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Cedar Lane Social Justice Council: Mission, Responsibilities and Accomplishments Mission Statement The mission of the Social Justice Council is to raise awareness of the seven Unitarian Universalist purposes and principles and to translate them into a social action agenda that addresses the needs of the local and global communities. This Council will provide support for and opportunities to engage in social action. Seven UU Principles The church covenant promises that we will affirm and promote the following seven principles. The inherent worth and dignity of every person * Justice, equity and compassion in human relations * Acceptance of one another and encouragement of the spiritual growth in our congregations * A free and responsive search for truth and meaning * The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large * The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all * Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part Church Bylaws Statement There will be a Social Justice Council which will be responsible generally for the education of the congregation, and the initiation of programs and action, in all areas of social justice and social action. It will have the particular function of determining the appropriate allocation and disbursement of any funds which may have been (1) provided in the Church budget for social justice and social action; or (2) contributed by individuals for such purposes without the donor having made an express designation of an intended recipient. The Council will consist of twelve active members to be elected by ballot at annual congregational meetings. Members will be elected for regular three-year terms beginning on July 1 of the year of election. Members will be elected for staggered terms, with not more than four members elected at any one time except when filling an unexpired term. In the event of the termination for any reason of a member’s service on the council before the expiration of his/her term of office, the vacancy will be filled by the other members of the Council in the manner prescribed by Article III, 7 of the Articles of Incorporation for the filling of a vacancy in the office of Trustee. Operation The Social Justice Council (SJC) meets at Cedar Lane on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. Monthly agendas address issues related to projects that the SJC is sponsoring and/or funding. In addition, the SJC often considers short- and long-term projects proposed by members of the congregation, or the community, for presentation to the congregation for action (see examples that follow). Decisions about promoting activities or allowing others to promote activities with the congregation are made after discussion and a vote is taken. Membership in the SJC is confirmed at the annual Cedar Lane congregational meetings. Members, who serve for three-year terms, must have signed the Cedar Lane membership book. SJC officers are elected in the summer and serve for one-year terms. Each fall, the SJC holds a retreat at the church to welcome new SJC members and plan for the coming year’s activities. As of 1974, the SJC has had its own line item in the budget (previously, the SJC had to raise the funding it needed to support identified projects). The Board sets the budget for the SJC. The Board has approved an SJC proposal that it be allowed to request up to two special collections per year to address emergency catastrophic needs that may occur. The SJC sponsors one regular Sunday service each year, in June. The service focuses on a topic identified by the SJC. Usually, an outside speaker is invited to present the sermon. The Cedar Lane Social Justice Council supports a number of ongoing activities. For example, beginning in the 1990s, the Judi Maurer Scholarship Gift Program was established from funds donated by the family of Judi Maurer to be used for “youth assistance and other charitable social action programs.” This program awards full tuition for two semesters at Montgomery College to deserving young people who apply to and are chosen by a group including members of the Social Justice Council. In April 2000, the Social Justice Council announced it would coordinate Cedar Lane’s involvement with Action in Montgomery (AIM), which promotes a progressive faith-based agenda for the county to address concerns such as affordable housing, quality public schools, senior transportation, and after school care. The following is a list of recent short- and long-term projects that have been sponsored by the SJC. Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, UU voice for human rights and social justice Beacon House for children Martha’s Table for the homeless Adopt-a-Minefield in Afghanistan Other disaster relief services in the U.S. and world-wide Children’s shoe collection for Afghanistan Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice Maryland United for Peace and Justice Montgomery County Coalition for Alternatives to War (McCAW) FOCCUS (Friends of Chernobyl Centers, United States) Annual dinner for Nasrine Gross, in support of Afghanistan Blankets for the homeless shelter Fundraising to support Hospice Caring, the only all-volunteer hospice in Montgomery County Annual Social Action Award to a deserving Cedar Lane member. In addition to these activities, the Social Justice Council sponsors several subcommittees. The Environmental Task Force The Global Task Force The LGBT Task Force Social Justice Council at Cedar Lane Background
“The next decade or two may be decisive for progressive civilization or catastrophic . . . America occupies the pivotal position. For that reason I want to see it first hand and perhaps become an American myself — Dr. A. Powell Davies
