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In 2006 and continuing today, volunteers from First Universalist Church of Rockland, Maine, have helped to reclaim and rebuild homes in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana. Organizer Rick Prose notes that the group has built more houses than Brad Pitt, who began a rebuilding project in a neighboring ward. (Boothbay Register – 8.24.15)
Learn more about the ongoing rebuilding effort at Lowernine.org.
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, many remember the grievous failures of the federal government’s response to the disaster. One interfaith leader also notes that it was religious groups that primarily stepped in to fill the gap in providing support and relief, including Unitarian Universalist congregations in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas. (Huffington Post – 8.27.15)
UU congregations remain targets of vandalism
In Michigan, members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland recently held a special dedication ceremony as they replaced multiple flags that had been stolen from their property in the past year. In addition to a gay pride and transgender rights flag, the congregation also added a Black Lives Matter banner during the ceremony. (Midland Daily News - 8.22.15)
In Nevada, the Rev. Neal Anderson, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada, noted that the defacing of his congregation’s Black Lives Matter banner is a poignant reminder of why they have such a sign. Vandals painted the word “white” over the word “black” in the banner. (MyNews4.com – 8.27.15)
In New Jersey, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore received a hostile response on its Facebook page after it placed a Black Lives Matter banner on its property. The congregation’s minister, the Rev. Cynthia Cain, is bewildered by the negative sentiment and wonders why some fear empathizing with people of color. (pressofAtlanticCity.com – 8.26.15)
Honoring a beloved minister
Father, husband, and longtime minister of First Church in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, the Rev. Terry Burke died on August 15. The Rev. Chris Hedges gave a eulogy at his funeral service that noted how Burke’s light of goodness and justice would continue on in all of his family and friends. (truthdig.com – 8.23.15)