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On
Sunday, September 10, we hung a
banner in front of our church, publicly declaring our opposition to the
marriage amendment. We left the
sanctuary during Sunday morning worship and walked, en masse, to the
front of the churchyard. There we completed the worship service with
a short ceremony marking the unveiling of our banner.
Our church is the first in the Williamsburg area to take a public stance
against this ballot proposition. Our new co-ministers, Reverends
Jennifer Ryu and Preston Moore, voiced their opposition to the ballot
proposition when they first preached in Williamsburg, declaring “We are
living in a time of lines drawn in the sand. Out of fear and ignorance,
hearts have hardened against some of our neighbors. We must stand with
these neighbors and against any law that tries to make some of us less than
citizens.”
Our church’s public stance resulted from a
congregational resolution overwhelmingly opposing the marriage amendment.
The resolution stated that “to support this action, We
- will continue to welcome all person and families without regard to
sexual orientation,
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will work to inform the Williamsburg community and all Virginians of the
injustices and dangers of the proposed Marshall/Newman Amendment,
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will publicly stand against the proposed amendment in our community and
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will hang a banner ……..opposing the amendment and supporting marriage
equality.”
Congregation President Joe Fisler, who oversaw passage of the
congregational resolution, described the hanging of the banner as “a ringing
affirmation of a fundamental Unitarian Universalist value – the inherent
worth and dignity of every person. We could not sit on the sidelines in the
face of this attack on friends and neighbors – within our own congregation
and throughout
Virginia.”
Our
church’s board of trustees created a task force of members to coordinate
activities opposing the resolution. On September 7 the we will
host a benefit concert for the Commonwealth Coalition, an umbrella
organization of groups opposing the marriage amendment. We expect to be heavily involved in a variety of related
activities, including telephoning, canvassing, and fundraising.
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