Social Justice

Find your passion in helping…

Unitarian Universalists are called to be actively engaged in the world and to work for social justice. Our social justice work is grounded in our seven principles which inform our actions as we expand our place in the world to include those who hunger, seek justice, or struggle with poverty and environmental degradation.

It is simple to make a difference…

Social action work at FPC is coordinated by a Social Justice Council, which oversees the social justice projects that are initiated by members of the congregation.

Social Justice Council

The Social Justice Council, chaired by Joshua Ledwell (socialjustice@fpc-stow-acton.org), welcomes any church member with interests in social justice work to join us!

The Council votes to select, from congregation-wide nominations, which initiatives are most in line with guidelines for monthly plate-sharing. The Council meets three times a year; members are available to one another and interested individuals electronically and by phone. The Council urges individuals to find at least two other people in the congregation who are interested in helping them execute their project.

Getting involved is easy! You’ll find you get more than you give.  Get in touch with the Council chair for more information.

Social Justice Task Forces
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TASK FORCE:
CLIMATE CHANGE TASK FORCE:
  • Sharon Brownfield & Rick Lent: climate@fpc-stow-acton.org
  • The Climate Change Task Force exists to help us leave a better climate for future generations
  • It includes the PLANT-A-ROW project which supplies garden grown produce to local food pantries, plantarow@fpc-stow-acton.org.
LGBTQ TASK FORCE:
RACIAL JUSTICE TASK FORCE:
REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE TASK FORCE:
SUPPORTING ASYLUM SEEKERS TASK FORCE:

Ongoing Activities with Contact Information
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
FPC GUEST TABLE: (Monthly community meals)
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY:
PEACE (Weekly peace vigils):
PRISON OUTREACH:
RIA (Supporting survivors of human trafficking):
SOUTHEAST INDIA:

Please also note our LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

Plate-Sharing: The Council

The Church shares its monthly offering with a different charity throughout the year. The monthly Plate Sharing has helped to educate the congregation and our broader community, as well as provide vital funding for a range of international, national and local organizations.

Plate Sharing gives FPC and the larger community a chance to learn about charities and understand how individual congregants can be personally engaged in local, national, and global social justice work. In nominating a recipient for plate-sharing, Nominators should explain their own personal connection to the issue, how they intend to keep the congregation informed about the work, and how the project interfaces with the larger community. These responsibilities are fully described in the FPC Plate Sharing Policy, and include:

  • Writing a short explanatory article to appear in the Chronicle newsletter at the start of the month when the plate-sharing will occur
  • Drafting a short message for the Order of Service Bulletin each Sunday of the month featuring the cause
  • Using the FPC Announce newsgroup to remind and educate the congregation about the project at least twice during the month
  • Confirm that a spoken announcement is made at least twice during the month before the service begins to remind people about the coffee hour materials
  • Being present at coffee hours during Sundays of their assigned month to share descriptive and educational materials on the Social Action Table, which inform, engage, and specify ways for people to get involved with the issue.