On Inclusion and Belonging
(A note for those who keep the Kinheart Liturgy)
Many institutions call themselves inclusive.
They open their doors but not their hearts; they extend welcome as a courtesy, not a covenant.
They accept us as symbols of their tolerance, so long as we do not make the room look different.
The Kinheart Assembly was born because that kind of inclusion was never enough.
We are not here to be let in.
We are here because this space was always ours.
Inclusion says: You may sit with us if you behave.
Belonging says: You were already part of this song.
We do not gather to prove our worth to those who doubt it.
We gather to remember that worth was never in question.
The Assembly is not built on permission; it is built on presence.
We are the ones who have been told we do not belong — and yet we do.
This book, and the work around it, exists to remind us that our very existence is sacred.
The Liturgy of the Kinheart Assembly is a living document — updated through careful review and consensus.
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