First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches Newsletter 
Sept  2014                                                                                                          #21  
Activism is an Antidote for Despair 

 "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something . . . I will not refuse to do something I can do."    

Helen Keller

 
In this issue
Featured Events

Dear World Changer,

 

Happy September! Your Social Action Team is energized for a year of education and action. Our evaluation/planning lunch last Saturday had 19 in attendance including three members of our youth group. You could feel the energy in the air. Below you will find summations of last year's activities as well as future plans. I hope as you read over them, you will find one of which you would like to be part.

Love and Peace,

Judy Bonner

 

 
FROM OUR MINISTER

 

In his Introduction in his book Race Matters, Cornel West writes, "What happened in Los Angeles in April of 1992 was neither a race riot nor a class rebellion. Rather, this monumental upheaval was a multiracial, trans-class, and largely male display of justified social rage. For all its ugly, xenophobic resentment, its air of adolescent carnival, and its downright barbaric behavior, it signified the sense of powerlessness in American society."   I've held West's words as the protests and unrest in Ferguson, Missouri unfolded over the last few weeks. The events in Ferguson, around the country and even other parts of the world, most certainly do signify the sense of powerlessness in American society. We've certainly evolved as a society but not as far as we claim or would like. When black and unarmed teenagers can be shot and killed or when blacks, because of their protest, are considered violent, hoodlums and low class in our communities we have not arrived. When blacks are arrested eight times greater than whites in Ferguson and three times greater in our nation, we have not arrived. Blacks, among other minorities, remain powerless in our society.

 

Urban warfare, race riots, and violent protests are part of our history. From the Revolutionary War, Shays' Rebellion, the Civil War, draft riots in 1863, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War protests peaking in 1968, and others pepper our past. Unfortunately, there have been painful examples over the last several decades and in our present. The common thread in all of these incidents is powerlessness. That is, a segment of society is discounted, discriminated against, treated unfairly, considered less than, receive unequal treatment, and are silenced. Part of me understands that protests and riots may be the next step for communities. The justified social rage that West talks about.   I'm not condoning violence. These are the result of systematic and prolonged injustice. A pot with such intense heat that it has finally boiled over. Then the other part of me admires non-violent protests such as those modeled by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Our work as members of a deeply troubled society, and especially as Unitarian Universalists, is to restore wholeness, strive toward balancing power, opportunity, and creating justice. Historically people of our faith and tradition have been on the front lines of this work. Let us honor our ancestors and commit to our work. Let us discard our guilt and resentments and be the voice of reason, compassion, and justice. A good place to start is to commit to supporting our Social Action Committee who place issues before us, in this newsletter, and ask that we get on board and do some peacekeeping and justice making. It is who we are as Unitarian Universalists. Our progressive voice is sorely needed in these frightful times. The opportunity and the means are laid before us. What are we waiting for? Join. Act.

Blessings,

Rev. CJ

 

FEATURED EVENTS

 

Saturday September 6 in Ministers Hall from 9:30 to 11:30 SAC Workshop on Systemic Justice through Legislative Change
The September meeting's topic is AN UNDEMOCRATIC STATE GOVERNMENT, A DYSFUNCTIONAL CONGRESS AND AN IRRESPONSIBLE CITIZENRY -- WHO'S TO BLAME AND WHAT CAN BE DONE?
The problem starts with undemocratic voting districts, continues with undemocratic election processes, and culminates with far too many elected representatives pursuing self-interest at the expense of the citizens whom they are supposed to represent ( fiduciary failures by individual state representatives and congresspersons). But underlying those failures is a lack of citizenship on the part of a majority of the public. That citizenship failure manifests itself in various ways such as failure to register, failure to vote, and refusal to serve on juries and grand juries. What roles can UUs play in creating awareness which might lead to corrective actions? What roles can UUs play to support current legislative actions which have the potential to mitigate the problems of undemocratic and dysfunctional government? Wayne Johnson will provide a basic introduction to the issue. Dick Hattwick will then lead a discussion of possible actions which can be taken by members of our congregation.

 

Thursday, September 18, 4:30 to 5:30 SAC meeting Channing room of Minister's Hall. Note: Many of us will go from the meeting directly to the Family Promise dinner (See Below).

