Social Action Special Activities

Special Activities

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In the 2011-12 church year:

March, is the month that the Social Action Committee does a Sunday Service. We decided to do our service about a very real but invisible problem here in Belfast, "The Plight of the Homeless Teenager." Our speakers were Patricia & Ray Estabrook from the Game Loft, and Jessica Falconer from Waldo County Safe Homes Project.

February, we asked the congregation for a special collection plate for the Restorative Justice Project. The congregation donated $500 to the project.

We also unfortunately had to add two new businesses that are not accessible to the Accessibility Project list. A new list was printed out for the congregation.

January, we did a survey of the congregation. The top three actions they wanted to pursue were: 1. The Accessibility Project, 2. Economic Inequality, and 3. Working with the Peace and Justice Group of Waldo County.

December, we again worked with Amnesty International on their annual "Write For Rights" campaign. We generated letters for 14 prisoners of conscience for the congregation to sign. Because of our efforts as well as millions of others around the world, one of the prisoners was set free two weeks later.

November, the Social Justice Committee voted to change their name to the Social Action Committee.

October, we presented a talk by two of the passengers, Ridgely Fuller and Jeff Pickert, who were on the "Audacity of Hope" which was part of the Freedom Flotilla. They were planning on breaking the blockade to Gaza, but unfortunately they were never allowed to leave the port in Greece. They spoke about non-violent resistance in the West Bank and Gaza.

We also were a co-sponsor along with the First Church in Belfast, United Church of Christ, in conjunction with the Peace & Justice Group of Waldo County, of a Waldo County Community Resources Fair at the First Church in Belfast. At this day-long event, representatives from Waldo County educational institutions, social service agencies, non-profit organizations, and religious organizations came together to present information and to offer workshops on a wide range of services available in Waldo County to meet the needs of the public.

September, we again worked with Amnesty International and generated letters for eight prisoners of conscience for the congregation to sign. Each letter went out with at least forty signatures of support.

Also, the first MS walk in Belfast was held, and our chair, Dan Avener, was a participant in it.

July, we met for our annual planning meeting.

In the 2010-11 church year:

June, we sponsored the Asante Sana benefit for Expanding Opportunities; the performances by African drumming and dance group, DJUMP; belly dancing & flamenco fusion by Helena Melone; and the live music with Tom Luther on piano and Jeff Densmore on drums was enjoyed by all who came. The benefit raised money for the JWHS orphanage in Kenya.

May, we held a forum entitled "Wheelchair Accessibility in Belfast"at the Belfast Free Library's Abbott room.

Our panel consisted of (from left to right): Mary Weaver Dutch, a community accessibility activist; Jack Driscoll, Director of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce; Dan Avener; Marina Delune, city Councilwoman for Belfast; Neva Allen; and Stephen Allen.

April, we co-sponsored with the Peace and Justice Group of Waldo County the film "Up the Ridge." Some Maine legislators and a for-profit prison corporation are contemplating a large Federal Prison in Milo, Maine, in exchange for shipping Maine's state inmates to corporate prisons out of state. This film gives an in-depth look at the US prison industry and the social impact of moving thousands of prisoners to distant states as well as the actual effects on the small rural town's residents and economy. The film was shown at the Belfast Free Library's Abbott room and was free and open to the public.

We also co-sponsored the yearly "Empty Bowl Supper"with MOFGA's El Salvador Sistering Committee. Each year MOFGA serves this supper to raise funds for the El Salvador Committee's work. Those funds have helped bring Salvadorans to Maine to tour farms, meet with community organizers and agricultural officials, and participate in the Common Ground Country Fair. Proceeds also have helped fund events relating to the Central American Free Trade Agreement for MOFGA's sistering organization in El Salvador, and supported work to prevent mining companies from destroying Salvadoran mountains and agricultural lands.

March, was a very busy month for the Social Justice Committee. Being that it was Social Justice Month, we sponsored "The Charity Contest."A contest on the subject of "The Relationship of War, Peace, and Poverty." The contest was open to all members of the church especially the RE members, and it ended with an awards dinner on Sunday, March 27, at the church. The entries were in the form of essays, poems, stories, or works of art. Judging of the entries was done by a panel composed of members of the Social Justice Committee, the Economic Inequality Committee, and an RE member. There were two awards: The children's award, won by Jeremiah King, was a $50 gift certificate to "The Planet" store. Jeremiah picked out a gift for himself plus a gift for a child at Waldo County General Hospital. The adult's award, won by Lucy Carver, was a $150, and she decided to donate her award to the "Waldo County Peace Activists Award For Graduating Students" in Waldo County.

"THE WINNERS"


Lucy Carver	Jeremiah King

On Social Justice Sunday , March 27, Dan Avener gave a sermon about the committee. He talked about what the purpose was for the committee and what activities the committee has been doing for this year as well as past years.

We also had some exciting news regarding our Accessibility Project. The Belfast Chamber of Commerce Visitors’ Center now has a ramp.

February, three members of the Committee, Stephen Allen, Neva Allen, and Dan Avener, appeared in front of the Belfast City Council on February 1st to talk about the Accessibility Project. A resolution indicating the city council's support was passed with a unanimous vote.

We joined with many other peace and religious organizations nationwide in support of the US-flagged ship "Audacity of Hope." We sent a $25 donation and posted information on how others could donate on our website, the UUBB, and in the newsletter. The ship will join the second Freedom Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, in Palestine.

January, in observation of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, Jan. 17, for the second year we sponsored a mock trial of a young man who had evaded the draft on conscientious objector grounds. Held at the church, the "Issues on Trial" event was put on by talented young people from the Game Loft and by prominent adult figures. The 100 people who jammed the "courtroom" seemed to thoroughly enjoy the enactment. The subject of the mock trial was appropriate for Martin Luther King Day, since he had actively opposed the war.

December, we wrote letters for the Amnesty International Write-A-Thon. Four of our committee members composed letters for the 12 people Amnesty International focused on. We then asked the congregation to sign copies of the letters. We were able to generate 50 letters with many of them having multiple signatures.

The Accessibility Project was featured in a show on BCTV. Here is the link to the show:
http://vimeo.com/18071369 .

November, we hosted the Veterans For Peace marchers. Belfast was one of their stops.
We provided them with an evening meal, entertainment, and accommodations.

We sent a letter to Senator Snowe thanking her for her action to suppress the FDA approval process for genetically engineered salmon.