Our Welcoming STatement

RISE believes that God has open arms, and so should we. Our Creator wants us to love, accept and affirm every human being, including persons of every age, race, ethnic background, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or socioeconomic status, educational background, religion or creed, and physical or mental ability. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us as we seek to follow Jesus with mutual respect, understanding, and love.

WHY DO PRONOUNS MATTER?

RISE believes that God has open arms and so should we. We celebrate our diverse community and want to love and affirm all persons. As a community, we seek to challenge our own biases around gender expression and identity, and we recognize that at times, our biases can harm others. Everyone is made in God’s image; therefore, we are called to wholly love, respect, and seek to understand various gender identities and the ways they enable us to more fully be in relationship with one another and our Creator (who transcends any particular gender identity or construct). 

Because of our desire to do no harm and mend God’s creation together, we encourage you to introduce yourself using your pronouns along with your name in new settings! You may notice members of staff and leadership modeling this practice, because we want all persons to feel welcomed, including our transgender and nonbinary siblings.