Prairie Star District

	Prairie Star District Social Justice Network Newsletter Your “Checkpoint” for Unitarian Universalist Social Action No. 3 — Spring 2006 (Update: Summer 2006)
“[Peace is] not a matter of the absence of tension but the presence of justice.” — The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

SJNN is periodic print and electronic newsletter. The newsletter provides information on long-term social justice concerns and suggested avenues for action. The annual newsletter is published in the Spring. Periodic updates are published as needed. Please send contributions for the Social Justice Updates at anytime, to Tom LoGuidice (below).

Serving Social Concerns Committees in the Congregations of the PSD UUA

Social Justice Program Area Coordinator:
loguidit@uwplatt.edu, 700 North Court, Platteville, WI 53818

Prairie Star District Office:
122 W. Franklin Ave., Suite 303, Minneapolis, MN 55404

Purpose
The Social Justice Network has been established as a way of linking social justice / social concerns committees of the congregations of the Prairie Star District

Advisory Group

• Tom LoGuidice (Church of the Larger Fellowship), Coordinator
• Betsy Allis (Minneapolis, MN – First Universalist)
• Mary Westfall (Manhattan, KS – UUFM)
• Jo Haberman (Minneapolis, MN – First Unitarian)
• Bob Cierna (Northfield, MN – UUFN).
• Vicki Pratt (Omaha, NE – Second Omaha)

South Cluster Social Justice Retreat

By Vicki Pratt

The South Cluster retreat and camp-out will be October 6–8, 2006, at White Memorial Camp near Council Grove, Kansas. To register, contact Bill Lucero at 785–232–5958. This is a wonderful weekend of rest and rejuvenation at a beautiful lake-side camp with heated cabins, walking trails, great food, fun, campfires, worship, key-note speakers, social justice networking, games, and fellowship. Cost and schedule of events will be available at a later date.

Iowa Social Justice Retreat

By Tom LoGuidice

The Iowa Cluster Retreat will be Saturday, October 14th, 2006, at the Davenport Unitarian Church, 3703 Eastern Avenue, Davenport, Iowa 52807. All social justice representatives from congregations throughout Iowa are invited for a day of exploration of our work together. Some congregations in Western Iowa may choose to attend the event in Kansas and some congregations in the Southern Cluster may choose to attend the Iowa event. The Davenport event begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. A modest fee of $5.00 per person covers Fair Exchange coffee and a light lunch. Registration may be accomplished by sending a $5.00 check made out to PSD/UUA; addressed to Tom LoGuidice, 700 North Court Street, Platteville, Wisconsin 538l8.

Southern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Social Justice Retreat

By Bob Ciernia

Last October congregations in Southern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin got together for a social justice event in Northfield, Minnesota. At the conclusion of that meeting, those attended agreed that we should make this social justice gathering an annual event. It was a fun and informative day as attendees shared experiences, hopes and ideas. This year the group will gather again at the Northfield Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at ll3 South Linden Street on Saturday, October 2l, 2006. Northfield will provide coffee and doughnuts in the morning, a simple lunch at noon and a meeting room. To register, e-mail Bob Ciernia at bobciernia@msn.com.

Minnesota Unitarian Unviersalist Social Justice Alliance
(MUUSJA)

MUUSJA is an alliance of congregations of the Twin Cities of Minnesota as well as congregations throughout the state related to some social justice concerns. You may learn more about MUUSJA by visiting http://www.muusja.org. Information is available on the site regarding how you may subscribe for e-mail announcements.

Others to Cluster as Well —
Are the Cluster Meetings Unworkable for You?

If you live in the northern or western extremes of the district you may find the cluster meetings unworkable. If so contact Tom Lo Guidice (loguidit@uwplatt.edu). Look for low cost conference calls planned for Fall 2006.

Clusters Maximize/resources/fellowship

An article in the March April 2005 UU World speaks to how much may be accomplished by congregations clustering for various purposes. “The cluster has helped us to look beyond our local congregations.” “We’re benefiting from programming that none of us could do alone.” The Florida UU quoted here provides the rationale for why we are doing clusters in the Prairie Star District. (http://www.uuworld.org/005/02/conglife.html)