Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clinton
309 30th Ave. N., Clinton Iowa 52732

Hospitality

Hospitality encompasses reaching in and reaching out.  It means caring for our members AND caring for our community, our country, our world.  Sometimes being hospitable involves something as small as just ‘being there’ to listen to someone.  Sometimes being hospitable means taking action on important issues.

Social Justice News

The UUA Advocacy & Witness Team has three newsletters to help you keep updated on important social justice opportunities Visit uua.org/socialjustice. One of their actions is Lobbying for BGLT Equality. They are asking UUs to visit their representative or senator’s district or national office and ask them to support BGLT equality by working on the following issues: Repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; Marriage Equality, and stricter Hate Crimes enforcement.

The Peace Movement

Through participation in the annual Clinton non-violence march and other events, we strive to show that we stand on the side of peace, justice and equality.

Share the Plate

On the third Sunday of each month, offering donations that are not marked for pledges are donated to a non-profit organization that whose values reflect our UU principles.

Guest at Your Table

Yearly we participate in this UU Service Committee’s Program. GAYT boxes are taken home by each family and set on the table where meals are eaten.  Family members are encouraged to think of all the people who have less to eat than they do, while putting enough cash into the box to feed a ‘guest’ for that meal. The boxes are returned and the money collected is turned in to the UUSC who shares with us what worthwhile causes the money has been--and is--being used for. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The Clinton UUF's application for the Green Sanctuary status has been accepted, as of May 2010! This is just the beginning of the process to help to nurture, repair and protect our planet Earth. One of our first environmental justice actions out in the community was to help with the local Clinton County Waterway Cleanup Project, Stream Stomp, on June 5, 2010. Six of our members (one was not available for this picture) participated in the project in Clinton on that day, and helped to collect nearly three tons of refuse from the Mississippi River between the North and South bridges.

Earth Cinema!

Clinton’s Unitarian Universalists continue their new film series entitled Earth Cinema (click here to view, download or print the flyer), at 6:30 pm, Friday, August 13, at their Fellowship building, 309 30th Avenue North, Clinton.  Admission is FREE and open to the public.

These movies – some old favorites, some new releases – will include feature films and documentaries, ranging from the lighthearted to quite serious in tone. 

On August 13, the film, ‘Crude,’ will be shown. It is an American documentary directed and produced by Joe Berlinger. The film follows the progress during 2006 and 2007 of a $27 billion legal case brought against the Chevron Corporation following the drilling of the Lago Agrio oil field, a case also known as the "Amazon Chernobyl".

The plaintiffs of the class action lawsuit are 30,000 Ecuadorians living in the Amazonian rainforest they claim has been polluted by the oil industry. In addition to the legal struggle, Crude shows interviews from both sides, and explores the influence of media support, celebrity activism, the power of multinational corporations, the shifting power in Ecuadorian politics, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures on the case. It follows a two year portion of an ongoing class action lawsuit against the Chevron Corporation in Ecuador.

The Earth Cinema series continues on the second Friday of each month.  Light snacks and a drink will be provided.
 
“All of these films,” says UUF board president Pat Everly, “address environmental issues: pollution, energy usage, the ethical treatment of animals, climate change, sustainability, and many others.
 
“The more we understand the part we each play in creating these challenges,” she also says, “the more we can do to minimize our impact on our Earth home.”

Earth Cinema’s environmental theme reflects the UUF’s mission: ‘to provide a welcoming, caring space where we embrace diversity, nurture intellectual and spiritual growth, promote social justice, and encourage stewardship of our planet.’
 
Hosting this series is also one action step related to the process of attaining ‘Green Sanctuary’ status, a designation marking concentrated environmental activism which is awarded to some congregations within the Unitarian Universalist denomination.

More information about Earth Cinema and the congregation’s Green Sanctuary efforts are available at www.uuclinton.org, as are directions to the UU Fellowship building.
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Members of the Clinton UUF are working on a program to inform, cooperate with, and challenge other community members to do their part in rescuing our Earth from the effects of years of overuse and abuse. At this point, we are focusing on using a UUA-sponsored program called ‘A Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds.’ Experts say that we (inhabitants on this planet) have no choice but to join together NOW to help save Earth as we know it. UUF member Pat Walke will coordinate and lead these workshops, beginning in September 2010. All you need is the workbook (available at the sessions, used and recycled, of course) and a willingness to learn and make thoughtful changes to your lifestyle!

Now that we’re all becoming more conscious of our ‘carbon footprint,’ you are invited to save paper (junk mail, this newsletter, etc.) and lightweight cardboard for recycling. Bring it to the basket in the church office and we’ll take it from there.