Social Justice Ministries at FPLex

Social Justice work grounds many of us here at First Parish. Within our congregation social justice actions are carried out as a spiritual practice in collaboration with community partners and other UU organizations. Our social justice ministry efforts include service, education,organizing, advocacy, and public witness. We organize within teams* and align our work with the congregation’s mission, vision, covenant, and our UU faith and values. Our work is carried out locally, statewide, nationally, and globally in partnership with groups and communities most impacted by injustices.

The Climate Action Team (CAT) is mindful of the climate crisis and the current environmental injustices. We aim to limit our impact on the environment through sustainable practices at First Parish and in our homes as we work to minimize our carbon footprint. Our engagement in the community includes educational awareness, legislative actions, interfaith collaboration, peaceful protest and public witness/vigils.

The Preserving Our Democracy Team (POD) engages the congregation in non-partisan efforts to effect reforms to our threatened democratic system. We seek to fight voter suppression in key states, to urge voters to vote (registration, mail ballots) and to support democratic reforms at the national and state levels. We phone, text, write letters and postcards to voters. We attend rallies and sign petitions.

We increase awareness through sponsoring forums and church-wide book-reads on topics germane to Democracy. 

Building Bridges, a subgroup of POD, explores ways to depolarize differences among Reds and Blues through its monthly discussion groups.  Our primary focus for 2024-2025 will be to better understand those we disagree with, despite the emotional and conceptual challenges that we experience in fostering that mission.

To maximize POD’s impact, we frequently work with larger organizations such as UU the Vote, Indivisible LAB (Lexington, Arlington, Bedford), Concord Indivisible, Force Multiplier, and Common Cause. The POD team meets regularly during the church year to set priorities and to plan specific actions.

The Racial Justice Team (RJT) mission is to work in collaboration with other social justice teams and the congregation at large through education, legislation and transforming ourselves. We partner with groups and communities most impacted by injustice in order to dismantle racism and work for justice.  We strive to find opportunities for collaboration with the other two social action teams, as there are many intersections between racial justice, climate justice and the preservation of democracy.