UU Middleboro contributed $420 toward the Haitian refugees’ Christmas, joining with other churches and organizations to ensure all parents as well as children received gifts. In December our congregation also contributed to Doctors Without Borders ($1,002) and to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund ($500). The January Cash in the Plate was donated to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund. The February Cash in the Plate will be donated to the Brockton Area branch of the NAACP.
Our discussions early this year have highlighted the enormity of the needs facing our community, state and country. So we are attempting to offer programs that address all three levels:
For the community, we plan to offer a Saturday morning program in the spring to strengthen the skills of both our congregation and interested others in assisting individuals in health emergencies. We hope to provide training in the Heimlich maneuver, testing for stroke, heart attack response, Stop the Bleed, and Narcan (for use in opioid overdose).
The Team believes the most critical issue facing the country is the state of our democracy. Consequently, we’re exploring specific activities to offer the congregation to focus our efforts for maximum effect. Current possibilities include forming a “Democracy Circle,” several letter and postcard writing programs to get out the vote in specific states, and also assisting in voter registration. We hope to announce concrete plans in early spring.
We’re also developing a program to offer a monthly reading and/or film about social justice issues with a discussion session at the end of each.
Bill Howe and the Social Justice Team