 

Thursday, September 18, 6:00pm. 3rd Annual Family Promise Anniversary Celebration at Trinity  United  Methodist  Church (9625  N  Military  Trail,  PBG,  FL  33410)

$10 / to�-go boxes available. See Roberta Marshall for tickets.

 

Sunday, Sept. 21 we celebrate the United Nation's International day of Peace with our 10:30 service culminating with a ceremony around our peace pole. This will be followed by a Peace Fair sponsored by our youth group -from 11:30 to 4:00.

 

ACTIONS

 

1. Our federal prison population is out of control. While America has only five percent of the world's population, we have 25 percent of the world's prison inmates-an 800% increase in the last 30 years.

Unless we curb policies like extreme sentencing, our prison population will continue to grow at these staggering rates. And taxpayers like you and I will continue to suffer the financial burden caused by this rapidly expanding prison system.

Our chance to rein in mass incarceration is here, but the clock is running out. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are in support of the Smarter Sentencing Act-a critical bill which could roll back some extreme federal mandatory minimum sentences.

 

Join me in urging Congress to schedule and support the passage of the Smarter Sentencing Act: 

 

2. As someone who has served in all three branches of government and has represented people at local, state and federal levels, I want to express my deep concern over events in Ferguson, Missouri and their implications for our society. I just wrote a piece which I wish to call to your attention regarding action which must be taken to correct the militarization of local police. Please read the article. I welcome your comments. Dennis Kucinich

 

3. People of faith are called to hold Ferguson, MO, in our hearts and minds as events continue to unfold following the death of Michael Brown last Saturday. Ferguson is not an isolated incident but part of a much larger legacy of violence and criminalization of Black people in the United States.

Unitarian Universalists are taking action in Ferguson and around the country to advocate for justice and love. All of us are needed. During time of trauma and frustration, let us continue to explore ways to learn more, grow, heal, and take collective action. Use the resources below to take your own next steps and encourage others in your life to join you.

 

Check out Ferguson Solidarity: Ways to Support the Fight, a curated list from organizers in Ferguson including specific needs as well as ways to get involved at home

 

Ten Things White People Can Do About Ferguson Besides Tweet, Kate Harding, Dame Magazine

 

Support organizations in Ferguson and St. Louis doing work in solidarity including the Ferguson Bail Fund and the Organization for Black Struggle.   

 

The Spirithouse Project: Organizing Caravans for Racial Justice

Rev. Julie Taylor, Affiliated Community Minister, Emerson UU Chapel, Ellisville, MOBoard Member, UU Trauma Response Ministry

 

 

REPORTS FROM OUR ANNUAL RETREAT, Aug. 30, 2014.

 

Rev. CJ

 

Friends, my apologies for not attending the SAC retreat. In error I agreed to attend the Boar Of Trustee retreat forgetting I had committed to the SAC retreat. An oversight on my part and certainly not a statement of my interest or support. I offer you my thoughts from office supplies to scholarships! I am proud to serve a congregation with such a passion for justice and one that acts on that passion.

