I’ve considered myself a Unitarian Universalist for only a few short years. What brought me to First Parish Bridgewater wasn’t my identification with the religion but an abstract understanding of the values that would be promoted at the church. A community who would allow me to show my daughter that giving into passivity may be easy, but not in line with our personal beliefs, or at least the beliefs I wanted to pass down to her. As I learned about UUism, I realized that my values are put into practice when following our seven principles.

Saturday, January 21st was the Boston Women’s March. I was fortunate to be one of several fellow church members, people from Messiah Baptist Church, librarian colleagues, and several UU organizations throughout the state. Over 150,000 people were there to “show the world that we stand for dignity, equal rights and freedom from discrimination for all.” Between the Boston march and the protest in Bridgewater, First Parish had over thirty people represented.

Church provides so many of these opportunities which help me to more easily participate in activities that promote our principles. Just last year alone, our Social Justice Committee worked to support groups who are often marginalized. Some activities included preparing lunches for MainSpring House, working with Bridgewater State to host a social gathering for the LGBTQ community, and hosting an author discussion about undocumented immigrants. With Rev. Rachel, our Brockton Interfaith Community liaison, our congregation helped get the Fair Share Amendment on the 2018 ballot and spoke with state reps to promote the Jobs Not Jails campaign, that worked to help pass the Justice Reinvestment Act, “an omnibus bill aimed at ending incarceration and increasing programs which help people stay out of prison and become productive members of society”.

UUs have a very long history of standing on the side of love and fighting for social justice. Our church is our spiritual gathering place to share in community, and it is also our headquarters where we organize for action. We need to continue maintaining our physical building, which is so much more than wood and plaster, to carry our principled legacy into the future. Make No Little Plans

Laurie Lessner, on behalf of the 2017 Stewardship Team