MSJE has been busy this summer! In June we invited speakers from the Texas Freedom Network to talk about becoming a Reproductive Justice Congregation, and in July we hosted the Pride Community Center’s Potluck Picnic for the Bryan-College Station LGBTQ community. I was so delighted to see UUCBV members lending their time, talents, and treasure towards making these events possible, and even happier with how well-attended they were. Most importantly, both events signal the potential for greater engagement between the church and our surrounding community. Summer can be a slow time of year, but these past few months have been a testament to the fact that we can keep up the action and service, even in the Texas heat.
MSJE, along with the Board and other interested congregants, has also been busy planning our future directions as a group and as a church. As you may have noticed (and I’m sure mine will not be the only Lat article to mention it!), UUCBV is in the process of forming teams to address two significant themes that have emerged from our discussions: Reproductive Justice, and environmental issues as they relate to our building and operations - often referred to as becoming a Green Church. These teams have the flexibility to go beyond MSJE’s normal functions, coordinating with MSJE and keeping us updated, but not necessarily attending our meetings. I even use the word “teams” loosely, merely to refer to groups of individuals interested in working together toward the same goals.
I hope you will consider participating in one of these teams - they both have the potential to change UUCBV for the better. The Reproductive Justice team, led by Pam Johnson (prljohnson@yahoo.com) and Maya Lazarus (deblazarus@yahoo.com), will plan programming for our church and the community around Reproductive Justice topics, likely making use of the extensive curriculum provided by the UUA. The goal is to learn, share, and grow toward earning the Reproductive Justice Congregation designation. The Green Church team is looking at how UUCBV can introduce more environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices to our regular operations, both at Hillel and in our future home on 29th Street, and how we can assist the Sacred Space team in planning for a UUA-accredited Green Sanctuary. We are also brainstorming activities, programs, and speakers that relate to our relationship with Planet Earth. If you’ve seen or heard the Green Tip of the Week, that’s us! Please let me (zirelynd@gmail.com) know if you are interested in joining or providing leadership for this team - right now, we are operating in true collective fashion.
Related links:
Pictures and info from the Pride Potluck: https://www.brazos-uu.org/post/pride-potluck-a-resounding-success
UUA Reproductive Justice Curriculum: https://www.uua.org/reproductive/choice/calling/curriculum
Reproductive Justice Congregation designation: http://www.justtx.org/congregation
UUA Green Sanctuary designation: https://www.uua.org/environment/sanctuary/becoming
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