  1. The grant process was well organized and well-advertised. I wonder if the SAC might consider awarding grants throughout the year to capture more interest and applications?
  2. The many projects that SAC offers the congregation were reviewed and became less in number and more focused. The information sheets for each project was a brilliant idea. We might purchase better hanging folders for this info so the information is better presented and not folded over etc. There is a model that has a higher front. Perhaps our new sexton could hang them so they are sitting straight on the wall! We do have use for the hanging folders that are on the wall now. It would not be an SAC expense if new folders were purchased. Admin would absorb the cost as we would be using the old folders.
  3. The SAC now has a charter. Please remember it is not written in stone and your feedback for changes is most welcome. The charter does call for a process to solicit the input of the congregation when the SAC would like to support or sponsor an organization or cause. This process needs to be identified by the SAC. Board and congregation need to be oriented to the process. The charter also calls for a list of organization's or projects that would not need consideration other than by the SAC. The SAC needs to create this list. This would certainly be in the interest of the SAC to avoid the need for input or approval from the board or congregation at every turn.
  4. UUSC membership efforts were impressive. I'd be glad to offer more support in this effort.
  5. The organization of the SAC and Core Team is unrivaled in our congregation. The SAC newsletter is a gift. The SAC offers our congregation a million ways to become involved on the individual, congregational, and community level.
  6. The congregation will be moving toward branding this year. Not piercing the skin with a hot iron! We want to be recognizable in our community. I tell you this because the SAC might be most affected. Branding will ask us all, congregation wide, to use the same symbols, colors, formatting, etc. for merchandising, printed and electronic materials, banners, logos, etc. A "Style Guide" is being created by the Communications Committee to be presented to the Board and committees for feedback. This won't be a case where you won't have a voice. YOU WILL. YOU MUST. It's an effort to increase our presence and become connected with justice in the eyes of the community. It's not unlike what the SOTSL campaign has experienced.
  7. I would like feedback from the Core Team regarding my support, services, sermons, and ministry around social action. The team could also give this feedback to the Committee on Ministry.
  8. We did have a short conversation about a Justice Camp here on our campus during the summer months. I'm interested in talking more about this.
  9. We should consider hosting more community wide events and forums inviting relevant speakers. I would propose that this become part of the Adult Programs budget. However, SAC would coordinate and facilitate.
  10. I wonder if we could establish a justice scholarship as part of our grant program that local high school seniors could apply for. We would need to develop criteria and a process and dedicate funds-as little as $500 or we might want to do more. It's definitely a need. The SAC Core Team could choose the recipient. We invite them to a service to receive the scholarship and get local press. It's another opportunity to reach beyond ourselves. I would vote to call it the Harriette Glasner Scholarship. Harriette's commitment to justice in the Palm Beaches was incredible.
  11. I'm delighted that the SAC has collaborated with the youth. They appreciate the effort and the SAC is teaching them UU identity and values!

I'm grateful for your work and ability to keep us engaged. Thank you!

 

Garden Crew
Environmental Justice            

Marika Stone          

[email protected] 

 

One photo, many words:  Our Earth Day tree planting team:

        

Rev. CJ, Larry Stauber, Sylvia Ansay and granddaughter, Howie and me.  Larry Stauber has agreed to join Marika Stone on Environmental Justice team.

 

 

This emerging 'food forest' joins the pollinator garden (aka Wayne's Garden) and raised vegetables beds.  These are ready for the new season planting.  The Youth Group has been participating during their Sunday meetings.  We can use more hands willing to get dirty.  Composting is ongoing - thanks to Suzanne Schluter for providing us with the bin.  These are model educational projects on the theme of food security for the future.  Rev. CJ is in conversation with El Sol re: future partnering on growing food, TBD.

Bob Ashmore and I joined Hannah Trenkle and Richard Anderson (her dad) in planting seeds at the Pat Reese homeless shelter in West Palm Beach.  This was a Girl Scout project for Hannah.  Community gardens like this need donations, expertise and volunteer time.  

In July, I attended the Sea Level Rise Symposium http://www.artmarshall.org/portal/sea-level-rise-symposium#.VASKhoBdVY4.  Jan Booher of UUFBR and South Florida Climate Action Partners is preparing material for activists to take to their local governments to encourage signing the http://southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org/  This I intend to do as soon as I receive the package.  

This summer, Howard and I screened the first three episodes of Years of Living Dangerously, the Emmy-winning series on climate change, in the Adult Program Teaching Thursdays time slot.  There was a potluck and discussion/recommended actions with each event.  I urge all fellow congregants to take the 10% Local Food Shift challenge (no torrent of ice on the head required) and to switch to renewable energy, see http://www.pear-energy.com/  There are no plans to screen additional episodes of YLD.  The series will soon be available on DVD for those who wish to pursue it.  

I remain active with Transition Palm Beaches as part of the work of environmental justice in Palm Beach County.  I welcome subscribers to my blog: http://transitiontales.wordpress.com.  And I welcome anyone who is interested in working on Environmental Justice to contact me.

 

FAIR TRADE COFFEE

Sylvia Ansay

 

Note: Sylvia is out of town. We will include her report next month.

