Lead a large group discussion using the questions below as guides, and close with the wrap-up points.

Suggested discussion questions:

• What does it mean to "welcome" a person into our congregation?
• When do you feel most welcome in a group? What actions or behaviors on the part of the group enhance that feeling of welcome?
• "Welcome" is generally extended to someone who is new or not a part of a particular community. How might People of Color and other people marginalized by race or ethnicity who in the past have explicitly or implicitly been excluded from mostly-White communities, be discomforted by a "welcoming" process?

Wrap-up points:

• Stories of marginality and mattering are universal "human stories" we share in common.
• These stories enable us to find a point of connection with people whose life experiences are radically different.
• Looking at these stories point us toward patterns of how people tend to respond to both oppression and care. Stories also provide insight into how we respond to what we've learned.
• The question arises, "What do we need to learn and do in order to make our congregation 'welcoming' to people who have been marginalized?"