Today, Sunday, January 24, 2010, while a blizzard raged outside, Eastside United Church folks met inside and voted overwhelmingly to apply to become an Affirming Ministry within the United Church of Canada, and to pass the following Value Statement:             

We value diversity. We celebrate God’s goodness as expressed through variations in age, gender, ability, ethnicity, racial identity, sexual orientation, gender-identity, family configuration, beliefs, personality and appearances. We recognize that some differences, such as economic disadvantage and the valuing of certain people and groups over others, are not a reflection of God’s goodness, but the result of systemic sin, which privileges some and oppresses others. In our process of honouring diversity and challenging injustice with those who bear the weight of discrimination, we commit ourselves to openness, growth and education. 

Today, we are grateful:

to every single person who showed up to vote, even though you could have stayed at home;
to those who tried to get to the vote, and called to say, “We’re trying;”
to those who sent notes or called when they couldn’t get through the snow;
to those who spoke a word of inclusion or challenge at today’s meeting;
to those who engaged the Listening Circles and the Affirming Ministry process and let themselves be changed;
to those who listened, with respect and across difference, to their Eastside neighbours;
to those individuals and congregations across Canada who prayed for Eastside all month;
to those already-Affirming congregations who led the way;
to the Eastside Outreach Committee and the Eastside Board for holding out the vision;
to the Catalyst Group who facilitated a respectful process, and who kept on keeping on;
to our gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, straight and otherwise...
sisters and brothers in Christ, with whom we walk into the future in hope and possibility.

“The spirit of the Lord is upon me
   because God has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
To proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour…”

-the Gospel of Luke