Interfaith — Blog — Side With Love

A Call From Charleston: Love Will Prevail

Brothers and sisters,

I write on behalf of the Charleston congregation to thank you for the many messages of concern and support we have received, and to provide a brief perspective on the soul and state of our beloved city.

Of course, we’re reeling and will be for some time, yet poignant examples of healing and unity abound in our midst. Last night, members of our church gathered with thousands of our neighbors to grieve, pray, and sing together in a downtown arena. An interfaith core of clergy revisited ancient, holy words as source of comfort and perspective, and also as clarion call toward renewed equity, justice, and moral solidarity. Our civic leaders, particularly our popular, forty-year mayor, Joseph P. Riley, Jr., called for a revival of community cooperation and reminded us that once united, we will recover and move forward. He also addressed our national fixation with handguns and said it is surely time for more reasoned conversation and swift reform

Side With LoveJune 20, 2015Racial Justice, Interfaith

Fast with Arturo and Rosa

From June 16-18, 2015, community members will take part in a fast in Washington, D.C.; Denver; and cities across the U.S. to demand immigration policies that respect the human dignity of us all. It’s time to let the leaders of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) know that we want families to stay together! Please join the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition, in partnership with the American Friends Service Committee, Church World Service, Standing on the Side of Love, and others in this nationwide fast, "Fast with Arturo and Rosa: Hold ICE Accountable." The fast will call attention for the need to stop deportations- with particular recognition for the people currently in Sanctuary- including Arturo Hernandez Garcia, who has been in sanctuary at the First Unitarian Society of Denver for over six months.

Arturo says: “I do this for my daughters and their lives here. Deporting me, separating me from my family, a father, a husband, a small business owner who has lived in this country for 16 years does not make sense. Please join us in this fast to hold immigration officials accountable and demand they implement discretion policies that can keep my family together and so many others.”

Side With LoveJune 12, 2015Racial Justice, Immigrant Justice, Interfaith, Not1More

Greening Churches, Fighting Climate Change: All in the Name of Love

Unlike many other social problems, climate change is an issue that affects all of mankind. And to stand on the side of love with those most affected by climate change means to tackle this problem together. When the very air we breathe is at risk, we have no choice but to think about our loved ones and what their lives would be like if we allow these hazards to exist. And who better to take on such a task but people of faith?

People of all faiths have long played a powerful role in advancing the cause of justice. African American faith traditions, in particular, have been at the center of the most important social movements of the last century—from civil rights to voting rights to anti-poverty efforts.

365 Days of Love: Resources you can use all year long!

Thanks for checking out these resources from past Thirty Days of Love that you can use all year round! This year, we are excited to support thirty days of action on climate justice from World Water Day (March 22) to Earth Day (April 22).

Many of our UU partners are collaborating on this exciting new venture, so check out Commit2Respond to learn more about how you can get involved. Resources will be available in early 2015, so be sure to check back with Commit2Respond then to learn more!

We have also curated resources from our many partners who collaborated with us over the past three years to create Thirty Days of Love that ran approximately from MLK Day to SSL Day. See below for fantastic worship service ideas, religious exploration, themes to use for congregations, and so so much more. While this year will be different, we are excited by what is to come, and we hope you join us on this next part of our shared journey!

My People of Faith: Will We Answer?

When I was nine, a white UU adult told me after the service he loved that my black family worshipped at “his” church. “It shows how far your people have come.”

That confused me—I thought the folks at church were my people.

I am a proud, lifelong Unitarian Universalist. Some days I sing Spirit of Life to myself as I make breakfast. Coming of Age and YRUU (youth group) summer camps brought me ever-mingled comfort and stress. I am also black. The struggle for black freedom has long held a grip on my soul.

Growing up, I learned that Unitarians and Universalists traveled from near and far to Selma, Alabama in 1965, answering Dr. King’s call for clergy to join him in a march to end segregation. It was one of our young movement’s finest—and most tragic—hours. The Rev. James Reeb answered Dr. King’s call; just after arriving in Alabama, he and a small group were attacked. His companions survived; the young, white Unitarian minister succumbed to brutal injuries.

Side With LoveOctober 15, 2014Kenny Wiley, Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter, Ferguson, Selma, Interfaith