Social Action at First Parish
“You must
be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
How we live determines who we are. Social action at First Parish flows from our individual responses to conditions in the world and our personal quest to enhance our spirituality. We do this within the supportive environment of our broader church community and the mission of First Parish “. . . to act on our values to serve the larger community and create a more just and loving world.” Social action is therefore a way in which each of us can contribute to the realization of this mission statement and make our vision of a better, more just, and equitable world a reality.
The Social Action Committee at First Parish designs, sponsors and participates
in social action activities at the local, national, and international
levels. We believe that there is a way that each and every one of us can
get involved in the important Social Action issues of the early 21st century.
Stand High Stand United (SHSU)
SHSU
is a youth program of the UU Urban Ministry that provides tutoring, mentoring
and weekend enrichment experiences for Roxbury, Dorchester, and other
Boston youth.
Zambian Aids Orphans
Located in the center of southern Africa, Zambia is among the nations
most affected by AIDS. Nearly 20% of Zambia’s four million children
are now orphans, mostly as a result of AIDS. Without outside support,
many of these children would not be able to attend school. By
providing that support, First Parish Church has made school attendance
possible for many children during the past five years.
Smaller Footprints Program
The
goal of Smaller Footprints is to provide
programs that help First Parish Members and Friends live out the UU 7th
Principle: Respect for the Inter-dependent Web of Life.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sunday
The
first Sunday of the month is “Peanut Butter & Jelly Sunday.”
Put your contributions (tuna fish welcome too!) in the basket in Parish
Hall). The Social Action Committee will deliver donations to the Woburn
Council of Social Concern for its shelters and food pantry.
Contact: Suzanne Adams
Dignity Dinners
Twice
a year First Parish provides funds to the Friday Night Supper program
at the Arlington Street Church in Boston. Donations may be made at the
piano on Sunday mornings for the dinner, which will be November 4. Three
or four people are needed to assist in cooking the food at Arlington Street
Church on that Friday afternoon, and four to six people (minimum age 16)
to serve the dinner from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Contact: Bob and Linda Coyne
Green Sanctuary
The
Social Action Committee has just started investigating ways that we can
participate in the UUA sponsored Green
Sanctuary program, heightening our environmental awareness. The Facilities
Committee has already taken a survey of the church to see how we can reduce
our energy usage and the Green Sanctuary program would take this to the
next level. It would then be up to the congregation to decide what extent
they wanted to support the work needed.
Contact: Janet McKenney
Art without Borders
The
goal
of Art without Borders is to preserve and promote artists' rights
in the world. Its members believe that art, through its commitment and
interrogation, is one of the most direct avenues for people to better
understand each other, respect each other's values, and promote peace.
Art makes the community and the world a better place in which to live.
Behind the pure esthetic, the ART Without Borders members believe that
artists help individuals to have the freedom and ability to make meaning,
formulate ideas, ask hard questions and imagine promising alternatives
for the world and ourselves.
Contact: Sirarpi Heghinian Walzer
Good Samaritan Fund
Members of First Parish Church, Bruce and Eva Gordon established an endowed
fund to provide short term assistance to needy individuals in the church
or wider community who come to the attention of the parish minister or
social action committee. Their intent in establishing the fund was to
help our congregation more effectively fulfill the mission of social responsibility
articulated in the Unitarian-Universalist affirmation. Beneficiaries are
to be individuals or families whose circumstances would be significantly
enhanced with modest amounts of money. The fund welcomes monetary donations.
Contact: Carolyn Fleiss or Rev.Bill Clark
The Elizabeth Howe Lecture Series
The Howe Lecture was established in remembrance of congregant Elizabeth
Howe, and the funds allow the church to sponsor nationally recognized
speakers who are addressing matters of concern to us all. Typically held
in the spring, past speakers have included Tim Berners-Lee on the impact
of the World Wide Web on society, Joe Nye on the ethical use of power
in government, and Bill McKibben with Updates from a Heating Planet: Stories
and Strategies on Global Warming.
Contact: Tom Putnam
The John and Ruth Beebe Award
John and Ruth Beebe were long time active members of this church, participating
in all aspects of church life, especially the children’s religious
education program and our social action activities. This award was established
in shortly after John’s long illness and death. It is given to congregants
who have shown an exceptional dedication to Social Action at First Parish.
The awards, which are not on a special schedule, have been given to Althea
Phillips, in recognition of her outstanding support of the Dignity Dinners
at Arlington Street Church in Boston, and Al Jacobson, in 2006, in recognition
of his long chairmanship of the Social Action committee.
Contact: Any member of the Social Action Committee
City Year Servathon
Each Fall a group of our youth and supportive adults travel into Boston
to take part in the massive Citiyear Servathon where teams are sent to
work on service projects all over the City.
Contact: Any member of the Senior High youth group if
you would like to act as chaperone.
Amnesty International Letter Writing
Occasionally the entire congregation will participate in an Amnesty International
Letter Writing Campaign following a Sunday church service. Typically this
will involve writing and addressing four or five letters.
Contact: Al Jacobson
Second Collection
Several times per year we open the pulpit on a Sunday morning for someone
to speak about a social concern they are passionate about (and which FP
does not have ongoing congregational involvement), and to request donations
to this charitable cause.
Contact: Any member of the Social Action Committee
Guest at Your Table
Each
year in the weeks leading up to Christmas First Parish families keep the
less fortunate in mind by depositing money in the UU Service Committee’s Guest at Your Table donation box as a part of each family meal.
Contact: Chris Kyle and John Shugert.
Social Action Committee Contacts
Speak to a member of the Social Action Committee and ask how you can get involved by putting your own UU principals into practice.
| Janet McKenney (Co-Chair) |
| Carolyn Fleiss (Co-Chair) |
| Marilyn Campbel (Co-Chair) |
| Liz Adams |
| Allen Armstrong |
| Cris Carter |
| Connie Counts |
| Al Jacobson |
| Bob Kvaal |
| Christine Kyle |
| Rodney Lowe |
| Tom Putnam |
| Pete Tasker |
| Sirarpi Heghinian Walzer |
| Lynne Yansen |