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UU Ministry for Earth online at uumfe.org keeps us updated



Dear Beloveds,


On election day last week, I followed an intuitive whisper in my mind to go watch the sunset on the hill near my house. Just as I came to the top of the hill, I saw my rockstar neighbor, the Rev. Erin Walter, playing a pink, glittery guitar in the parking lot of an Episcopal church serving as a polling place. Unbeknownst to me, Erin’s band Parker Woodland had just serenaded the voters and volunteers in that parking lot.

That morning we had postponed (again) our plans to take a walk together, and it was perfect serendipity to run into her. As we soaked in the sunset underneath the message of “LOVE” etched in string lights on the side of the church, I dared to be hopeful and at ease. 


Election day serendipity. Photos by Rev. Erin Walter

After this rollercoaster of a week, I am so relieved that this moment was upbeat. As the Washington Post put it, Biden’s victory is essentially a 180° on climate policy action. 

The struggle for ecological justice is far from over, and our prospects are far from perfect – and yet there is new hope and possibility. 

These last couple of weeks, Unitarian Universalists have been celebrating the harvest season with love, learning, and community action towards justice. This “Harvest the Power” momentum is continuing throughout November with a series of justice programs and documentary film screenings for the week preceding and day-of Thanksgiving, detailed below. 

I hope you will join me in these fabulous programs, and many more in the months and years to come. Please, can you make a gift today to sustain and grow the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth? Thank you for choosing to be part of this community ministry for life, love, and justice. 

Aly Tharp Program Director, UU Ministry for Earth Create Climate Justice Initiative Manager, UUA Organizing Strategy Team

Harvest the Power Justice Convergence & Teach-In ONLINE - November 19-26 Hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Association, UU Ministry for Earth, and many partners

In 2016, Unitarian Universalists voted to pay special attention to learning our history and rethinking Thanksgiving in the year 2020, in observance of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims landing in Plymouth.

Given that the usual travels and traditions for Thanksgiving holidays are ostensibly canceled by the pandemic, now is the time to gather and think together virtually, and to celebrate differently. Please sign up, and help spread the word about the fantastic community programs and documentary film screenings being offered for the Harvest the Power Justice Convergence & Teach-In.

Art by Molly Costello. Used with permission.

The 8th Principle and Climate Justice  Tuesday, November 17 5-6:30pm PT / 6-7:30 MT / 7-8:30 CT / 8-9:30 ET

UUMFE adopted the proposed 8th Principle in spring 2018, recognizing that there is no climate justice without racial justice and the dismantling of white supremacy. The 8th Principle Learning Committee, which supports UU groups in deepening anti-racism, has invited UUMFE to join their monthly webinar. Hear from Paula Cole Jones, co-originator of the 8th Principle, UUMFE Program Director Aly Tharp, and UUYACJ Network Coordinator Amelia Diehl. There will be an opportunity to deepen reflection in identity caucus groups for People of Color and white folks. Read more about the interconnections between racial justice and climate justice, and why the movement to defund the police has more in common with the climate justice movement than you think.


Art by Molly Costello. Used with permission.

Ground in Intergenerational Wisdom and Dialogue Friday, November 20 11am-12:30pm PT / 12-1:30 MT / 1-2:30 CT / 2-3:30pm ET

As UUs mobilize for this important decade of climate action, grounding in intergenerational wisdom is a powerful tool. You are invited to participate in an intergenerational dialogue to share wisdom, stories, memories and lessons of social movements past and present, in spaces intended to cultivate deeper understanding and relationship among and between generations. The first session will focus on electoral histories, as a way to ground in community care and formation. Can’t make this one? Don’t worry - there will be more sessions in 2021. Sign up today and help spread the word.


Your Comment is Needed to Stop the Line 3 and Dakota Access Pipelines

This is a critical time to speak up against the Line 3 and Dakota Access pipelines, which both await key decisions from public officials in the near future. Contact Minnesota officials over the phone or social media by November 13 to reject a water permit, and submit a public comment for a full environmental impact review of DAPL by November 26. Can you spend 5 minutes today to help stop these pipelines in solidarity with Indigenous and grassroots communities?


Nominate UU Ministry for Earth for a Special Offering

Some congregations are soliciting nominations from members for their special collections in 2021, and planning Spring worship programming at this time of year. If this is true for your congregation, please consider nominating UU Ministry for Earth to be a special collection recipient. Here’s all the information you need.

Earth Day Sunday (April 18 or 25) or any Sunday during UUMFE’s Spring for Change - A Season of Sacred Activism (March 20 through May 23), would be an ideal time. As always, we appreciate your support which helps UUMFE to bring you innovative programming and resources year-round.

P.S. We closed down the UUMFE Facebook Discussion group, but we invite you to continue your conversations and connections in the UU Climate Action Network Facebook group – and on CreateClimateJustice.Net!


Bonus Recipe

Enjoy this delicious, 1-pot chili with butternut squash, fire-roasted tomatoes, quinoa, and two kinds of beans. Hearty, flavorful, and so easy to make!

Visit UU Ministry for Earth online at uumfe.org

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