YORKTON – In a landmark move for the community, St. Andrew's United Church has become an Affirming Ministry of the United Church of Canada.
SaskToday.ca spoke with SAUC's Diaconal Minister, Jen Dresser, about the church's journey to becoming affirmed.
Dresser explained that the process, which began shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic started, has taken nearly four years to complete and the congregation has undergone extensive education and outreach to connect with the local queer community to create a safer, more inclusive space for everyone.
"We've done all the work that the church requires of us to do," said Dresser.
The Affirming Ministries Program is a network of primarily United Church ministries that strive to be fully inclusive of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, according to AffirmUnited.ause.ca. Notably, St. Andrew's is the first church of its kind in Yorkton to achieve this status.
Dresser, who has been involved from the beginning, emphasized the importance of this accomplishment for Yorkton's queer community.
"One of the things that it does is allow people who are new to Yorkton — who might be part of the queer community or have family members that are part of the queer community — to easily find and access a church that will be a safe space for them," said Dresser, adding, "it also means — for people who already live in Yorkton — that if there are things going on in their lives or questions about faith this would be a place where they can come and ask those questions and be part of a conversation."
Dresser acknowledged the challenge of breaking stereotypes about Christianity being anti-queer.
"Part of what this allows us to say is that there are Christians who actually believe differently. Who believe that all people are part of God's family—that everyone is loved," said Dresser.
Reflecting on the four-year journey, Dresser cited her personal history with the United Church, which has been progressive on LGBTQ+ issues.
"I grew up in a time when the United Church was first talking about ordaining people who are gay or lesbian. For me that was really powerful because I was young enough that I didn't have a lot of language around that yet but people had taught me that God loves everybody."
As for the future, Dresser acknowledged that while visibility for the queer community in Yorkton has improved, there is still much work to be done to ensure safety and inclusivity for all marginalized groups, including immigrants and people with disabilities.
"I think it's an ongoing challenge," said Dresser, "there's all sorts of places we can stretch those boundaries to be more inclusive and welcoming of many different people."
The church plans to celebrate this achievement on Nov. 3 with a special worship service at 10:30 a.m., followed by a potluck lunch. The celebration will be both an in-person and online event, and everyone is welcome to join either the worship service, the lunch, or both.
