Social Justice Committee

The Social Justice Committee has been an active participant in UU Nashua Church affairs since 1987, organizing educational events, initiating/supporting outreach programs, and helping to serve as our congregation's social justice advocates.

We have a table most Sundays during coffee hour, and we invite you to stop by for conversation and exploration about how you can get involved. Come see us!

Upcoming Events

Our Mission Statement

The Social Justice committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua, grounded in our UU principles, is committed to making our church a force for positive social change in our community and in society at large.

We advocate for peace, justice, compassion and caring. We encourage all church members to be engaged, through their deeds and generosity, in issues of local, national and global concern, and to develop action plans in areas of particular interest to them.

We provide a forum for a wide range of ideas on issues of concern. We ask church members and friends to actively participate in educational programs on important social issues.

We work with UU churches, other religious congregations, civic, labor and social service organizations and all groups that are seeking to build a more peaceful, just and caring society.

Social Justice Action Groups!

In 2006 we organized our social justice work into separate "action groups" around some timely issues and community concerns. These groups plan events, coordinate with other groups working on the same issues, and strategize about ways to meet achievable goals. Action groups also look for ways to deepen congregational involvement. Our current action groups are:

 

Action Group Brief Description
Community Action Organize Nashua Soup Kitchen meal preparation, manage Sunday outreach collections, and work with other groups, including the Greater Nashua Continuum of Care toward goal of ending homelessness in Nashua.
UU Ministry for the Earth Continue with "Green Sanctuary" program for church and organize around RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative).
UU Nashua Green Sanctuary

Note: The Green Sanctuary project is temporarily on hold.
Iraq War/Road to Peace Work with Nashua Peace, NH Peace Action and other groups to organize vigils, marches, and other activities toward peace in Iraq/return home of US troops.
Healthcare Brainstorm healthcare issues and educate on healthcare solutions. Last spring, we asked the congregation to respond to the question: What would a UU Healthcare Plan Look Like?" Click here for a summary of your responses.

Please visit our Social Justice Table in coffee hour for more information.

UU Action Network of New Hampshire

The UU Action Network of New Hampshire (UUAN)is an education and advocacy network of Unitarian Universalists in the state of New Hampshire. UUAN is working to strengthen the network and to help coordinate focused action on targeted issues, so that NH UU's can have a stronger voice on the issues that matter to us.

For more information, please check the UUAN web site (http://www.uuactionnetworknh.org/), visit the Social Justice table during coffee hour, and stay tuned for information coming to you through church (services, newsletters, etc.).

Granite State Organizing Project

The Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP) is an organization in New Hampshire's Merrimack Valley (including Concord, Manchester, Nashua, and adjoining towns). It is made up of representatives from religious, labor, and community groups that work together to address local issues of vital concern and improve life in our region. The issues that GSOP have identified as most critical to our area are housing, healthcare, jobs, and education, and work is going on in each of those areas to research the underlying issues, consider the strategies that we might take, and initiate courses of action.

Our church is a sponsoring member of GSOP, and church members can get involved in various ways. Please please check the GSOP web site (http://gsopnh.tripod.com/) or stop by the Social Justice Committee table for more information.

UUA General Assembly Resolutions

Every June, the GA passes a number of resolutions, classified either a "Statement of Conscience" or "Action of Immediate Witness," on issues of social justice:

You can investigate, by year, all the GA resolutions that have been adopted since 1961 by going to www.uua.org/actions/chronological.html.

Recommended Web Sites

Some web sites particularly recommended by the Social Justice Committee:

Some legislative/congressional oriented sites:

Senate Official Web Site www.senate.gov
House Official Web Site www.house.gov
THOMAS (the most comprehensive legislative search engine) thomas.loc.gov
Your link to Congress www.congress.org
Webster (New Hampshire legislative search engine) www.state.nh.us
State by state analysis of major political agendas www.stateline.org

Some other recommended sites:

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee www.uusc.org
UUA Faith in Action www.uua.org/faithinaction
United for a Fair Economy www.ufenet.org
American Friends Service Committee www.afsc.org
Interfaith Alliance www.tialliance.org
National Labor Council www.nlcnet.org
National Coalition against Legalized Gambling www.ncalg.org
Planned Parenthood Federation of America www.plannedparenthood.org
Center for Reproductive Law and Policy www.crlp.org
Death Penalty Resource Center www.essential.org/dpic
Campaign to End the Death Penalty www.nodeathpenalty.org