• (434) 293-3133
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Member Resources

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Give Now
Menu
  • About Us
    • Visiting For the First Time
    • Pastors and Staff
    • Session, Deacons and Trustees
    • Becoming a Member
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Close
  • Worship
    • Service Times
    • Worship Bulletins
    • Baptism and Communion
    • Prayer Requests
    • Close
  • Music Ministries
    • Westminster Choirs
    • Musicals at Westminster
    • Westminster Organ Concert Series
    • Close
  • Learning and Growing
    • For Adults
    • For Youth
    • For Families and Children
    • For University Students and Young Adults
    • Close
  • Calendar
  • Peace, Justice & Inclusion
    • Common Grounds
    • In Our Community
    • In Our World
    • Get Involved
    • Benevolence and Grants
    • Close
  • News and Events
    • Weekly eNews
    • Close
  • Give
    • Give or Pledge Now
    • Special Appeals and Offerings
    • Endowment Funds
    • Close
    • Close
Home / 2020 / January 2020

Archives for January 2020

We Recognize a Crisis

January 1, 2020 by Westminster Presbyterian Church

Christian faith is being used to persecute and marginalize transgender and nonbinary people across this country. We recognize the systemic harm that is being done in the name of Christianity, and we are actively seeking to improve our practice of faith and not contribute to the dysphoria for our transgender siblings.  

As a church community, we welcome all people regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. We believe that trans women and girls are female and trans men and boys are male, and that God loves them as such. We aspire to create an affirming space where transgender and nonbinary people feel welcome and loved and where intersectional diversity is normalized and embraced.

We recognize that the mental health and well-being of our transgender and nonbinary siblings is negatively affected by the rejection and bias of other Christian faith communities. There is an urgency to take action now to establish physical and emotional safety as well as safety within the Christian faith.  

Our goal is to create a space that will not burden or add to dysphoria but will be accepting and affirming — a space where transgender and nonbinary people can thrive and flourish as an integral part of the beautiful, diverse, whole body of Christ.

Our family is pretty queer! That is to say, we have three young people in our immediate and extended family that identify as LGBTQIA. Talk of global injustices had pretty much always been part of our conversations at home and we tried ‘to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God,’ at least most of the time. The continued targeting of LGBTQIA persons in our country causes me great concern. Shootings, attacks, and even political wrangling over where a person can go to the restroom fill the daily lives of queer people. Marriage equality is wonderful, but serious issues still remain for further equality. Healthcare for spouses and housing discrimination are just two. Our presence at Cville PRIDE is one of the ways Westminster shows up in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community. It celebrates an openness and support for our gay, trans, and nonbinary friends. It shows our community that as a place of faith, we can support marginalized persons. It helps us to get to know our siblings and is just plain fun! This church has provided our family with a church home for more than 15 years. Love and comfort both come from here. And acceptance. My hope is that all people can know this kind of comfort.”

— Laura Young, Westminster Peace, Justice, and Inclusion Division member

Filed Under: Featured, LGBTQ+, Mission and Outreach, Peace, Justice & Inclusion

News and Events

  • Weekly eNews

Categories

  • Advent
  • Advocacy & Organizing
  • Benevolence
  • Common Grounds
  • Ending Violence
  • Families & Children
  • Featured
  • Graduate Students and Young Adults
  • Green Team
  • J2A
  • Lectureship
  • Lent
  • LGBTQ+
  • Mission and Outreach
  • Mission Trips
  • Peace, Justice & Inclusion
  • Prayers For Our Community
  • Racial Justice
  • Rite 13
  • Seasons
  • Session
  • Summer
  • UKirk, Presbyterian Student Fellowship
  • Uncategorized
  • YAC
  • YAC+
  • Youth Mission Trip
  • Youth News

Welcome

Worship, Pray, and Sing with Us

May 25, 2023 By Westminster Presbyterian Church

Worship Services May 28, 2023- Day of Pentecost Bulletin May 21, 2023- Seventh Sunday of Easter Today’s worship in the Sanctuary is at 8:30 a.m. and is only in-person (no livestream). There is no 11 a.m. service because of the conflict with University of Virginia commencement events. May 14, 2023- Youth Sunday, followed by a […]

Recent Posts

  • Worship, Pray, and Sing with Us
  • Worship
  • Westminster Benevolence Community Partner Report: AIM
  • Resources for the Charlottesville Community & Ways to Help During the COVID-19 Crisis
  • Peace and Justice in a Pandemic
Email Newsletter

“So faith, hope, and love abide, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.”
−1 Corinthians 13:13

Our Mission

Sustained by grace, we are called to serve Christ, share God’s love, and work for justice in a complex world.

Our Values

With faith, hope, and love as bedrock Christian values, we also cherish the following:
  • Thinking and Learning
  • Inclusiveness
  • Fellowship
  • Stewardship
  • Courage

 

Westminster follows the Presbyterian Book of Confession and is a confessional church. You can view/read the Book of Confession at the PC(USA) website by clicking on the following link: https://www.pcusa.org/resource/book-confessions/.

Contact

Westminster Presbyterian Church
400 Rugby Road
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-2474
(434) 293-3133 | Email

Our Newsletter

Sign Up

© 2023 Copyright Westminster Presbyterian Church. All Rights Reserved.