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Unitarian Universalists in general have a long history of social activism. Dr. Davies’ sermons and interests strongly reflected and encouraged social justice activities once he came to All Souls. In his first sermon, Dr. Davies said, “we of this church are dedicated to a free religion…that asks from those who hold it the utmost they can give to serve humanity.” During his years at All Souls, Dr. Davies addressed many social justice issues, such as supporting civilian control of atomic energy and food for freedom. He spearheaded the shipment of two tons of food to people in Europe; worked with Eleanor Roosevelt and Hubert Humphrey to formally organize Americans for Democratic Action; and worked on racial issues, strongly supporting desegregation. Dr. Davies was a strong supporter of the separation of church and state and many other causes. It is with this heritage of social justice, nurtured by Dr. Davies and the members of All Souls Church in Washington, DC, that the Montgomery County Unitarian Center (now Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church) was formed in June 1951. Out of the Activities Committee, formed in 1952, would grow what today is known as the Social Justice Council. Over the years, the Social Justice Council would be known by many names, but its goal would remain constant: to better the lot of those less fortunate in our community and in the nation. The following paragraphs provide only brief snapshots of the evolution and activities of the group that today is known as the Social Justice Council. Over the years, the activities of this group have been driven by many forces, primarily, the changing needs of our local community — some needs remain today — and the political and social developments of the nation as a whole. In the text that follows, a number of those activities are highlighted. In no way do these snapshots purport to be a complete representation of the undertakings of what today is known as the Cedar Lane Social Justice Council. * * * * * The early years of the church were occupied to a great extent with organizing and raising money to begin operations first as a center, then as a church. With the appointment in January 1954 of John R. Baker, its first minister, the Unitarian Church of Montgomery County began to raise funds to build a home. But not all focus was on fundraising. In 1955, the Activities Committee organized the Community Service Committee, which, among other things, investigated the recreational facilities available to teenagers in the county, found them lacking, and outlined plans for improving them. The Committee also started work in the field of racial integration, which later resulted in action by the congregation (p. 29). In 1957, the Social Action Committee, chaired by Gerhard Myer, actively studied four critical problems: juvenile delinquency, desegregation in its various aspects, liberalization of the immigration laws, and mental health and its social impact. The Social Action Committee presented resolutions to the congregation on these issues. Working with the Board of Trustees, the Social Action Committee set up 36 neighborhood meetings (today we would probably call these focus groups) in June 1957 to tap the enthusiasm and talents of the congregation and lay a foundation for community work. The congregation expressed unanimous support for action in three areas: community integration, juvenile problems, and mental health. At a special meeting on June 16, 1957, the congregation adopted three resolutions on these topics. In January 1958, the Social Action Committee organized and ran a Friends of Freedom Fair, which provided information on a variety of organizations concerned with civil rights.
Believing that social problems demand social action and that individuals alone cannot solve such problems, in the spring of 1959, 33 members of the Unitarian Church of Montgomery County organized a chapter of the Unitarian Fellowship for Social Justice. The congregation then adopted an anti-discrimination resolution sponsored by the Fellowship for Social Justice at its annual meeting in April 1959. In 1961, the Fellowship for Social Justice collected several hundred dollars and transmitted it to the proper relief authorities to support almost 2000 black tenant sharecroppers in Fayette County, Tennessee, who had been evicted from the land and denied the essentials of life by white merchants. In 1961 the congregation voted to change its name to Cedar Lane Unitarian Church. The years 1964 and 1965 were particularly active ones for Cedar Laners. Through the Unitarian Fellowship for Social Justice, Cedar Laners supported the passage of national and local civil rights legislation. They participated in the Selma, Alabama, and White House civil rights demonstrations, and a contingent, including the minister and a dozen members, joined in the final stages of the march on Montgomery. The late 1960s brought the conflicts of the nation to the church. The Social Action Committee became the place to air ideas and information on issues such as fair housing, civil and human rights, the war in Vietnam, the UU Black Caucus, and air pollution. After the turbulence of the late 1960s, as part of revitalization efforts in the early 1970s, the New Directions Committee (organized to rethink Cedar Lane’s direction) recommended the creation of a “vehicle to deal with social problems and to stimulate concrete actions by our members to improve our society.” One of the Committee’s recommendations was to integrate social concerns more fully into the life of the church. As a result, the Board of Social Concerns “resolved to ‘make Cedar Lane a more effective instrument in the redress of the many ills that affect our society.’” Some of the activities undertaken included presenting information and petitions to the congregation (e.g., on school prayer, busing, insurance reform, welfare reform, gun control, low and moderate-income housing) and sponsoring a church Peace Committee through which church families provided temporary shelter for youth and aided various community causes. Other activities included participation in the Assembly to Save the Peace Agreement, participation in the Law of the Seas Conference, aid to the United Farm Workers and the Women’s Strike for Peace; support for the Montgomery County Detention Center; sponsorship of Earth Day; sponsorship of the Food Day dinners; and contribution of more than $8,000 to some fourteen different programs. In 1974, for the first time, the Board of Social Concerns was given its own line item in the budget. In 1978, $9,908 was disbursed to projects in 10 different areas, primarily to support children and youth and the abortion loan fund. The Board of Social Concerns also sponsored a social concerns fair in lieu of a Sunday service. Members could hear and talk about 20 different causes. A subsequent poll of the congregation revealed preference to participate in Marylanders for the Right to Choose, the National Coalition to Ban Hand Guns, followed by Mobile Medical Care, and the Legislative Committee of Unitarian Universalists of Maryland. By the mid 1990s, Cedar Lane had adopted its own mission statement, in which it included the desire to “promote social justice.” |
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist
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