 

SAC Grants

Team Leader: Marijane Gregg at [email protected]
Claudia Melear at [email protected]
Jan Morris at [email protected] 

Barbara Moszynski at [email protected],  

Chris Strain at [email protected] 

Judy Bonner at [email protected]

 

For the past several years the Social Action Committee of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches has authorized a limited number of grants to meet needs in our community not currently being met. The money for these grants is raised by dedicating the plate collection on the third Sunday of each month. This year $ $6960 was awarded in general awards and $760 in a dedicated award to Emergency Medical Assistance. We have a balance of $540 in reserve.

The grants were up to $500 and were awarded to not for profit organizations or individuals that addressed pressing needs in our local community. . Organizations with budgets under $250,000 received first priority.

1. Beyond Blind Institute - $ 300 - To provide Blind Shot golf program for sight-paired/blind.

2. Center for Family Services Pat Reeves Center - $ 300 - To purchase microwave ovens

3. Children's Home Society - $ 250- To establish a baby's closet to benefit the babies of mothers in foster care

4. Christ Child Society - $400 - To purchase supplies for volunteers to make 10 baby layettes

5. Community Food Pantry of Lake Park - Club 100 charities - $ 500 - to purchase rubber mats for the concrete floor

6. De Porres place - $460 - To purchase 24 student books and teacher's guides

7. Family Promise - $ 350 - To purchase meals for homeless families

8. First UU Feeding Our Community's Children - $500 - To provide food for migrant children and their families in western Palm Beach County

9. Hope 4 Mobility - $500 - To purchase materials needed to construct adaptive equipment for special needs children

10. Mothers Against Murderers - $ 500 - To purchase a heat transfer tee shirt printer

11. New Generation Missionary Church -$500- To help 30 kids from Jacques Pierre-Louis Haitian congregation get ready for a successful school year

12. P.E.A.C.E. - $500 - To purchase additional simultaneous translation devices

13. Prisoner Art - $400 - To purchase frames for prisoner art prints to sell. All sale proceeds go to the prisoner.

14. Toby Center for Family Transitions -$ 500 - To provide counseling services

15. Toussaint L'Ouverture Charter High School for Arts and Social Justice - To purchase critical science materials

16. Vita Nova - $ 500 - To purchase items on wish list such as apartment furniture, linens, etc. needed for foster teens in transition to independent living

17. Emergency Medical Assistance Inc. - $780 -(This money is raised in a dedicated collection) To provide financial assistance to women who have made the decision to terminate their pregnancies but can't afford the cost of a safe and legal abortion

 

Family Promise    

  

Roberta Marshall                        [email protected]  

 

The First UU of NPB will be adding a new project, Family Promise, to the list of special interests supported by SAC. Family Promise's mission is "to partner with the interfaith community to help local homeless children by empowering their families to regain self-sufficiency". The program is small but has been powerful in shaping children's lives.

Family Promise of North/Central Palm Beach County has been active in our community for 3 years.

Tropical Sands Christian Church functions as a Host congregation. First UU will be partnering with Tropical Sands Christian Church in a supportive role. The host congregations lovingly provide: overnight housing for a period of one week two or three times a year; evening meals served family style each evening; foodstuffs for lunch and breakfast and overnight hosts in an oversight/chaperone capacity.

First UU will provide some evening meals and will act as overnight hosts when needed. First UU will not be expected to provide evening meals and overnight hosts for the entire week. Can't cook? There may be other skills or interests that you might donate such as tutoring or reading to the small children after the evening meal.

Tropical Sands will be giving us ample time for volunteers to do what they do best. Volunteer.

Feel the energy and the fellowship that is called Family Promise. For more information regarding this exciting opportunity please attend an informational meeting scheduled for September 7 at 12pm in the sanctuary. Please register at the table in the back of Ministers Hall.

 As an aside there is a 3rd Anniversary Celebration scheduled for Sept. 18 at 6pm. The event includes dinner, music and fellowship. Tickets are on sale now for $10. See Judy Bonner or Roberta Marshall.   Take out boxes are available. The celebration will be hosted by Trinity United Methodist Church on Military Trail in Palm Beach Gardens. Meet the volunteers, staff and graduates that make this program special.

