Today, more than ever, I am thinking about the importance of welcoming our neighbors and ensuring that they feel seen, heard, and respected.  You may have heard of some issues taking place in our local area with a new church and not leading neighborhood interactions in a welcoming way.  Neighbors of the new church have understandably raised concerns about homophobic/transphobic interactions with parishioners and church leadership. Unfortunately, this is an all-too common experience queer and trans people, myself included, have had when interacting with certain faith communities.  But we know it doesn’t have to be that way.

In these challenging times, we want to foster community and ensure that everyone knows that there is a welcoming place for them here at Westdale. In response to the homophobic greeting this new church gave to their neighbors here in our local community, we want to open our doors wider.  God’s love is shown through action, and so instead of giving more attention to condemning the specific homophobic/transphobic actions of this new church, we are engaging directly with the community that may have felt targeted, harmed, or unwelcome in their own neighborhood.  

We are putting our energy into making sure that people feel welcomed, and so are sending 2500 postcards to homes and apartment in the local area, letting neighbors know that through these doors, they are welcome exactly as who they are. 

These postcards invite community members to join us and explain that Westdale United Church is always striving to be a safe space for the entire community, and where God’s love is shown through our actions. 

We ordered 5000 postcards, so we would encourage you to stop by the office and grab some to leave at your local coffee shop, gym, on campus etc. Let’s share God’s love with as many people as possible.