People participate in social justice programs to meet important personal needs as well as to work on social issues. Such needs include being part of a group, making a difference in the world, and having a chance to live out one’s faith. Moreover, each of us needs a sense that we are part of a community that cares for us as a person.

For these reasons it is important to build social time into the meetings. This is a time for people to get to know one another, to share what is going on in their lives, and to enjoy one another’s company.

Social justice organizations help people meet these needs in different ways. Some have pot-luck suppers before the meeting, or send out for pizza. Others have a special social time for a half hour before the meeting. A group member is assigned to provide beverages and refreshments. This can also be a time to write letters to political leaders on pending legislation.

Some people are concerned about how to make a stronger connection between living a spiritual life and doing social justice work. One way to do this is to have a brief worship experience as part of the meeting. Some groups begin their meetings with worship. Others end the meeting in this way.

A member of the group volunteers to lead the worship. That person may read something from literature or poetry, lead singing, or guide a meditation. Such experiences provide a spiritual grounding for the actions we take in the world.

It is good to send a meeting notice and a copy of the agenda in the mail before the meeting. Review the agenda at the beginning of the meeting. See if there are any additional items that anybody wants to add.

It also helps to have the group look at the total agenda to see which items are most important. Assign a priority ranking to each of the items. In addition, determine how much time you want to spend discussing each agenda item and write the number of minutes beside it. Then assign a time keeper to make sure the group keeps on task.

Summarize the major decisions at the end of the meeting and write them on newsprint with the names of members assigned follow-up tasks. Evaluate how the meeting went and decide what should go on the agenda for the next meeting.

Sometimes people will work on an event like a public forum or demonstration for months. When the event is over nothing happens. People just go on about their business. But this is an opportunity to bring folks together for a celebration. Have a party! Let people enjoy being together and affirm what they accomplished.

Organizing for social change is hard work. Often it takes determination to get things done. So we need to take steps to make it fun. Unless we make our work pleasurable we will burn out and people will perceive us as being self righteous.

An excellent resource for running effective meetings and developing a group consensus us Working Together: A Manual For Helping Groups Work More Effectively, by Robert Biagi. You can order this book from the Citizen Involvement Training Project, 138 Hasbrouck, Division of Continuing Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003. The phone number is (413) 545-3450.