In a sometimes judgmental and unwelcoming community, a rainbow flag waves in front of the door of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Statesboro, letting all know that they are welcome and loved.

The Reverend Jane Page is the minister at the UUFS. Outside her church, she proudly displays a rainbow flag as a greeting sign for all, including the LGBTQ community.

The physically small environment is a haven for many different types of people. Page’s congregation prides itself on advocating love, acceptance and respect for one another.

“That’s one of our principal — that we accept [everyone’s] inherent worth and dignity; who they are at their very core,” Page said.

Page strongly strives for acceptance and love among her congregation, letting all know that they are welcome in the home that she is a part of.

“We do have folks, because they have differing beliefs and differing ideas, that may feel uncomfortable in more traditional settings, and they do feel comfortable here,” Page said.

“We don't say that you have to believe in a god, or that you have to meditate or pray, but we do have people that believe in a god and who meditate and who pray, and then we have people who don't,” Page said.

“We do readings from the Bible and from the Koran and we tell life stories. I did a sermon based on John Lennon songs a while ago. If it's meaningful and helps us be better, we lift it up and it's sacred,” Page said.

Page's congregation believes in creating a loving, respectful community rather than focusing attention on religious structure, Page said.

“We’ve all missed the mark in some ways, but we can come here, work together and try to be better together,” Page said.

The Unitarian Universalist denomination came together in the early 1960s, creating a hybrid of religions and a diverse view of the world, Page said.

“We evolved from two Christian liberal denominations — the Unitarians; the belief that there is one god, but mainly the Unitarians highly valued reason, they were sort of a product of the enlightenment,” Page said. “The Universalists are the ‘no Hell’ church, they believe that a loving god would not condemn anyone to Hell.”

Unitarian Universalists create sacredness out of aspects of culture that they believe in, ranging from ancient works of literature to modern folk songs, Page said.

Helping all people, those in need and those more fortunate holds strong for Page.

“People need people,” Page said.

An aspect of mystique is a perk to being a minister of a Unitarian Universalist church, Page said.

“It makes it interesting for a minister because you have to know about all different religions,” Page said.

The Unitarian Universalist denomination believes in living life to the fullest today, rather than concerning themselves with the concept of an afterlife, Page said.

“Our focus is on this life and how we can make this life best,” Page said. “I am a Unitarian Universalist because I believe in life before death.”

Before Page became a Unitarian Universalist, she felt like an outcast out on her own path. It wasn’t until she was enlightened by the idea of the church that she finally felt she belonged.

“I saw this thing on TV some time in the ’80s and I thought, ‘Wow that's me,’” Page said.

The denomination has always supported the rights of all people, especially those in the LGBTQ community, Page said.

“Since 1970, when the denomination was formed, that's when we came out and said that we supported gay rights,” Page said. “We are advocates and allies of LGBTQ,, and we want to be known for that.”

Any congregation wishing to be legally recognized as an advocate for LGBTQ must undergo a program in which all involved must reflect on how they perceive acceptance, Page said.

“We went through a Welcoming Congregation program, meaning we had to look at ourselves and figure out the best way for us to be more accepting and to open our hearts and our minds,” Page said.

Once the program was completed the congregation came to a unanimous vote to become a Welcoming Congregation, honored by this decision the church proudly hung the rainbow flag as a symbol of a home for all.

“We decided we would be welcoming and we put the flag out there so people would know that this is a place where they are welcome,” Page said. “This is who we are.”

Morality and respect for all living things take precedence over race or creed, lay pastoral care associate Shari Barr said.

“We don't have any kind of creed, but we do have seven principles about how we're supposed to treat one another,” Barr said.

A belief in what holds true for each person is of the utmost importance, Barr said.

“We say the Unitarian Universalists believe what they must believe,” Barr said.

Above all, Page feels that her congregation has a gospel just like any other congregation, Page said.

The affirming feelings overwhelm the congregation in an uplifting gospel, Page said.

Page said, “We feel that we have a gospel too — of acceptance and love.”