We are a Welcoming Congregation, recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association. This means we affirm and include people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer at every level of congregational life—in worship, in programs, and in social occasions—welcoming them as whole people. In order to remain current, churches must renew the “Five Practices of Welcome” every year. CVUU successfully completed the Five Practices of Welcome Renewal for 2023 as required by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
We owe a big round of applause to Danialla Kim (and Ryan Smiley) for heading up this project for our community. We received word from Rev. Michael J. Crumpler of the UUA in November of this year to congratulate us. “It was a pleasure to read about all you have accomplished and the powerful work you have done to ensure that CVUU is meeting the needs of queer and trans congregants and the wider community …”
From our Hampton Roads LGBTQIA+Interfaith gathering last June to our screening and discussion of the movie “Moonlight” in October, we supported LGBTQIA+ programs and activities to meet the UUA’s benchmarks and to bring CVUU into a more profound commitment to the “Welcome” that we boldly proclaim.

The Five Practices of Welcome Renewal are five benchmarks that every congregation will need to integrate into congregational life in order to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, genderqueer, non-binary, and the like feel fully welcomed, centered, and embraced in our Unitarian Universalist congregation.

As a Welcoming Congregation, we have pledged to:

• Honor the lives of all people and equally affirm displays of caring and affection without regard for sexual orientation.
• Celebrate diversity by using inclusive language and content in worship.
• Incorporate an understanding of the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual,  transgender, and queer persons throughout all of our programs, including religious education.
• Affirm and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues and history.
• Affirm marriage equality and conduct same-sex weddings.
• Advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, promoting justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society. We speak out when the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are at stake.