultivating Compassionate Community mean?
Who are the marginalized and underserved people Cultivating Compassionate Community aims to more deeply welcome and support?
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Where do we begin?
How is Cultivating Compassionate Community being organized?
We are excited to continue to bring this focus to life with all of you. Stay tuned for updates. Please remember, it’s never too late to share ideas with us – just write a note and drop it in our “idea box” at the back of Worship Hall.
- Our initiatives will concentrate 2024 work on things inside our congregation. Generally speaking, work focused beyond our walls will come later.
- Important aspects of our internal work, such as educating ourselves, will better equip FirstU to be a beacon of support and teach us all to be effective allies in the broader community.
How is Cultivating Compassionate Community being organized?
- Since the focus touches a wide-range of groups in the congregation, and is not led by one group in the Social Justice Action Network, we have put in place a Core Team. Its current members are: Carl Sonnen, Rev. Eric Meter, Jane Lindsay, Julia Defalco, Lisa Sharp, Sharen Bowen, and Nina Strang
- A variety of groups and teams in FirstU have identified representatives to join a sounding board / advisory Circle for CCC. It will meet about quarterly
- One way or another, all of FirstU’s groups and programs are invited to join us this year in our journey.
- The Core Team has begun to draw on ideas from the February 11 brainstorm to develop a proposal of attention and activities for 2024. It will refine this proposal with the Circle.
- If you would like to join the Core Team or the Circle, please let us know by talking to or emailing a Core Team member.
We are excited to continue to bring this focus to life with all of you. Stay tuned for updates. Please remember, it’s never too late to share ideas with us – just write a note and drop it in our “idea box” at the back of Worship Hall.
Cultivating compassionate community - firstu history on video
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