 

Food Justice            


Bob Ashmore               http://spirithouseproject.org/
 

Members and friends of our congregation packaged meals in May and June.  We will have another packaging event in November.  The two events packaged about 2,000 meals each.  The meals which consist of rice, lentils, freeze dried veggies and sea salt are placed in baggies each of which can feed a family of five or six.  Preparation time is a half hour. 

The school system has distributed them to children and their parents, mostly in the Glades area.  Many of the children receive breakfast and lunch through the schools during the school year but during the summer and holiday vacation time may not receive nutritious meals.

After the June packaging, we also gave a small portion of the packages to Family Promise.  They used them, and will continue to use them in the future, to give to families as they move out on their own.

 

LBGT               Paul Coleman               [email protected] 
 

The Social Action Committee organizes specific activities for issues relating to Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Questioning Persons.

During the 2013-2014 program year the primary focus has been participation in Pridefest sponsored by Compass, the LGBT Community Center for Palm Beach County.  This year's two-day event was held in Lake Worth March 28 and 30, 2014.  26 of our members, families, and friends marched in the Sunday parade down the streets of Lake Worth with banners and promotional candy.  Of these 9 were children and youth from the Religious Education classes.

In addition our minister the Reverend C J McGregor has identified issues and offered illustration on the LGBT community throughout the worship and program year.  I myself gave two sermons on the subject at his invitation, and we have cited occasions and celebrations related to LGBT news and the foundation Standing on the Side of Love.  In a year that advances for gay marriage rights and the overturn of the Defense of Marriage Act, almost every week was some kind of these occasions.  Listed below are sample celebration and the dates they will be observed during the upcoming program year.

October                 LGBT History Month

October 11            National Coming Out Day 

November 8           Carl Sagan Day

March 28 and 29   Pridefest 2015 with the parade at 11:30 am Sunday

April 17                 Day of Silence

May 17                  International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO)

May 22                  Harvey Milk birthday

June 21                  Stonewall Pride in Wilton Manors, FL and at various locations worldwide

June 29                  Anniversary of original Stonewall 

 

P.E.A.C.E.  

(People Engaged in Active Community Efforts)     

Team Leader:   Barbara Hatzfeld           [email protected]

Team Members: Marijane Gregg & Rev. CJ McGregor.

 

Our goal for the Nehemiah Assembly was 60; we had 62.

Our goal for the Investment fund was $3500; we collected $3710.

Our Nehemiah Action had 2600+ people and was successful on our issues. The Sheriff has agreed to let Non Licensed drivers show consular ID's or passports when they are stopped for minor offenses. They will be given a ticket but not placed in jail.

Sheriff Bradshaw has said YES to our other request that he no longer comply with ICE detainer requests!  I am copying pasting below the actual press release the Sheriff's Office put out ... This is a MAJOR victory.  Because of the hard work you all put into turning out 2,600 people this past March, undocumented immigrants in Palm Beach County need no longer live in fear around 2 things - 1) being arrested for driving without a and NOW -2) if they do end up in jail, they need no longer fear being detained / deported by ICE. In short - the meaning this has to a LOT of people's lives in Palm Beach County is huge.  And it is all because of YOU, PEACE, and some very hard work this past Spring.

Belle Glade, South Bay & Pahokee plus Palm Beach County are all working on First Source ordinances to reduce the 40% unemployment rates. The Palm Beach County Commissioners are studying the Wage Theft Resolutions effects. 

We are hoping to have four team members for 2014-2015. We have a goal of 80 people to attend the 2015 Nehemiah Assembly.

 

Systemic Justice through Legislative Change first Sat. 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Wayne Johnson                  [email protected]               

Richard Hattwick                 [email protected] 

  1. Original purpose

The original purpose of this program was to convene a monthly meeting at which current local, state and federal government performance would be analyzed. The intent was to select issues where there was a concern about government performance (or lack of performance). The goal was to identify possible legislative actions which might lead to more responsible government actions. And the anticipated final products were to be to create awareness and possibly actions with respect to the problems and proposed solutions. It was anticipated that the creating awareness would be the primary action. The intended audience was members of our own congregation with an interest in "current events." Non-members were to be welcomed but few were expected given limited publicity.

