By KIM MULFORD
Courier-Post Staff
The Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill is a " welcoming congregation." Those words have a deeper meaning than a friendly smile and a handshake, though visitors get both.
Yes, members have diverse religious beliefs. The denomination, which supports any individual's search for a spiritual path, includes people with Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and pagan beliefs. Members can even be atheists or agnostics.
But since 1995, the church has not only accepted but also celebrated people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. To become a welcoming congregation, the church underwent a series of workshops designed to reduce prejudices regarding sexual minorities.
Transgender people include crossdressers, transsexuals and intersexuals (people born with gender-ambiguous genitalia).
Unitarians' acceptance and celebration of the transgender and gay community stands in stark contrast to conservative faiths.
Last week, for example, the Vatican officially banned transsexuals from serving in the priesthood or other religious orders of the Roman Catholic Church.
Transsexuals, the Vatican declared, suffer from "mental pathologies," a disassociation between their mind and body in determining their sex. Intersexuals were not included in the ban.
Other churches, such as the United Methodist Church, maintain their stands against homosexuality, despite controversy within. Some, including the Catholic Church, offer support groups for sexual minorities who are struggling with their sexual orientation.
Exodus International is a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization that promotes "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ." The group views homosexuality as sinful, a disorder that is outside God's intent.
That view is based on biblical scriptures which denounce homosexuality, such as the story about the ill-fated city of Sodom in Genesis 19.
The Unitarians, on the other hand, work to dispel such beliefs.
"For centuries, the church has been a leading force against sexual minorities," wrote the Rev. Douglas Morgan Strong in the Unitarian's Welcoming Congregation manual. " It is not surprising that gay people are reluctant to reach out to the very institution that oppresses them. Yet, gay, lesbian, (transgender), and bisexual people have no less need for warmth, caring and affirmation than anyone else who calls the liberal church their religious home."
In fact, Strong states, sexual minorities may need the church's support more than the general population.
Last month, the Cherry Hill congregation invited a speaker from Philadelphia to talk about his spiritual journey as a transgender person. It was the first time a transgender person delivered a sermon there.
Dressed in a conservative dark suit and tie, Walter spoke to a crowd of about 180 people from the pulpit on a Sunday morning.
He asked the Courier-Post to withhold his full name for fear of reprisals from the outside community. Not everyone is as understanding as the Unitarians, he explained.
Born a female, Walter grew up in an abusive family, turning to alcohol for comfort as a child. Already an alcoholic at age 18, the teen was told by a doctor if he didn't seek treatment he would die.
By then, he was homeless, jobless and disowned by his family.
It was the turning point in his life. He sought treatment, learned to read and threw himself into classes at a community college. At one of the darkest points of his life, while grieving the death of a child, he felt the " presence of God" comforting him, giving him strength to go on.
"I knew I was not alone," he said.
After finding a successful career and after trying to live life as a lesbian, Walter still felt as if he was living a lie.
"I'd been born an assigned female," he said. "But I knew in my heart, in my bones, that I was male ... I had known I was male as long as I can remember."
After undergoing sexual reassignment therapy and surgery, he was legally declared a man.
The change brought him "a sense of freedom," he said, and a heavy spiritual burden was lifted when he could live without pretense.
"We all have spiritual needs," Walter told the congregants. "We're on a journey that is spiritual as well as physical."
Bobbie Keane of Maple Shade was moved by Walter's story and dismayed by the Vatican's recent decision. A six-year member of the church, Keane is also part of Interweave, an organization within the congregation that promotes understanding of sexual minorities.
"I was raised Catholic," Keane said, "and I find it sad that so many religions don't teach tolerance, because to me that's what religion should be about, accepting everybody."
Unitarian Universalist Church
The Cherry Hill congregation is located at 401 N. Kings Highway. Call (856) 667-3618 or visit www.uucinch.org.
Reach Kim Mulford at (856) 845-6521 or kmulford@ courierpostonline.com
