The Advocates for Social Justice will be sponsoring a Special Collection during the service on February 19th for the Communities of Color Coalition (C3). Based in Edmonds, C3 educates and advocates for social justice and human rights, especially for people of color and other under-represented groups that have been systemically oppressed. They do this through a transformational process that centers and supports those who are closest to the problem in developing and implementing the solutions necessary for systemic change. Our collection will go toward their comprehensive rental assistance program.
The December 18th Special Collection raised $503 for Arms Around You, a reentry resources and referrals program that serves formerly incarcerated individuals coming out of correctional facilities, the homeless community, and victims of domestic violence and substance abuse.
The ASJ Committee thanks WUUC members and friends for their generous support of our monthly special collections, which take place during services on the third Sunday of every month. Instructions for giving are posted during the service, and you can also donate anytime the following week at https://onrealm.org/wuuc/-/give/now, or by sending a check to WUUC at P.O. Box 111, Woodinville, WA 98072. Please make checks out to WUUC and write “ASJ Special Collection” in the notes.
Thank you for pre-registering for the upcoming Curiosity Clusters to discuss I Never Thought of It That Way by Mónica Guzmán. The pre-registration information you provided helped us determine how many clusters to offer, and what times through the week would be most convenient for many people.
Each Curiosity Cluster will meet for six sessions, 90 minutes per session (the first session will be 2 hours).
To sign up for the cluster that works best with your schedule, fill out this form:
The ASJ committee is excited to announce that together we raised over $2500 for this year’s Giving Tree! All gift card requests were fulfilled, allowing families to purchase presents for 19 children and food for special meals. Additional thanks to Lane Owsley for fixing up a donated bike that will fulfill a Green Leaf child’s special wish, Ann Lu for donating a Christmas tree to brighten a family’s living room this holiday, and Pam Green for the delivery of Farmer Frog food boxes the week before Christmas.
On January 15th our Special Collection will go toward Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest, which serves immigrants in detention and when released, through welcoming services focused on transitional support and connection to vital resources for resettlement.
In October our collection of $770 benefited Honor the Earth, a native initiative to create awareness and support for Native environmental issues and to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native communities. November’s special collection of $449 goes to the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, which serves Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska with trained, compassionate volunteer advocates running a toll-free hotline, help with paying for their abortion care, and help with transportation and housing for the procedure.
The ASJ Committee thanks WUUC members and friends for their generous support of our monthly special collections, which take place during services on the third Sunday of every month. Instructions for giving are posted during the service, and you can also donate anytime the following week at https://onrealm.org/wuuc/-/give/now, or by sending a check to WUUC at P.O. Box 111, Woodinville, WA 98072. Please make checks out to WUUC and write “ASJ Special Collection” in the notes.
The pandemic has been hard on all of us. Engaging with our shared community is more important than ever. To that end, we encourage all folks who plan, develop, or coordinate WUUC events to carefully consider including people who may not be able to participate in person by offering hybrid or online options whenever possible. Training and/or help with setting up virtual/hybrid events is available. Please contact May Killorin, Office Manager, for assistance.
The Advocates for Social Justice invites you to participate in the 2022 Giving Tree. This holiday fundraiser supports 11 families with 19 children living in the Greenleaf Apartments, a subsidized housing community in Kenmore. Donations will help purchase gift cards the families can use toward presents for their children and groceries for special meals. Donations of any amount will be appreciated!
For example:
$10 helps a family buy new socks or cleaning supplies
$25 covers a Lego set or new shirt
$50 purchases a warm sweatshirt for a teen
$100 helps a family purchase groceries for their holiday meal
Choose from three ways to contribute by Dec. 18
Use this link and donate through Realm: https://onrealm.org/wuuc/-/form/give/givingtree Be sure it says “Giving Tree 2022” in the “Fund” category. This option allows you to use a credit card.
Choose one or more cards worth $10, $25 or $50 from the Giving Tree at church that will be set up during the Thanksgiving Potluck after church this Sunday, Nov. 27. The cards will have a QR code on them that takes you to the Realm form described above.
Drop off cash or check at the church for our Office Manager to deposit.