  1. Experience in the 2013-14 program year

Monthly workshop meetings were held during the first half of 2014. Attendance was small, ranging from 4 to 10 persons. The content of the analysis part of each workshop consisted of a dialog led by Wayne Johnson. Wayne did most of the talking but others jumped in regularly. The information content of that part was outstanding thanks to Wayne's encyclopedic knowledge and analytical skills. The legislative action part of the workshop originally depended on one of the original members of the group writing letters to the editors of various publications. When that individual dropped out of the group, that effort was temporarily suspended. A second awareness-creating action consisted of a monthly short report in the SAC News. An assessment of the usefulness of that effort has not been conducted.

  1. Plans for the 2014-15 program year

At the end of the August workshop Wayne Johnson and Dick Hattwick conducted a brief assessment of the program. Very small attendance was a concern as was our failure to launch a meaningful menu of actions. However, both Wayne and Dick felt that the quality of the discussions was as good as or better than expected. Therefore it was agreed that the program should be continued for the 2014-15 program year. It was also agreed that major efforts should be made to publicize the monthly meetings and to introduce meaningful follow-up actions.

Follow-up actions which are being considered include monthly calls for action on legislative actions which are currently taking place in Congress, the state legislature, and local governmental bodies such as the Palm Beach County School Board and the County Board of Commissioners. The plan is to provide each member of our congregation with the background and contact information needed to express the member's view on a proposed act or action of a local, state of federal government entity. It would then be up to each member of the congregation to follow-up with the appropriate elected official.

 

UUSC    

 

Dickie Wilson              [email protected]
Judy Bonner                [email protected]

 

We have 80 memberships for their 2013-14 fiscal year which ended June 30th. We have a goal of 100 for this year and will attempt to sign more people up at our Guest at your Table service

 

Ongoing Single Events

 

International Day of Peace Sept. 21 - Judy Bonner and Peace Fair - youth group.

Guest at your table Sunday Service Nov. 16 - CJ McGregor

Soup lunch near Thanksgiving with proceeds to charity Nov. 23 - June Kleeman

Sat. workshop January - community activists - keynote speaker -economic and racial Equity? MLK event? Judy Bonner

Standing on the side of Love - Feb.1 service -Grants team

Gay Pride Parade end of March Paul Coleman                            

Spring Cluster Meeting - social action -Judy Bonner

 

New Ideas

Economic Justice -- Delegates at general assembly chose a new four-year Congregational Study/Action Issue, on rising economic inequality,

Three GA Actions of Immediate Witness.

"Pray for Relief" Faith Summit on Stopping Deportations,

Affirm congregational commitments to prevent gun violence,

Promote efforts to rescue victims of GLBT persecution in Uganda.

 

Judy Kraft still wants to get a lawyer to initiate a class action suit for Unequal Protection of poor, unemployed, sick, old, disabled (but not officially defined as such) under XIV amendment re issues of income inequality & lack of health insurance. FL has such an inadequate safety net, & the State Legislature ignores these people.

 

Documentaries - monthly SA related with discussion/actions - 4th. Sat. AM - we need a leader for this.

 

Racial and Economic Justice - Extended families with Haitian church to support children's education. - adopt a school - could be done in conjunction with CSAI -Judy Bonner

 

Discontinued

 

Affordable Health Care - We conducted a weekly phone bank to schedule individuals to sign up for the Affordable Care Act. We held a sign up event. This project has been completed.

Judy Bonner                               [email protected] 

 

Pets in Prison - After much investigation, we decided that this project is not feasible at this time.

Jan Morris                                           [email protected] 

 

Racial Equity - Our Book study group of Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crowe was very successful. The average attendance was 6-8. Discussions were lively. No action plan has yet been formulated.         Judy Bonner 

 


Quick Links...
 

Our Social Action meetings are on the third Thursday of each month at 4:30 pm.     
Please send me any SAC news items you want inserted in the next SACNews by Sept. 23, 2014

Contact one of our Social Action leaders listed below to find out how you can be involved.

Core Team:

Judy Bonner       Chairperson Social Action Committee  
Brian Johnson    SACNews Editor

First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches

Contact Information
phone:   561-627-6105     email:  [email protected]
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