In 2004 UUFW earned its designation as a Welcoming Congregation. The Unitarian Universalist Association's Welcoming Congregation Program is a voluntary process of education that a UU congregation undertakes to become more inclusive of bisexual, gay, lesbian and/or transgender people. As a welcoming congregation, we celebrate the lives of all people regardless of sexual orientation; we take action to assure that our B/G/L/T members are affirmed and fully integrated into all dimensions of congregational life; we welcome same-sex couples and offer congregational and ministerial support for union services and other celebrations of family definitions; and we commit ourselves to replacing personal prejudice with knowledge in the belief that it will lead to individual spiritual growth and congregational unity.

We have participated by holding many offices including President (both of us), serving as Religious Education resources and teachers, building and painting and repairing when needed, and chairing committees when our turns came.

The Waynesboro Fellowship has responded by providing us with parenting and grand parenting models (!), camping adventures, a rich opportunity for making friends, challenging ideas, hiking buddies, and people who are wonderful fun and have time for us.

Now retired, we enjoy hiking, traveling, volunteering, spending time with family, and having more time to read late at night. We try to be regulars at the fitness center so we can continue doing the things we are happiest doing.

Through life at UUFW, we have looked at the world through the eyes of our UU children, absorbed words of insight and advice given by some of our wisest friends, cared for each other through times of crisis, protested and marched for justice along with some of our more vocal members, contributed to a better world by joining hands with friends who see need more immediately than we. We feel blessed to have met and joined with this remarkable Fellowship in our Valley.

At roughly the same time in my life, I moved to Staunton, settled in and set out to find a church home. Despite the lovely sanctuaries, friendly worshippers and breathtaking organ music I encountered during weeks of Sunday morning visits, I acknowledged to myself that not one of those manifestations of traditional Christianity was likely to satisfy me at this stage of my spiritual life.

In the 1970s I had attended town forums in a Princeton (NJ) UU building; I never attended a service. I admired the architecture of the building but never was curious about what was offered to the congregation under those skylights. That may have been due to hearing UU described as "religious liberalism" plus having a job, three boys and a husband. However, I was retired and a free agent when I reached Staunton.

After attending services and social gatherings at the UUFW for a few months, my hopes rose. I felt comfortable enough to join the Fellowship. The stated mission of the church plus the conduct, diversity of cultures, intellect, and sexual orientations of its members made positive impressions upon me that subsequent contact deepened .(I've rephrased the aforementioned religious liberalism to "rational religion.")

After five years of membership I know that cutting ties with the inflexible religious indoctrination I had lived with for most of my life was the surgery that opened my heart and mind to new ways of Being. I am happy with the results.