Thoughts from the District Executive:

On Doing Good

Nancy Heege

I’ve been impressed lately by the efforts of so many of our congregations (and individual Unitarian Universalists) to “do good” in their communities. I’m convinced that there’s a connection between our efforts for justice in the world and our visibility in our communities.

Here is just a sampling of some of what’s going on:

• At First Unitarian Church in Omaha (NE), all loose change that is collected during the Sunday offering goes to the Social Justice Committee, which distributes the money to various nonprofit organizations. They call it “Change for Change.” Now when folks go out for food after a church meeting, they collect money for the tab and contribute the overage to Change for Change.
   
• When the Bismarck-Mandan UU Fellowship (ND) voted to become a Welcoming Congregation, their decision made the front page of the Bismarck Tribune. The interview with President Jim Lennington mentioned the recent arrest of two UU clergy in New York for performing same-sex marriages.
   
• At a recent meeting of the city council in Burlington, IA, several UUs spoke out in support of the council’s affirmation of civil rights protection to gays. A large crowd was there to criticize the council’s decision, and just a few to affirm it.
   
• Unity Church–Unitarian in St. Paul (MN) has created a new Restorative Justice Team to work on justice-making in the criminal justice system, training members in how to do peacemaking circles.
   
• The Metro UU Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA) in the Twin Cities (MN) is working on affordable housing, economic globalization, and voter registration. This organization is four years old and links members from several UU congregations.
   
• The UU Fellowship of Northfield (MN) is hosting the Second Annual Concert for Peace and Justice in a park in downtown Northfield on Memorial Day weekend.
   
• Many UUs from Prairie Star District participated with others from around the nation in the Washington March for Women’s Lives.
   
• See the notes elsewhere in this newsletter about UUs witnessing publicly for their beliefs.
   

When we do these and or any other acts of social justice work—hammering nails for Habitat for Humanity, raising money for good causes, hosting conversations about civic issues, advocating for policy change—we share our values with the world. We stand up for our principles. We don’t hide our light under a bushel; we let it shine so others know we’re here.

If we’re visible, others will know what we stand for. Some will want to join us. Wouldn’t it be great if we were twice or three times as many as we are now, so that our efforts for justice would be multiplied, too?