The UUA Article II Study Commission has proposed extensive changes to the UUA Bylaws, Article II – Principles and Purposes. Article II lists our seven principles, six sources, the stated purpose of the UUA, and includes statements about inclusion and freedom of belief. The Article II Study Commission (AIISC) was created by the UUA Board of Trustees after the General Assembly of 2020 and charged with reviewing all sections of Article II, as stated below.
“The Commission is charged with reviewing all sections of Article II, and is free to revise, replace, or restructure them as needed to meet the objectives stated above. There is nothing sacred about the number of principles or sources, nor their specific wordings, nor in the way that Article II is laid out. We encourage creativity.”
The document below compares the current “Article II Principles and Purposes” and the new draft “Article II Purposes and Covenant” as of 11/7/22. To be accepted by our denomination, the proposed revision of the Article II Principles and Purposes must pass a majority vote of the delegates at General Assembly 2023 and then pass a stricter 2/3 majority vote of the delegates at General Assembly 2024. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with these proposed revisions.
The Commission hosted several feedback sessions in November for UUs across the country to share reactions and input to the proposed changes. Further feedback sessions are expected to be scheduled by the Commission in December. Within our WUUC congregation, there are strong feelings both in support of and in opposition to the new Article II draft. A board task force is working on a process for the congregation to discuss the Article II proposal.
In Community, WUUC Board of Trustees Leslie Morton, President Jan Radoslovich, Vice-President Terry Santmann, Secretary Kermit Sprang, Treasurer Linda Sherry, Member-at-Large Jeff Lu, Member-at-Large
Proposed changes to UUA Bylaws Article II Principles and Purposes
compiled 11/7/2022
Section C-2.2 2.1 Purposes.The Unitarian Universalist Association shall devote its resources to and exercise its corporate organizational powers for religious, educational and humanitarian purposes. The primary purpose purposes of the Association is are to serve the needs of its member congregations, organize new congregations, extend and strengthen Unitarian Universalist institutions and implement its principles equip congregations for vital ministry, to support and train leaders both lay and professional, to heal historic inequities, and to advance our Unitarian Universalist values in the world. We will transform the world by our liberating love.
Delete the following:
Section C-2.1. Principles.We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote
The inherent worth and dignity of every person;Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Add the following: Section C-2.2. Values and Covenant.
Love is the enduring force that holds us together.As Unitarian Universalists in religious community, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our association, to support and assist each other in engaging our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom and reason, hope and courage, building on the foundation of love.Love inspires and powers the passion with which we embody our values. Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:
Justice. We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all people thrive. We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of oppression within individuals and our institutions. We are accountable to each other for this work.
Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
We covenant to freely share our faith, presence, and resources. Compassionate generosity connects us one to another in relationships of mutuality.
Evolution. We adapt to the changing world.
The living tradition which we share draws from many sources:
Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion and the transforming power of love;
Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.
We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Evolution is fundamental to life and to our Unitarian Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.
Pluralism. We celebrate that we are all sacred beings diverse in culture, theology, and experience. We covenant to learn from one another and openly explore the depth and breadth of our many wisdoms. We embrace our differences and commonalities with love, curiosity, and respect.
Equity. We declare that every person has the right to flourish with dignity and worthiness.We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain a fully inclusive and accessible community of communities.
Interdependence. We honor the sacred interdependent web of all existence. With humility we understand our place in the web. We covenant to care for and respect the earth and all beings by fostering relationships of mutuality. We work to repair the bonds we have broken.
Section 2.3 Inspirations. As Unitarian Universalists, we draw upon, and are inspired by, the full depth and breadth of sacred understandings, as experienced by humanity. Grateful for the religious lineages we inherit and the pluralism which enriches our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our wisdom.
Section C 2.32.4 Inclusion.Systems of power, privilege, and oppression have traditionally created barriers for persons and groups with particular identities, ages, abilities, and histories. We pledge to replace such barriers with ever-widening circles of solidarity and mutual respect. We strive to be an association of congregations that truly welcome all persons who share our values. and We commit to structuring congregational and associational life in ways that empower and enhance everyone’s participation.
Section C 2.42.5 Freedom of Beliefbelief. Nothing herein shall be deemed to infringe upon the individual freedom of belief which is inherent in the Universalist and Unitarian Unitarian Universalist heritages or to conflict with any statement of purpose, covenant, or bond of union used by any congregation unless such is used as a creedal test. In expressing our beliefs, we do so in the spirit of love, in ways that further Beloved Community.
