PUBLIC, INTENTIONAL, EXPLICIT: WHAT WELCOME CAN BECOME
- Andrew Valley
- Jun 4
- 3 min read
Some of you may remember that, not too long ago, I went a little “math nerd” on PIE Day. March 14, or 3.14, gives those of us who enjoy such things a perfectly good excuse to talk about circles, numbers, and, of course, actual pie.
But in the United Church, PIE Day means something else too.
PIE stands for Public, Intentional, and Explicit. It is a phrase used in the work of becoming an Affirming Ministry, and it invites churches to think carefully about what welcome really means. Not just the kind of welcome we assume people feel when they walk through the door, but the kind of welcome that is spoken clearly, lived faithfully, and made visible.
During Pride Month, we are reminded that words like “everyone is welcome” matter, but they can also be easy words to say. For some people, especially those who have been hurt, excluded, judged, or made to feel unsafe in churches, general welcome may not be enough. They may need to hear, clearly and specifically, that they are beloved children of God. They may need to know that their lives, their families, their gifts, their questions, and their full selves are welcome here.
That is where the idea of being Public, Intentional, and Explicit becomes important.
Public means that welcome is not hidden or assumed. It is visible. It is named. It appears in our words, our signs, our worship, our website, our conversations, and our actions.
Intentional means that welcome is not accidental. It is something we choose, learn about, practice, and grow into. It asks us to listen, to make room, and sometimes to notice where our habits or assumptions may need to change.
Explicit means that we say who we mean. We do not simply hope that people will figure out they are included. We name that 2S and LGBTQIA+ people are welcome, affirmed, and valued, because history has shown that silence can be painful, and clarity can be healing.
This year, the Moderator’s Pride message invites the United Church to reflect on the church’s apology to 2S and LGBTQIA+ people and communities. An apology, at its best, is not the end of a conversation. It is the beginning of changed behaviour, deeper understanding, and renewed commitment.
That feels like a good invitation for Zion-Memorial too.
We are a congregation that cares deeply about community. We have seen that in so many ways: in worship, in outreach, in the Indigenous Culture Fair, in meals and yard sales and coffee times, in the quiet pastoral care that happens behind the scenes, and now in new invitations like 4C’s — Community, Coffee, Cookies & Conversation. We know the value of making space for people to gather, to be known, and to belong.
Perhaps Pride Month invites us to ask: what might it look like for that welcome to become even more public, more intentional, and more explicit?
This does not need to be a rushed conversation, and it should not be a careless one.
Becoming an Affirming congregation is a process of learning, listening, prayer, discussion, and discernment. It asks a congregation to consider who we are, what we believe, and how we want to live out the love of Christ in our community.
But maybe this is a good time to begin wondering together.
What would it mean for Zion-Memorial to say clearly that all are not only welcome, but cherished? What would it mean to make sure that those who have too often had to wonder whether the church is a safe place no longer have to wonder? What would it mean for our welcome to be more than friendly, and become faithful?
Public. Intentional. Explicit.
That is what welcome can become.
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