Peace & Justice
UU values are grounded in an active commitment to peace and justice. We practice this commitment through a variety of social justice projects and community partnerships. Our Social Action Council (SAC) supports the project teams leading these efforts by providing strategic oversight, training, and communication.
SAC is currently aligned with three focus points as prescribed by the Board:
- Racial equity
- The intersection of education and poverty
- Environmental justice
Racial Equity Initiatives
The Fellowship stands in solidarity with Black/African Americans who demand change, including those who identify as Indigenous and People of Color. Before we “take to the streets,” literally and figuratively, we are cautious, seeking to center our response to the entire community, asking ourselves, “What does support look like? How can our support and solidarity be effective, and cause no harm?”
- We engaged in a months-long partnership with a primarily African-American Christian church to enhance our awareness of the issues and perspectives of a group of people most unlike us in theology, race, culture, and socio-economic status.
- We sponsor group participation in education offerings by the local Racial Equity Institute, local organizing collective Neighbors For Better Neighborhoods and other relevant organizations.
- A handful of Fellowship members have participated in Mead-Lombard’s Beloved Conversations, a curriculum designed for congregations seeking to progress along the continuum of cultural awareness.
- We have a Multicultural Team, which seeks to promote awareness, appreciation, and acceptance of the marginalized BIPoC experience in our congregation and in the world.
- We formed a group, Restoration and Renewal, to provide respite and spiritual sustenance for the small group of BIPoC members of the congregation.
The intersection of education and poverty
- The Fellowship is partnered with a Title I elementary school in the community to provide reading support as well as clothing, supplies, food and other needs.
Environmental justice
- More recently we have challenged ourselves to become more educated and involved in environmental justice. Discernment is underway.
- We have been a certified Green Sanctuary congregation, and are planning for recertification, which requires environmental justice action in addition to the sustainability initiatives we have already adopted (solar panels, recycling, reuse, composting, native plantings and more – all of which are the responsibility of our EcoSolutions Team).
Other community projects
- Community Clothes Closet – To serve neighbors in need, our Community Clothes Closet offers gently used clothing and shoes at no cost. Clothing donations come from the congregation and others in our community.
- UUs Feed the Community – To help combat hunger in the community, this project team identifies opportunities to provide meals, prepared by Fellowship members and friends, to those in need.
- Crisis Control Ministry – Our Fellowship provides ongoing support through regular donations of food staples and toiletry items to this area non-profit.
- Hurricane Relief – Congregants provided labor to clean up and rebuild in New Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina, and more recently in North Carolina following several destructive hurricanes here.
- LGBTQIA+ Awareness – The Fellowship has been active for many years in a variety of LGBTQIA+ awareness campaigns. The congregation was awarded two Kaleidoscope awards by the local PFLAG chapter. We are a “UU Welcoming Congregation” and have begun exploring the 2nd level of that program.
- Share the Plate – We share our plate collection every Sunday with a local community organization. Each month we feature a community partner that shares our values and we donate half of all cash and designated checks collected during our worship services.
How to Get Involved
For more information about these and other initiatives relating to social action and/or social justice, or to participate in any of these initiatives, please email the Social Action Council at sac@uufws.org.
