SOCIAL ACTION

Social Justice Committee

Ours is a faith which seeks to address injustice at the local and global levels. As individuals, and as a congregation, we continue to learn about, speak out,and act on specific social issues, guided by our Unitarian Universalist beliefs in tolerance, freedom, and the inherent worth and dignity of all persons.

The Mission Statement of the Social Justice Committee is to inform and educate congregation members and, as appropriate, the larger public about matters of social concern; to explore ways and means of rectifying identified social injustices; to lend appropriate support to groups and individuals working to address recognized social problems; and to encourage and assist public officials to foster a just and peaceful community, nation and world.

In the 2004-05 church year our mission directed us to the following activities:

Grassroots International The Social Justice Committee is in the process of completing this fiscal year's project on the Palestine/Israel issue. It is the "Education for Action Project For a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine." The Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME), in collaboration with Grassroots International (GRI) and through the generous support of the UU Funding Program, has been developing and facilitating an interactive workshop curriculum for a just peace in Israel/Palestine based on Unitarian Universalist principles for use in Unitarian Universalist parishes nationwide.

UU-UNO In the fall of 2004, we voted for our congregation to become a member of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office. The UU-UNO, the official representative of the UUA to the UN, is a faith-based non-governmental organization (NGO) which works with the Department of Public Information (DPI) and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSCO). It serves to educate UUs about the UN through its web site (www.UU-UNO.org), newsletters, the annual intergenerational seminar, and informational films and tapes. Although UN Sunday is recognized nationally in October, our congregation will celebrate it on May 1st when Paul Diamond, the former director of accounting for the UN, will speak on the UN and the 6th UU Principle and will lead an informal discussion after the service. Whenever we visit NYC, the UU-UNO invites us to visit its office across the street from the UN at The Church Center, 777 UN Plaza, phone 212-986-5165.

GBAM Food Cupboard. Our church is now a regular participant in the Greater Bay Area Ministerium bimonthly distribution of food to people in need.

Restorative Justice. We restarted our restorative justice effort during the 2002-2003 church year, stimulated by a letter from Sheriff Story to the editors of local papers about improving the criminal justice process in our county. In written responses to his letter two members of the committee encouraged Story to consider restorative justice in the formation of the Waldo County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee around the plans to redevelop the Waldo County jail and associated services. A strategic plan was formulated at our November meeting that included a face to face meeting with the sheriff, a community wide meeting to stimulate interest in restorative justice, and a follow-up meeting for those community members interested in directly participating in some version of restorative justice in Waldo County.

Following Dick Snyder's December meeting with the sheriff, a late December meeting was held with the sheriff and community group of ten (including six people from our church) for a full discussion of the Sheriff's Office position of restorative justice. Realizing from that meeting strong support from the Sheriff's Office, the Social Justice Cmte. and several other community members met January 6 to develop plans to attract broad community wide support for Restorative Justice.

The first step in that plan was the February 3, 7-9PM, meeting at the Belfast Library to which church leaders and members, social service workers, educators, and attorneys were invited by the Waldo County Restorative Justice Committee (WCRJC). The WCRJC was gratified to have 40 people attend representing all segments of those invited. The program provided an orientation to world-wide restorative justice programs with emphases on Maine programs from people providing such in-state services to victims and juvenile offenders. At the conclusion of this meeting we announced our intention to take second step by the holding another community meeting March 1 to provide a more in-depth look at the several restorative justice intervention being done in Maine. A dozen people in attendance expressed interest taking a next step with us. While our Social Justice Committee was well represented in the subsequent restorative justice in Waldo County, the developmental process was strengthened by shifting the focus to the WCRJC.

The second step meeting provided 10 people with in depth information on Maine's Community Resolution Team (CRT) process, offender support services, as well as other aspects of restorative justice activities in our state. From this four hour meeting, a number of church members and friends decided to take advantage of the Department of Corrections training for facilitators of CRTs. Eight Waldo County citizens attended this training on March 29, of whom three of were members/friends of our church. Facilitators of CRTs must have received this DOC training.

On April 14 the last step in our strategic plan for the 2002-03 year was taken when four representatives of the WCRJC met with the Waldo County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, group studying the redevelopment of our county jail. The WCRJC representatives were very well received. After the meeting, the WCRJC representatives predicted that Waldo County would likely convene its first Community Resolution Team in May or June of this year.

That this outcome would be achieved by June 2003 exceeded the most optimistic hopes of any of the participants.

Peace with Justice. We continued our support of the Waldo County Peace & Justice Group (WCPJG) through our financial and personal support of their film series. Additional financial support has gone toward the purchase of films/videos distributed to area organizations sponsoring education programs on international cooperation and relations.

Guests at Your Table. We supported the Guest at your Table Program of the UU Service Committee. This program is a powerful voice for human rights and has provided leadership for social change in communities throughout the United States and around the world. The contributions from our church this year amounted to $250.00, slightly less than last year. Individual donors who contribute more than $24.00 become members of the UUSC.