CHAPTER 2: INTEGRATING SOCIAL JUSTICE INTO THE LIFE OF THE WHOLE CONGREGATION

In many of our congregations the social justice program is not a vital part of the overall life of the congregation.

The people in the church are indifferent or uninvolved in the important social issues of our time. They are not expressing the caring for important human needs and commitment to justice which are central parts of our liberal faith.

In these congregations members of the social justice committee live on the periphery of the congregation. They are often a small fringe group of people. Either they do not feel supported by the other members of the church, or they have alienated themselves from the rest of the congregation. Their reaction is often one of self-righteousness, one upmanship, and guilt mongering.

In some cases social activists in the church are people who are concerned about some special issues but not about the overall well being of the religious institution. They want to use the church to get support for their pet issue.

When the members of the congregation are uninvolved and the social justice committee is on the periphery, the congregation lacks the power to act in the world in the ways that they might. And when this happens our liberal faith loses its vitality.

If a congregation is to develop an effective social justice program, all of the members of the congregation must strive to make social justice a part of the life of the whole group. And the social activist must do what they can to integrate a concern for social issues into the rest of the religious community.

Richard Gilbert, Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York, has developed a model that helps us understand how this can be done.

He believes there are four dimensions of the religious life in the church. (1) The church as worshipping community, (2) the church as caring community in which a mutual ministry operates to meet personal need,s (3) the church as a community for life-span religious education, and (4) the church as a community of moral discourse and action.

Worship and the celebration of life are at the center of the life of our religious community. Through worship we express the values and meanings which are central to our faith. Here we find the inspiration to face the challenges of life and the motivation for action.

Our churches are caring communities where people can find personal affirmation. Individuals come to the church for support at times of birth, marriage, and death. They look for acceptance in times of stress and turmoil. Many of our UU congregations have structured "caring committees" so that church members can be intentional about meeting these pastoral needs. As a community we enjoy special events that bring us together like the fall fair, the annual retreat, the religious education picnic, and the Christmas Eve Candle Light Service.

Our congregations are places for life-span education. We want our children to learn about values that can sustain them throughout their lives. Our adult education programs provide opportunities for people to learn about our liberal religious faith tradition and to grow as persons.

In moral discourse we discuss the important ethical and social issues of our day. And we take action on issues we feel strongly about.

Dick Gilbert notes that each of these segments touches every other segment. He writes,

"They are understood, not as administrative categories but as functions of the church occurring at many programmatic places. These aspects of the total program are interdependent. Not one succeeds unless all the others succeed."

Social activists need to recognize that "moral and discourse and action" is just one aspect of the total life of our religious community—an important aspect—but still only one part. So the church does not exist solely to do social justice. As a holistic institution all four parts need to function well.

That is why social activists need to pay special attention to supporting the total life of the church. We can show our concern for the overall life of the church by supporting other programs like religious education and music. We can show our support by giving generous pledges, and taking an active role in the all church canvass. And social activists will benefit from this, because the total church is the community that provides us with a place to meet, financial support of our programs, and volunteers to act on the issues we think are important.

So we see that social action is not the sole reason the church exists. But, social justice is one very important dimension of the church’s life. And all of the members of the church need to recognize its importance and support efforts for effective programs. The best ways to do this are to develop viable projects and integrate social justice ministry into the total life of the community.

How do we integrate social justice into the overall life of the congregation?

One obvious way to do this is through the Sunday morning service. There the minister/s or a guest speaker can do a sermon on an important social issue. Or a church committee can do a panel or a program on something that is happening in the larger community.

We can also integrate social justice work into the congregation’s education program. Whenever we do panels on social issues or community forums we are doing educational programs about social issues.

There is also a religious education curriculum called In Our Hands which provides materials for youth and adults on how UUs can act in the world. The curriculum is written for five different age groups: five through nine; nine through twelve; junior high; senior high; and adults. Some congregations have found this to be a wonderful way of building bridges across the generations in their religious community.

Another multigenerational curriculum is called "Starting Small." The curriculum addresses social issues like housing, hunger, homelessness, and poverty by connecting these issues to individual experiences and to community life. The curriculum is divided into six sessions for the following age groups: Kindergarten-2; 3-5th grade; 6-12 grade; and Adult. The goal of the curriculum is for each congregation to start a community project for children in poverty. This curriculum is available through the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. Phone: 617-868-6600.

Using Dick Gilbert’s wheel, we see how we can build this vital connection between social justice ministry and the overall life of the church.

 

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