Inclusive Community

We strive to be an inclusive community in which all can feel that they belong. A sense of belonging is to feel respected and valued for who you are, feeling that you are supported and encouraged to do your best. It is to feel at home, both with God and with God's community.

Reflection

The Church of Scotland's EDI Group (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) offers this reflection.

Being made in God's image does not mean negating our differences, but to embrace diversity as a sign of God's creativity and fullness of gifts. When we recognise each other's differences and are open to how they might shape our experiences of the world, then they can be enriching rather than dangerous and divisive. Through them, we will discover more about who God is and begin to live up to our vision of being made equal.

When the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus' disciples on Pentecost, they did not start to speak the same language, but they started to understand each other while they were still speaking in different tongues. (Acts 2)

Our aspiration therefore is to grow in understanding one another: to listen attentively, to hear what we need to hear, to learn from one another and to strive for reconciliation where necessary.

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13,35)