Beverly Unitarian Church

SOCIAL ACTION MAY NEWS

The April Second Sunday Collection netted $318, which will go to the UUA Disaster Relief Fund. This collection was made in response to the earthquake in Japan. The May collection is earmarked for our new OWL (Our Whole Lives) initiative. The KIVA fund ($400) has been returned and is also being used to support the OWL project.

A community informational Health Fair for Senior Citizens and their families will take place on Saturday, May 7 from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm at the Bethany Union Church, located at 1750 W. 103rd St. For more information, call Susan DeGrane, co-chair, at 773-233-8544.

Unity in Diversity and the Southsiders for Peace will be marching in the BAPA Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 30. Meet the groups at 110th Pl. and Longwood Dr. at 10:30 am. For more information, call Mike Wolf at 773-239-1439.

At our last meeting, on April 17, we talked about how the church could continue to be a force for positive change in the community, and we discussed what the Social Action Committee could do in this regard. We agreed to assist the OWL project in terms of publicity and recruitment and to work more closely with Unity in Diversity in their efforts to build multi-racial unity in the local community. We also want to look at ways to address the issues of unemployment and racism and the impact these plagues have on the community. If you have any ideas, projects, or comments you would like to share, call Mike Wolf at 773-239- 1439.

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We are called to:

         Live our faith in action,
         Earn a visible presence in the community,
         Offer a place of spiritual renewal.

It is the mission of the Social Action Committee to provide the congregation with the opportunities to “live our faith in action,” so that as individuals and as a congregation we can live our values in the world.  We are inspired by a vision of working for peace and justice rooted in love, and by the UU principle of justice, equity, and compassion in human affairs..  

To this end, we

•    provide volunteer opportunities working with disenfranchised and marginalized people,
•    devote the Sunday service offering to a community or international organization working for justice on the second Sunday of each month,
•    undertake annual food and glove drives to benefit people in and close to our own neighborhood,
•    offer forums and public advocacy opportunities on relevant issues,
•    lead Sunday worship services devoted to social justice,
•    and offer each year a project that can involve the whole faith community, including our children.  

The Social Action Committee meets on the third Sunday of most months, after the service.  We invite you to join us, and have a say in directing the congregation’s work for social justice. 

Second Sunday Collections

On the second Sunday of each month, the monies collected in the offering plate are donated to an organization that lives our values in the world.  All checks and cash (except for checks marked “pledge” in the memo line), are donated. 

The organizations we support are:

•    Jul.-Aug.:    New Neighbors
•    Sep.–Oct.:   South Suburban PADS
•    Nov.–Dec.:   UU Service Committee
•    Jan.-Feb.:    Morgan/Maple Park Food Pantry
•    Mar.-Apr.:    Green Sanctuary
•    May-June:   Natural disasters or organizations nominated by members of the congregation.

If you have a non-profit organization that is close to your heart, particularly one with which you volunteer, please let the Social Action Committee know about it, so that we may consider it for the May or June Second Sunday Collection.

In these hectic times, the time we give is all the more precious.  Life is enriched by living our values in the world, and we provide opportunities to give of your time to those most marginalized and at risk in our faltering economy.  

Some of the volunteer opportunities include:
•    Whenever there is a fifth Thursday in a month, we provide the volunteers for the South Suburban PADS homeless shelter, held in Pilgrim Faith UCC Church in Oak Lawn.  Volunteers set up the mattresses and handle registration.
•    As a congregation, we support the work of New Neighbors, a non-profit organization that provides housing and assistance to one family making the transition out of homelessness each year.  New Neighbors is also expanding their mission to provide services to battered women.  We are committed to provide two delegates to the board of the organization.
 •    We provide tutors for at-risk foster children in the Beverly neighborhood.

For those who can’t give of their time, we also provide the opportunity to participate by donating food for the Morgan/Maple Park Food Pantry in November, that families in need might have a joyous Thanksgiving, and gloves for the homeless men, women, and children at the South Suburban PADS.

Our Second Sunday collection in May and June will go to the Cambodian Arts and Scholarship Fund, which was founded by retired UU minister Fred Lipp and provides support for over 250 Cambodian girls to keep them in school. These are girls who would otherwise be at risk of being sold into international sex trafficking or made to work in sweatshops and factories in harsh working conditions. It’s a big thing to help a Cambodian girl get an education!

Many thanks to all the volunteers who have helped support our work at the South Suburban PADS shelter at the Pilgrim Faith UCC Church in Oak Lawn this year! We couldn’t have done it without you!