This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant

CHURCH OF THE

LARGER FELLOWSHIP

connect ~ deepen ~ act

QUEST MONTHLY PUBLICATION

Read the latest articles

THE VUU PODCAST
The Voices of Unitarian Universalism

MAKE A ONE-TIME GIFT TO SUPPORT OUR WORK

WORSHIP LAST WEEK

“Welcoming Lament”

By Rev. Dr. Michael Tino, Lead Ministry Team

Can lament over the suffering all around us be our hope? Can we express lament without getting stuck there? We seek to build a religious community where that lament is welcome as part of a cycle of healing, growth, and action.

Watch now >

Join us for live worship this Sunday or Monday.

WEEKLY MESSAGE FROM MICHAEL & AISHA

The CLF Opposes Expanding The Carceral State

Rev. Dr. Michael Tino and Aisha Hauser, Lead Ministry Team

In light of the U.S. federal government’s actions towards immigrants, we believe that moral clarity is in order.

Our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to oppose expansion of the carceral state for any reason. This includes the detention and deportation of immigrants. This amoral extension of mass incarceration is based on a political narrative that is exploiting racism and fear of the “other” to shift the window of what is possible in our country towards an acceptance of authoritarianism.

We reject that our society has anything to fear from difference, full stop. Quite the contrary, we believe that a society that embraces the vibrant diversity of humanity is a healthier society. Based on our religious value of pluralism, we celebrate and affirm cultural, language, and theological differences.

The Worthy Now Prison Ministry of the CLF has welcomed incarcerated members to our congregation since 1965, and currently serves over 2,000 incarcerated Unitarian Universalists, including UUs in detention facilities run by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Based in this deep experience, we know that isolation, dehumanization, and punishment solve none of our society’s problems.

We call on all Unitarian Universalists to push back. We call on our siblings in faith, wherever they are, to help us overcome isolation with connection. To help us overcome dehumanization with our shared value that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.

We call on our faith to join us in a moment of moral clarity around mass incarceration and the expansion of our carceral state.

Yours in faith,

Michael and Aisha

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CLF

Isolation is at the very heart of the carceral system —

cutting people off from loved ones, from belonging, from hope.

Through the CLF Worthy Now Prison Ministry, we refuse to let that isolation have the last word. Together, we create life-saving pathways of connection, care, and community for people experiencing incarceration. Letters exchanged. Worship shared. Friendships formed. Sacred connection that says: you are not forgotten, you are worthy now.

But the prison industrial complex keeps raising new barriers. That’s why we need you! Your gift helps build sacred connection.

Donate today — or start your own fundraising team and help us grow the circle of beloved community.

CLICK HERE TO GIVE

Together, we can break through walls of isolation and embody the justice and love our world so urgently needs.