To this end, we will:

• Practice holy curiosity and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable;
•  Identify, recognize, and educate ourselves about the barriers that impede the creation of Beloved Community so that we can begin to dismantle them;
• We will continue to collaborate with one another to live more fully into our governance shift (complete governance docs, handbooks, purpose and practices, bylaws, policies, etc.).

We identified some possible strategies for making our worship services accessible to the hard-of-hearing and deaf communities. Removing that barrier is expensive and worth every penny to be able to welcome more folks into the circle on Sundays! After some research, speaking with the Board President and VP, and considering this year’s AFoM, we gratefully accepted the generous offer from the Porter’s to cover the cost of the first year’s subscription to AVA-a closed captioning app. You may have seen us in a few services carrying around a phone. The free version of the app was a bit cumbersome but the subscription allows us to plug a particular device directly into the sound system which increases the likelihood of correct words being broadcast. If you would benefit from seeing the words during the service, you might download the free version on your smart device and follow the directions in the Comfort and Access section of the Order of Service. -Rev. Wendy Bartel and Rev. Lynn Gardner