Spiritually Grounded Social Change
Spiritually grounded social change begins by asking questions. What does it mean to do justice as a religious community? Why are we compelled to do this work together, and with what theological framework? What are our spiritual practices which will call us back to these core values? What sustains us over the long haul?
Unitarian Universalist congregations engaged in social change do so from a posture of humility and vulnerability, with a commitment to partnership, and spurred on by our deep awareness that we are all fundamentally interconnected. We are called to ask ourselves - what is breaking our hearts - and then to partner with other Unitarian Universalist congregations, other community organizations, with the Spirit of Life, to bring love to more of the world.
How this is evolving at Foothills:
Where we might go next:
Unitarian Universalist congregations engaged in social change do so from a posture of humility and vulnerability, with a commitment to partnership, and spurred on by our deep awareness that we are all fundamentally interconnected. We are called to ask ourselves - what is breaking our hearts - and then to partner with other Unitarian Universalist congregations, other community organizations, with the Spirit of Life, to bring love to more of the world.
How this is evolving at Foothills:
- Justice ministries are regularly engaging a small group ministry practice and social change is integrated into the small group ministry steering council.
- Social change is finding its way into all aspects of church life - worship, lifespan faith formation, music.
- Aspects of pastoral care are interfacing with social change - particularly in the Emergency Response Team, which responds to the impact of extreme weather and cannot help but notice how this relates with the social issue of climate change.
- Deeper engagement with other UU congregations and support for Beloved Community Coordinator ministries for the Front Range cluster. Our choir came to the Standing on the Side of Love worship and witness event at the capitol this year, and will surely be a presence in future years.
Where we might go next:
- Greater integration of all ages into social change work.
- Continued roll out of small group ministry for social change.
- More fully connect the personal with the systemic; connect education and consciousness raising into small group ministries.
- Deepened partnership with local allies in areas of common cause.
- Strengthened commitment to Beloved Community ministries.
- What can and should we do as a cluster of congregations in the north plains area? We are just beginning to imagine new answers. Perhaps a newly revised environmental justice ministry might be the way forward.
- A deepened commitment to stewardship - in the fullest sense - across our congregation. What could we do if we had the resources to truly make an impact on our community and our world?