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Become involved with a project that has caught your passion: whether it's Green Sanctuary, Gift-Based Ministry, as a worship associate, leading a covenant group, or something entirely different, your congregation needs your involvement in order to benefit from your unique talents and gifts!

Become a religious educator. Whether you are working with children, youth, young adults, or adults, this work can be deeply fulfilling and fun!

Offer to become a lay leader in your congregation. Talk to your nominating committee. If your congregation's in search for new professional leadership, think about whether you might contribute in new and exciting ways to that venture.

Witness your faith in the company of others, on behalf of your congregation. Seek out connections with other religious groups who share similar values. Help carry the message -- beyond your congregation -- that makes clear Unitarian Universalism's values and voice in this challenging world.

Become a delegate to your UUA District's meetings. You'll learn new skills, develop a sense of Unitarian Universalism that extends beyond your own congregation, and help nurture the vitality of our faith in your district.

Don't wait to be asked: contact your congregation's Nominating Committee and tell them you're willing to serve. They'll be glad to hear from you!

- from the UUA

Social Justice News and Events

Justice Council Report

Our Change for Change recipients in the last few months were: Doctors without Borders (earthquake relief for Syrians) in March, Moms Bonded by Grief (support for families of victims of gun violence) in April, and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (support for local grass roots service organizations around the world) in May.

In March and April we had our first two of three book discussions of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, with the third and final one scheduled for June 12 at 7:30 via Zoom.

Members of our congregation participated in POWER Philadelphia’s Listening Session and Mayoral Primary Forum connected with public safety, coordinated by Laurie Durkin. There will be a rally in Harrisburg on June 7; watch the weekly e-newsletter for details!

In the area of Reparations, our UUs of Mt. Airy Reparations/History group has met a number of times to research our congregation’s history with respect to racial justice. We have gotten great information about sources of information, and have been able to put together a family tree of the evolution of our congregation and other Universalist entities in this area. Members of our congregation who attended an intensive 4-day all-day training about Reparations organized by the Mayor’s Office of Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs and

the Truth-Telling Project early in January have also participated in 3 follow-up gatherings, working toward helping with leadership of an interfaith Reparations movement in the city. We continue to stay in close contact with N’COBRA PHL and Rashaun Williams to support their work to introduce a Reparations Task Force bill in City Council. We hope to provide space for town meetings as this process evolves.

Last fall, Tim S proposed to the Justice Council that we consider phasing out our Change for Change program, and find a way to form a community partnership with one or two black-led organizations in our area, so that we could concentrate our financial and other resources and make a significant difference as allies and accomplices, following their lead but leveraging our privileges, resources, and contacts to support them. Justice Council as a whole was very enthusiastic about this shift, and a task force has met a couple of times to work on the details, such as developing criteria for who we would like to work with, and exploring possible groups to partner with in the area. We had considered having those community partners be N’COBRA PHL and the Mt. Airy Community Fridge & Pantry that we host and sponsor, but neither is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, which was one of the criteria we established for ourselves, so we are still searching for an appropriate partner. We may have a Town Meeting vote in the fall, if we are able to work out the details.

8th Principle Team Update

The 8th Principle that we adopted in 2017 is: “Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by building a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions”. Our congregation was the first in the country to adopt it, but at this moment, over 250 have now adopted it (out of about 1000), and that number was only about 30 a couple of years ago!

Our 8th Principle Team is Bruce PJ, Portia H, Cathy M, Anam OE, Fern C, Domita S, Mary L, (with Rev. McKinley and Ministerial Intern Shaie Dively ex-officio).

Through the spring we have been participating in the updated Beloved Conversations Virtual program out of the Meadville Lombard UU seminary on small-group ministry related to antiracism. There are three stages of this new version: “Within” (individual work), “Among” (congregational level), and “Beyond” (community level).

Many in our congregation did the program that corresponds to “Within” when Kathy Ellis and Maria McCabe were here. 16 members and friends have been participating in the national online program that runs from March through May (we signed up as a congregational, and have 3 pods that meet in person, one for people of color and the other two for whites), to then be able to participate in the “Among” program as a congregation in 2023-25, and possibly “Beyond” after that. The Among program is an excellent structure for us to follow up on our Widening the Circle conversations from January to June of 2021. This will guide us in our detailed re-examination of our bylaws, policies, procedures, and practices from this perspective. We will also continue our exploration of implementing Radical Hospitality and leadership development into the way we do hospitality. The Inclusive Decision-Making group presented to the congregation about the Modified Consensus process at our Town Meeting in April, and we hope to vote on this in the fall. Look in the weekly newsletter for dates, times, and Zoom links of specific gatherings as they get scheduled, and participate!

Following, are several links important to our congregation's Social Justice program:

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