Social Justice
Members of our congregation are involved in social justice projects promoting peace, environmental stewardship, fairness, and the inherent worth and dignity of every being.
We are a “Welcoming Congregation.” We welcome and accept bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people and are committed to work for their rights and dignity in all areas of their lives. The rainbow flag hangs proudly outside our door. We are also involved in racial justice activities in our community.
Every Fourth Sunday we donate our loose plate collection to an organization outside of the church which works “Beyond Our Walls” to bring about positive changes. Recipients of the “Beyond Our Walls” collection have included Partners in Health, Camp Susan Curtis, Christmas for Teens, Community Lunch, Western Maine Land Trust, Planned Parenthood, Maine Wabanaki REACH program, Safe Voices, CEBE; Center for Ecology-based Economy, Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance, Blue Skies Legal Defense Fund, GGHC; Gardeners Growing Healthy Communities, UUA Disaster Relief Fund, Americans for Responsible Solutions, BLUU (Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism), Everytown for Gun Safety Action, Portland’s Preble Street Resource Center, Western Maine Addiction Recovery, Maine Wabanaki REACH Prisoner Services, Immigrant Legal Assistance of Portland (ILAP), Guest at Your Table, MUUSAN – the list is extensive. Our Social Justice Committee is the largest of all the church committees.
From the Social Justice Committee:
The Social Justice Committee supports solidarity with an agenda of focus on justice, human rights and compassion. The Social Justice Committee will begin to use the Maine UU Advocacy Network (MUUSAN) model in their work- this is done by relating social justice work directly to the seven UU principles so we can see our principles directly at work in our lives.
The Social Justice Committee is currently working on issues of healthcare, climate change, democracy and immigrant rights and racism paralleling MUUSAN’s four committees.
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Link to Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network: https://www.muusan.org
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Several members of the Social Justice Group presented “Hard Conversations”, a service about racism in our society, white privilege, and their personal journeys. Here are excerpts from that service:
I Want To Be A Good Guy by Joan Beal
Adaptation of “Unpacking the Invisible Backpack” by Dr. Peggy McIntosh
