Blyth and Brussels United Churches become affirming congregations

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

This weekend, the congregations of Blyth and Brussels United Churches will officially be designated as Affirming Congregations. It is, perhaps, fitting that these classifications will be bestowed on two local churches to wrap up Pride Week with two special church services.
The affirming process is done locally, by choice of the pastor and the congregation, but then through Affirm United, which, according to its literature, is “working for the full inclusion of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the United Church of Canada and in society.”
Years ago, the church in which Rev. Alex Jebson grew up went through the affirming process, so he was no stranger to it when he decided to lead the Blyth and Brussels United Church congregations. 
The process takes time and the boards of both churches declared their intention to undertake the work over a year ago. Much of the process is rooted in education. 
The work of Affirm United aims to promote greater awareness of sexual orientation and gender identity issues, to work to end discrimination against people in church, society and its own organization and to help people of all sexual orientations and gender identities find support and community within the United Church.
Affirm United dates back to the early 1980s.
“In 1982, Affirm was formed to support individual lesbian and gay members of the United Church of Canada and to advocate with the church for their full inclusion. As Affirm worked with the support of allies within Friends of Affirm, [Affirm United] submitted briefs, spoke at church meetings and offered educational events and resources. These two groups joined to become Affirm United with an ever-expanding understanding of diversity and language,” reads the Affirm United history. “Since 1982, we have both struggled and collaborated with the United Church. Now, we celebrate the changes in the denomination, and we continue to challenge the church to be true to its calling - to seek justice and resist evil.”
Jebson said that, locally, the process began when members of both congregations raised it with him, knowing he had been part of a congregation that had gone through the process before. Jebson, of course, was game and happy to take the churches’ mission of inclusion and welcoming to another level.
Committees were struck by each church and the work began. At first, it was a lot of educational sessions and then, in the later stages, the work became more practical, with the representatives of each church reviewing the language of their rental policies and more to ensure that they are inclusive and welcoming in nature.
Now, the churches will both receive their official Affirming designations on Sunday, with special Pride Week-themes services at 9:30 a.m. at Brussels United Church and then again at 11 a.m. at Blyth United Church.
The services will cap off Pride Week in Huron County, which began with a pair of flag-raising ceremonies and continued with events all week, culminating in Saturday’s Pride Festival in Goderich, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lions Harbour Park.
For more information on Affirm United and the work it does, visit online at affirmunited.com.