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After its Black Lives Matter banner was torn down for the second time in a month, the Unitarian Church in Westport, Connecticut, was committed to promptly rehanging a new one because, as the church’s senior minister, the Rev. John Morehouse, observed, “The fact that it’s being taken down means it’s needed.” The banner was first hung in October 2016 and it initially elicited many great conversations with community members. (Westport News – 9.28.17)
Members of Theodore Parker Church in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, recently voted to hang a Black Lives Matter banner outside of their building. They have been discussing the idea since 2016 but were worried about how local first responders, such as police and fire fighters, might respond. The church’s minister, the Rev. Anne Bancroft, contacted the local police department about it and was told that the church’s first amendment rights would be respected. (WickedLocal.com – 9.27.17)
More coverage:
“Marpe on Vandalized Banner: ‘Angry it’s Gone Again,’” (WesportNow.com – 9.28.17)
Supporting opioid recovery in Massachusetts
Murray Unitarian Universalist Church in Attleboro, Massachusetts, recently hosted a vigil for victims, allies, and families of people struggling with opioid addiction. The event was an important way for addicts to see that they were not alone and for loved ones to remember those lost to addiction. The congregation is working with local police and a local hospital to establish a recovery drop-in center that will be housed in the church. (Sun-Chronicle – 9.27.17)
Creating green space in Nashville
After receiving and anonymous donation to build a playground on its property, and then having the funds fall short of what was needed to create a safe surface for play, Greater Nashville Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Tennessee partnered with a local nonprofit call the Cumberland River Compact to work out a solution. The effort turned into the pilot project for Depave Nashville, where volunteers and members of neighboring churches came together to haul away asphalt and create a new green space and playground on GNUUC’s property. (StyleBlueprint.com – 9.29.17)