October 9, 2004, 10:00 a.m.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Roswell Church Declares "No Hate Zone"
Unitarian Universalists Metro Atlanta North, a Roswell (GA) congregation, will celebrate a "Sabbath Against Discrimination" this Sunday, October 10th along with a number of Unitarian Universalist and other congregations across Metro Atlanta and throughout the state. By declaring their congregations "No Hate Zones" these congregations will stand in solidarity with gays
and lesbians as, together, they build a community that fosters acceptance and love and moves beyond the misunderstandings that foster discrimination and hate.Many whose daily drive take them along Crabapple Road - on route to work in the morning or seeing loved ones at night - will notice something unusual for the next month. Starting October 8th and staying up until November 8th, the Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North Congregation (UUMAN) will be under construction. At least that's what the construction tape encircling the perimeter will appear to indicate. But it's construction of a different sort.
The construction is different from the recently completed building of their new sanctuary. It is a construction of a new kind of community: one committed to helping people move beyond boundaries of hate, misunderstanding and discrimination.
"It will be easy to see it's a different kind of construction," said Rev. Greg Ward, Minister of UUMAN. "The construction tape used will not be the usual orange color. It will be rainbow." The rainbow tape signifies that there are "all kinds of people, all kinds of truth, and all manners of love that are welcome at the church." It also signifies to gays and lesbians that while much of the church's membership identifies as heterosexual, the community is trying to take a stand in becoming a safe place for people of all orientations where everyone is welcome. Finally, it signifies that "the church understands the hate and discrimination that exists in our society and declares that we will be advocates for a new way - a way where love becomes a bridge that reaches past current differences."
Rev. Ward goes on to explain some of what was behind his church's participation in a state wide Unitarian Universalist stand of solidarity with gays and lesbians using the rainbow tape. "During the holocaust, when people were persecuted and killed for their religion, the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, or for expressing their truth, the Unitarian Service Committee used the denomination's symbol of a flaming chalice as an emblem of alliance. The flaming chalice became an emblem that persecuted people could trust and follow to safety.
"We are fortunate to live in a society much more enlightened than those hate-filled times; a society based on rights and freedoms for all. But we would be shortsighted if we did not recognize that there are still those whose rights and freedoms are denied. Like many of you driving by, the church is on route to working for freedom and equality and on its way to seeing that loved ones find safety and welcome. For this, we are using the emblem of the gay and lesbian community to create a line of demarcation - a 'no hate zone.'"
"It is the church's mission to help the society in which it exists," continues Rev. Ward. "We want churches to be places of transformation moving people away from hate and discrimination to love and compassion. Our church believes that everything worthwhile happens with small steps. By becoming a 'no hate zone,' we believe our step will help construct a more civil, loving society."