Consistent with the UUCF mission and vision, the purpose of the UUCF Social Justice program is promoting transformational and sustainable change within the UUCF community and in the broader external community through these five pillars of social justice: Service – Providing support for persons and communities in need; Education – Educating ourselves and others about social justice issues, including interpreting such issues within the context of liberal religious values; Community organizing – Seeking to establish grass-roots organizations or work with existing ones for purposes of increasing social integration and power in civil society; Witness – Making our convictions on social justice issues public by words and deeds; and Advocacy – Working through legislative processes to have an impact on public policy on social justice issues.
Social Justice Advisory Team
The Social Justice Advisory Team meets monthly to provide counsel and guidance related to the congregation’s social justice focus and activities. Team members for 2022-2023 include Social Justice Coordinator Andrew Batcher, Lay Minister for Social Justice Karen Wolf and the following members representing various social justice constituencies: Kaye Cook, Leni Gurin, AJ Ingson (youth) and Mary Jo Smrekar.
Links
- Social action groups – groups dedicated to action on UUCF’s core social justice initiates
- Act for justice – upcoming meetings, actions, rallies, vigils and other opportunities for action
- Congregational resolutions – the congregation has voted to adopt resolutions on a variety of justice issues
- Related programs – other, smaller service programs organized by congregants
- UU-affiliated programs – justice-related organizations within the Unitarian Universalist Association
- Share the Plate – each month, half the offerings go to a different charity nominated by congregants
- Policy: Taking Public Positions on Social Justice Issues – helping congregants appropriately represent UUCF on social justice issues to outside organizations and the media
Related programs
Related programs
- Annual Yard Sale
- Hot Meals – In partnership with FACETS, UUCF volunteers prepare and assemble breakfasts for homeless people in Fairfax County six times a year. Contact Viki Mutarelli.
- Green Sanctuary – researching and promoting environmentally sustainable lifestyles in Northern Virginia and beyond. Contact Lois Phemister.
- UUCF Partner Churches (Romania and India)
UU-affiliated programs
UU-affiliated programs
- UU-UNO Committee – UUCF’s UU-UNO Committee seeks to engage our community in the mission of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO). The UU-UNO engages in the work of the United Nations to advance a peaceful, just, sustainable and pluralistic world community that promotes human rights and to engage and inspire UUs and others to support and participate in this work.
- UUSC – The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a nonsectarian organization that advances human rights and social justice in the United States and around the world. Through a combination of advocacy, education, and partnerships with grassroots organizations, UUSC promotes economic rights, advances environmental justice, defends civil liberties and preserves the rights of people in times of humanitarian crisis.
- UUSJ – Contact Bob McCarthy. UUCF is a member of Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) in the Baltimore-Washington Region, which hosts task forces on civil marriage, the environment, health care and affordable housing and conducts advocacy trainings each year.