The UUC Social Justice Steering Committee (SJSC) works with UUC’s Social Justice Minister Rev. Beth Chronister to support and coordinate social justice efforts at UUC. This work involves the recurrent yearly task of recommending recipients of our regular second Sunday plate collections.  In addition, the SJSC supports Rev. Beth in envisioning and creating the structures and internal activities needed to authorize and support UUC’s social justice activities, and developing community social justice relationships. (Click here to learn more about how we do our Social Justice work together.)

2023–24 Members

Debbie Maranville

Ali Masood

Jewels Mellen

Dave Mentz

Pat Rector

Maddie Smith

Meta Thayer

What to Expect for 2023–24

This year will bring back monthly Social Justice Jams, a drop-in monthly dinner on the 1^st Wednesday of every month except December. This is a great opportunity to learn more about UUC’s social justice efforts and connect with like-minded UUC-ers. We also aspire to providing monthly Gateway articles to help you learn more about the Committee and its activities. We’ll be helping Rev. Beth plan additional activities including a training on legislative advocacy in connection with the Washington legislative session that begins January 8, 2024, and the yearly Fleagle Lecture, that will probably bring in a speaker on democracy concerns.

Social Justice Steering Committee 2022-2023

2022-23 Members

Brooke Lather-McElligott, Chair

David Kendall*

Debbie Maranville*

Ali Masood

Jewels Mellen

Dave Mentz*

Maddie Smith

Meta Thayer

*Indicates SJSC representatives on Tent City 3 Team

2022-23 Activities

Recurrent yearly activities

Recommended 2^nd Sunday plate collection recipients in consultation with UUC Social Justice Teams. In 2022-23 these plate collections raised over $40,000 for nine organizations.

Year-Long Efforts

Tent City 3: Recommended to Board of Trustees that UUC engage in a discernment process around hosting Tent City 3 and once a favorable decision was reached, helped prepare the congregation for hosting and organized hosting activities.

(Ongoing) Revising the 2014 document Social Justice Pillars that identifies focus areas for the church. The Pillars document was created in order to provide a framework for evaluating proposals for new social justice activities. The proposed revision updates the 2014 Pillars and adds a section on what is distinctive about engaging in social justice work as a faith community.

Provided feedback on social justice pages for UUC’s new website.

2022-23 One-Time Events

Supported Rev. Beth in organizing:

• February 7, 2023 UUC Legislative Session Educational Forum

• February 19, 2023 Rex Hohlbein Fleagle Lecture and Q & A Workshop on hosting Tent City 3

• April 15, 16, and April 22 Chris Crass Workshops for at UUC and UCCC

• May 13, 2023 Chrysalis Retreat (connected UUC social justice leaders and active members in identifying share challenges and reimagining UUC social justice work in coming years)

~ Social Justice Steering Committee