Social Action Council

OUR MISSION:
To live our Unitarian Universalist principles by providing opportunities to learn about and engage in social justice
 
OUR VISION:
To be a catalyst in our wider community’s efforts to build a world based on love and justice – a world that affirms the worth, dignity and rights of every person and interdependence of all life.
 
OUR VALUES: 
Relationships make things possible
Change occurs when we are empowered
Act with loving resistance
 

Last year, First Church congregants were invited to participate in a Social Action Council (SAC) poll to identify their most pressing social justice issues.  The top issues selected were:

      • Racial/Ethnic Justice
      • Healthcare Reform
      • Climate/Environmental Justice
      • Voting Rights/Democracy
      • Economic Justice

SAC will be focusing on these and other justice issues in 2022, with an immediate focus on Voting Rights/Democracy given the current environment in Texas and our country.  We will be working with our allies and coalitions on this. Multiple opportunities will be available to participate in, so we hope to hear from you regarding this justice area as well as any other justice issue that you have a passion to work on.

We also work with other congregations in the state to further our UU principles. Our church is a founding congregation of TXUUJM (Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry). TXUUJM has over 35 congregations around the state that work together to promote state legislation that align with our beliefs and values.

Learn more about TXUUJM HERE. 

SAC started 2022 off with a January 6th Remembrance Event hosted at our church, involving both local and national groups focused on democracy and voting rights. Many of our SAC members are working at the local level, assisting in voter registration and related activities (deputy registrar training, poll workers, poll watchers, etc.) given the elections occurring this year.

How to participate in Social Action

  1. For general questions about our Social Action Council, contact . Also, consider being one of our members by completing a membership form available HERE.
  2. Join a Justice Team: Most of our work is done by the teams outlined below. Contact the team leaders to learn more about the groups you are interested in.
  3. Attend Social Issues Forums : These are usually held monthly on Zoom (and hopefully in-person at some point in time in the future). Forums feature prominent speakers and lively discussions on current Social Justice issues. Announcements on upcoming Forums will be made on the website and elsewhere in church social media.

Teams:

Racial/Ethnic Justice

This team focuses on learning about systemic racism and the ways discrimination shows up in our community and state, as well as how we can address and advocate for changes to provide everyone equal opportunity. SAC works with the Racial Equity Task Force (RETF) on these issues.

Climate/Environmental Team

Actions include learning, education and advocacy. The Climate Action Team is organized within the     Social Action Council and partners with other organizations that are committed to taking constructive action on climate change and other environmental issues.

Healthcare Reform Team

This team focuses on efforts to provide health care more equitably to all people. Advocating for the expansion of services and affordability are primary goals.

Voting Rights/Democracy Team

Issues such as voter suppression and gerrymandering are a focus of this team, as well as taking efforts to increase education and enhance voter registration and turnout. Advocating via contact with our elected representatives is also a key component of this team.

Economic Justice Team

This is a broad brush team, focusing on ways that inequity impacts people economically. Such things as housing disparity, minimum wage, job training, and incarceration laws are but a few of the areas where economic inequality becomes evident. Advocating for changes in law and policy on the local and state level are a focus.