WHO WE ARE:

We are Love God + Love All. We are a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faith affirming LGBTQ+ Ally Group for adults.

We have two goals: LOVE and LEARN.

We strive to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

We believe that we fulfill our covenants as we learn to love the LGBTQ+ community AND the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We want to be stone catchers who work to make church a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to worship in a community of belonging, not just fitting in.

In this group, we will educate ourselves and help others learn by sharing experiences and educational resources.​

MEETING RULES:

• LISTEN: 

  • We are here to support each other, and this group is for empathetic listening. All are invited to share their personal stories and experiences as they feel comfortable, directing their words to the group as a whole. 

  • There is no place in this group for interruption, criticism, correction, or unsolicited advice. When another person is sharing, the job of the rest of the group is to listen quietly, learn, and love. 

• LOVE:

  • We desire to follow the first two commandments given by Jesus Christ (as referenced In Matthew 22: 37-39):

    • Love God

    • Love Everyone

    • We respect that there is not a single way forward and everyone’s journey is unique. As we learn the lived experiences of others, we commit to keeping our hearts open for expansion. The Holy Spirit testifies of truth.  

• IMPROVING LATTER-DAY SAINT CULTURE:

  • We acknowledge that church culture has affected hurt, and we desire to be a force for positive change. Following the example of Jesus Christ, we will embrace those who have been marginalized. There is room for all in Christ’s church.

• SAFE SPACE: 

  • Members of the group are not required to share their reasoning for being in the group, such as whether they are a member of the LGBTQ+ community or have a loved one in it. 

  • If I am attending this group, I commit to keeping safe confidences. Anything shared in a meeting stays in the meeting.

• GRACE FOR LEARNING: 

  • We are each participating in this group because of love. However, none of us are perfect and we will likely all say the wrong thing at some point. 

  • If you unintentionally say something and wish you had not, acknowledge it. Just say “Oops”, mean it, and try to not do it in the future.

  • It’s ok to say “Ouch” if someone says something that hurts. If someone says “Ouch”, that is your cue to say “Oops”.