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Stephanie and Joseph Morales, members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Flint, Michigan, are refusing to pay water bills because the water supply is toxic and unusable. The city’s water supply was switched from Detroit to the Flint River in April 2014, causing widespread chemical contamination. (ThinkProgress.org – 1.27.16)
As state and federal leaders look into the Flint water crisis, city residents are delivering a petition to the mayor calling for a moratorium on water bills and shutoffs. Unitarian Universalist minister the Rev. Deane Oliva urges state leaders to act quickly to find a solution as the city’s water supply may only last through the end of the year. (Public News Service – 1.28.16)
To learn how you can support Unitarian Universalists and other Flint residents, see this message from the Rev. Deane Oliva on the UUA MidAmerica Region’s website.
Dear Abby recommends Unitarian Universalism—again
A writer calling themselves "Unorthodox in Ohio" asked Abby in the famous "Dear Abby" advice column whether they should continue attending a Christian church despite feeling guilty that their beliefs didn’t really fit. Abby responded by suggesting they try Unitarian Universalism, where there is no dogma and individuals support one another’s spiritual path, something she has previously recommended to others. (uexpress.com – 1.23.16)
Working for community healing from gun violence, racial prejudice
The Rev. Pat Jobe of Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in South Carolina said that after the mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, area clergy got together and vowed to do more to prevent such tragedies in the future. The congregation will join an interfaith event to reduce gun violence and has been involved with several other events to address prejudice as well. (Greenville Online – 1.27.16)
After Beverly Unitarian Church in Illinois received anonymous threats for posting a Black Lives Matter message on their electronic outdoor sign, leaders from churches in the area joined with them to organize a murder moratorium in Chicago on Easter Sunday. A day without a murder in Chicago is sadly so rare that when the last one occurred in 2012, it made national news. (Chicago Tribune – 1.27.16)
The Unitarian Universalist Church in Meriden, Connecticut, invited members of the local Baitul Aman Mosque of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to a recent worship service as a way to show their support for their Muslim neighbors. The idea came from a church member who attended an open house at the mosque, held after gunshots were fired at the unoccupied building in November. (MyRecordJournal.com – 1.25.16)
Young adult reflects on her privilege to pass as white
Unitarian Universalist Summer Awad reflects on her recent experience of being pulled over by a police officer for speeding on her way to her local UU church. She noted her own privilege in being able to pass for white in her interaction with the officer and considered how the traffic stop might have been different if she looked like Sandra Bland, the 28 year old black woman who died in police custody in Texas last summer. (The Daily Beacon – 1.27.16)