Peace and Justice Coalition
Mission of the Peace and Justice Coalition:
"We are a liberal religious community seeking trans-formation
in our hearts, our homes, our community and our world. We come together
to create a spiritual community that nurtures and inspires us as
we search for meaning in our lives, take responsibility for helping
to solve the problems of our community, promote social and economic
justice, furthering our work to dismantle racism, homophobia, and
all forms of oppression, respect the beauty and mystery of nature
by actively preserving our environment. We are Unitarian Universalists,
building upon our heritage as advocates for the rights and dignity
of all."
The second Peace and Justice Coalition meeting of the year was
held on January 24th. The turnout was impressive, with many committees
well represented and several new and interested people who came
to check out our many initiatives and upcoming events.
The positive results of community leadership training at the IAF
(Industrial Areas Foundation) were presented by a recent participant.
This training occurs twice a year at Drew University; our local
IAF work is carried out by NJ Together at Montclair.
The Undoing Racism Committee is planning their annual Spring Youth
Conference in May, for youth both within our UU and in the larger
community. Plans will be emerging for how our congregation can become
involved in the African-American Parade in June.
Our New Sanctuary Committee continues to represent our congregation
in its contact with and support of the Carmona family. Mrs. Carmona's
deportation is on hold, as her case has been reopened; her children
are in school, and she has found a voice in her own activism in
this important cause.
The Green Sanctuary Committee has been providing the congregation
with green tips for more ecological and environmentally conscious
living. They are continuing to push forward on the steps towards
the accreditation of our UUCM as a designated "Green Sanctuary."
The Peace and Justice Committee sponsored a lay led service last
month and remains committed to the work of the Peace Alliance in
working towards creating a cabinet level Department of Peace.
The UU Legislative Ministry of New Jersey held their plenary session
on January 30th after our own UU held a reception for UUA President
Peter Morales the night before. An action group is forming at our
UU to help with the work of legislative, housing, economic justice,
immigration, the environment, and health care issues.
The many and varied ministries of our work continue to impress.
All of the above groups would welcome the interest and participation
of new people. Consult the P & J Coalition brochure or contact
Francesca Elms at (973) 783-2569 or francescaelms@verizon.net
to connect with the ways that you can help heal the world.
Respectfully submitted,
Francesca Elms
Chair, Peace and Justice Coalition
UPCOMING EVENTS
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