UUFA Greensheet & Announcements for June 6, 2018
Thanks to Katie Evans for her inspiring talk this past Sunday on living life with “No Regrets” .
What’s Happening at UUFA this week…
Thursday, June 7 – 7:00 pm – Programming Committee
Saturday, June 9 – 2pm – Athens Pride Rally – meet at Athens middle School at 1:45 pm
Sunday, June 10 – UUFA Morning Service followed by potluck – 11:00 am , Coffee / Tea beginning at 10:30 am
Sunday, June 10 – UUFA Annual Board Transition meeting – 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Ploghoft room
What’s Happening in our community …
Athens Pride Events !!!
Wednesday, June 6th @ 6-8PM: Drag Queen Story Time
Thursday, June 7th @ 8AM – 5PM: Rural Voices Summit
Thursday, June 7th @ 6-10PM: Breaking Binaries at the Brewery
Friday, June 8th @ Doors at 7PM: Comedy Show at The Union featuring Brooke Cartus, Whitney Chitwood, Scott Duff, and Brittany Meyer
Saturday, June 9th @ 2PM: Pride Parade & Rally – meet at Athens Middle School (W. State St.) UUFA is a proud sponsor of this weekend’s Pride Parade…we hope you can make it
Saturday, June 9th @ Doors at 9:30PM: Dance Party at Casa Nueva with DJ Zteffen
Sunday June 10th @ 1PM: Hike & Picnic at Strouds Run State Park
What’s Happening within our UU Denomination
BLUU Updates…(Black Lives UU) is asking for our help as they prepare care packages for survivors of domestic violence who live in Kansas City. BLUU will distribute the care packages during UU General Assembly which is happening in KC in late June. If you can donate please follow this link on Amazon to do so. Thank you for your generosity.
https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3AH3M6K6SC2HN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_esjdBbGFKHDYA
UUJO
Week of Action
June 10 – 17
During the week of June 10-17, 100 out-of-state UUs and other interfaith partners will meet in Columbus and join in-state teams to canvass the ring counties bordering Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Akron, and Cleveland for the Safe and Healthy Ohio ballot initiative. We will kick-off with a Training Praxis on Monday, June 11 in Columbus. There, we will engage in political education on talking points and how to canvass — THEN volunteers will deploy for six days of canvassing in the ring counties.
Congregational Gift
UUJO is offering a special gift for those UU congregations that can field a team of at least 2 members for the work during this week. When your team arrives at the Monday training (9 am, First UU Church of Columbus, 93 W Weisheimer Rd) please see UUJO staff to register your team. If your church can field a team of at least 2 people during the week, then UUJO will offer your congregation a free sermon in the Fall. The UUJO Staff and some of the Board Members have volunteered to offer these sermon opportunities in gratitude for your congregation’s commitment to the Safe and Healthy Ohio ballot initiative.
Sign-Up
JUNE 10- 17 WEEK OF ACTION SIGN-UP – HERE.
Whether you can come for the whole week or just one day your help is needed and deeply appreciated.
- For five days during the Week of Action, we will train volunteers together before canvasses on nonviolent direct action and centering practices in preparation for collecting signatures in the most socially and politically segregated counties in the state.
We will start Monday June 11, 11 am, in Columbus at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd. Then spread out to other parts of the state, possibly near your own home. - In addition to canvassing, we need people to do data verification, making sure that people who sign are registered voters.
- We’ll finish the week off with two days of signature collection at Columbus’s Pride Festival, an event that typically draws close to 1,000,000 people.
In addition to signing up above with Ohio Organizing Collaborative, please also fill out this very short form for UUs Volunteering in Ohio so that we can keep us all connected and coordinated and send you information about the Monday training in Columbus.
(And please share this note with fellow congregants, friends and family!)
Questions?: contact Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, uujoanvanb@gmail.com
A Personal Story
My name is Tanaia Woodland and I’m working on a campaign to reform Ohio’s criminal justice system because I believe the survival of our communities depends on it.
Will you join me? Click here to learn more and/or sign up to volunteer.
I live in Steubenville, in Jefferson County, Ohio. The opioid crisis has hit eastern Ohio hard. Our friends, neighbors, and family members are addicted and can’t access the services they need to get help. Instead, they get sent to prison.
When I was 19, I was convicted of a felony for drug possession and I went to prison. I had a job at the time and was about to start community college. I lost everything before my life had even really started.Now I’m a mother, and that felony makes it harder for me to provide for myself and my family every day. It’s an obstacle to getting jobs, housing, and public assistance. I keep trying, and I always will, because of my son.
My situation is all too common across Ohio. In black communities, in white communities, in small towns, and in big cities, hard working people are being held back by old drug felony convictions. Meanwhile, people struggling with addiction die or go to prison instead of getting the help they need.
I’m sharing all this because I’m asking for your help. You don’t know me, but chances are, you know someone who is addicted, in prison, or trapped by an old felony. We need volunteers all across the state to help collect signatures to get a transformative criminal justice amendment on the ballot.
Will you join us? Sign up here to volunteer with the Safe and Healthy Ohio campaign.
Let’s get this done – for our neighborhoods and our kids.
-Tanaia Woodland
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