Just Acts: Gather Our Spirits to Vote Love & Defeat Hate - Archived

Beloved First Unitarian Church of Honolulu,

As we gather in for the new congregational year – during the pandemic, during a time of uprising, reaction and authoritarianism, and as we head into an historic election where our democracy is on the line – let us gather our spirits and harvest our power.

The UUA Organizing Strategy Team, UU the Vote, Side with Love and our partners have opportunities and resources for us all for meeting this moment as a faith community.

We UUs have been engaged in an unprecedented collaboration and mobilization for the 2020 elections through our UU the Vote Campaign. Now, as we head into the Fall push, it is time to bring the full capacity of our faith. We have a full range of resources and activities for you and your congregation:

1) Join Our UU the Vote National Phonebanks with front line community organizing partners who are reaching out to people in Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin targeted by voter suppression to get them the information they need to vote. Training is provided as part of these two hour events. Please join and recruit volunteers!

Our next national phone bank will be on Thursday, September 17th, from 4-6 pm EST with UU Justice Ohio (UUJO) and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. Sign up here! Once your congregational team is trained, you can phone bank together any time.

2) UU the Vote Phonebank Squad Activation Huddle on Saturday, September 19th at 11am Pacific / 12pm Mountain / 1pm Central / 2pm Eastern. We need volunteers who are good with Zoom, can provide basic tech support, and/or who have phonebanked before. If you or someone you know can volunteer to support at least 2 of our upcoming phonebanks please join the Phonebank Squad. If you can’t attend on the 19th but want to join ‘the Phonebank Squad’ please fill out this Volunteer Form and share with others and we will be in touch.

3) It Starts with Faith Organizing School. It’s not too late to join — there are still three more sessions (starting tonight) on Digital Organizing 101, Organizing for November 4th and Beyond, and closing with a final reflection.

4) Vote Love, Defeat Hate: Organizing for the Long Haul Worship Service. Join UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, the UU the Vote team, and a lineup of powerful, prophetic UU voices and musicians as we explore the intersections of faith, justice, and democracy in this collective virtual service. Register here to receive access to livestream and videos, available starting September 22nd for use at Sept. 27th worship services through November 1st.

5) Gather the Spirit, a UU the Vote virtual mass mobilization on Wednesday, September23rd at 7:30 ET / 4:30 PT will get us ready for ‘all hands on deck this fall’ where we’ll hear from UU leaders and musicians as we gather together to be nourished by the abundant, loving spirit of our beloved community.

Save the Dates! Harvest the Power Week of Action Oct. 21st-Oct. 27th. More info coming soon! To get the most up to date information and resources, sign up to receive the UU the Vote Newsletter.

6) Fill out our UU the Vote Congregational Survey. Let us know how your congregation has been engaged in electoral organizing and what you have planned. Help us track our collective actions by filling out this short survey.

7) Get Out the Vote $500 Grants from the UU Funding Program are still available to UU congregations through Oct. 28th.

In the past few months, we have powerfully answered the call of this political moment– engaging thousands of UUs in non-partisan voter engagement and contributing to a movement for liberation that many of us couldn’t have even imagined when the year began.

 

Taking A Collective Breath: Deepening our alignment with the Movement for Black Lives is a joint Side With Love and UUSC webinar series to  deepen our collective activism and participation in the Movement for Black Lives. The Next Session is Tuesday, Sept. 22nd.  (Previous sessions are available for viewing).

 

We cannot achieve justice by ourselves.  It takes a movement and we are so grateful to our partners.

 

  • #FreeThemAll Week of Action, Sept. 9-13. An American Friends Service Committee Coalition that includes the UUA and Side with Love. The dates mark the anniversary of the Attica uprising.  For more information, see www.afsc.org/freethemall. UU minister Rev. Jason Lydon at Second Unitarian Church of Chicago will be speaking for our faith at the Sunday, Sept. 13th service at 7:30 pm. Register here.

 

  • The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is hosting a major event – Voting is Power Unleashed – on voter engagement and protection on Monday, September 14, 2020, 7:00pm – 9:00pm ET. Learn more and sign up here.

 

As part of effectively building with the Poor People’s Campaign, the UUA Poor People’s Campaign Leadership Council has put together a short survey to identify UUs already involved in or seeking to join this campaign.  Please respond by Oct. 10th to help us more powerfully build this movement.

We’re looking forward to gathering our spirits and harvesting our power with you this fall and beyond.

In faith and solidarity,

Susan
On behalf of the UUA Organizing Strategy Team

Susan Leslie
Congregational Advocacy & Witness Director
UUA Organizing Strategy Team
sleslie@uua.org, 617-948-4607
www.uua.org/justice * www.uuthevote.org

Our work is made possible by congregations’ generous gifts to the Annual Program Fund and individual friends like you. Please consider making a gift today!

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