Mostly Updates from Our Recent Justice & Generosity Partners

By Elizabeth Corbett, Programs & Membership Coordinator

Westside was the recipient of lots of cleaning energy on July 30 when the All Hands on Deck Cleaning Day at Westside happened.   About 10 people showed up to complete our chores, and we did it!  The nursery is cleaned and ready for kids; the conference room has new paint, new tables, and a new sofa; the office has a new cabinet and mailbox; the altar table is cleaned of all the wax and the wells and windows are ready for the art that’s coming; and there’s space to move behind the curtain.  Wow, job well done to everyone who chipped in!

Here are some events and activities happening with our recent Justice & Generosity partners:

Knox Pride will host a farmers market this Saturday, August 17, at Knox Pride, 4028 Chapman Highway;

Also on Saturday,  the Bottom will host a Bookstore Romance Day.  It’s a chance to pick out a book (10% off all romance books!), write a love letter to the Bottom, and enjoy other displays at the Bottom.  Starts at 11am.  Click here for more information;

Our current Justice and Generosity partner, the Unitarian Universalist Association, will sponsor a Climate Justice Revival at the end of September.  It’s only $100 to register, and it’ll be a gathering to explore our commitment to the planet and ways to take action to make some changes to policies and our actions.  The registration fee includes discussion guides, worship resources, and materials to host a local justice revival.  Sounds like a good idea;

And lastly, during COVID we hosted a video service with Uriel Zelaya-Perez and Julia de la Cruz–Uriel works for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Julia was a farmworker.  We learned about this organization that supports (mostly immigrant) farmworkers in Florida and throughout the country by implementing the Fair Food Program.  If a farm joins and abides by the guidelines of the Fair Food Program, workers have the power to keep track of their own rights. If farms are not part of the Program, farmworkers are at risk for human rights abuses, which often include sexual harassment and abuse, wage theft, and slave-like conditions. The Fair Food Program hopes to expand to all farms across the US and throughout the world.  The CIW recently posted this article  (and with a picture of a farm inTN!) about how the Fair Food Program implemented heat guidelines for its workers. You can also check out this TED talk on YouTube about the new guidelines. 

And finally, Rev. Carol wrote in her blog last week about an adult RE offering coming up this fall.  It’s called Building Your Own Theology (BYOT) and will use UU framework to explore the “big questions” of religion.  It’s an opportunity to share your religious journey with other congregants and to think aloud your responses to these questions.  Take a look at her blog if you missed it last week.

So, yes, lots to look forward to and all sorts of different ways to support organizations that are doing good in the world!  Please contact me at membership@westsideuuc.org if you have any questions or new ideas.