No Human is Illegal will be meeting January 13th 6 pm.  We will be discussing ways to support sponsors of the upcoming House Bill to shut down ICE detention centers in New Mexico. We will be having a potluck.
If you are interested, contact Dee Curry at deeoz2018@gmail.com or speak to her at church by January 11th. 

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The Anti Racist Book club will be meeting on Friday, January 16 at 9:00 a.m. at Whispering Bean Coffee shop, on Corrales Rd. We will be discussing Part 2 of the book “Belonging without Othering”.  This is a powerful and thought-provoking book about finding new ways to embrace diversity and form truly equitable communities where everyone is a member, not just a “guest”. Haven’t read the book? No worries: You’ll still be able to participate. Our discussions are always lively, thought-provoking and relevant. Questions: Contact Jen Tripp Zillich: 505-235-0375; jtrippzillich@yahoo.com.

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The Social Justice Committee initiated the following statements that have been adopted by UUWC:

There are crystallizing moments in the course of history when, despite the differences that exist among us, our common reverence for life demands that we speak with moral courage and clarity on the side of love. As people of faith and conviction, Unitarian Universalists share a belief that every human life is sacred, endowed with worth and dignity from the moment of birth, with no person more deserving of freedom and flourishing than any other. Our living tradition has long maintained that the only hells that exist are those that we create for one another, here on earth.

UUWC condemns the ongoing Israeli military violence. What we are witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank is a human-made hell, with tens of thousands of Palestinian civilian deaths, hundreds of thousands injured, decimated infrastructure, and blocked humanitarian aid.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) emergency interim ruling on January 26, 2024 found that the atrocities in Gaza plausibly constitute genocidal acts and ordered Israel to take measures to prevent them. The UUWC affirms the ICJ’s findings and criticizes Israel’s rejection of ceasefire proposals and flouting of the ICJ’s directives.

The UUWC further condemns the US government’s unabated complicity, specifically citing its provision of massive military aid to Israel and the cutting of funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We call for the U.S. to stop funding Israel’s military and to leverage its influence to stop the attacks.

The UUWC reiterates our condemnation of the Israeli military’s ongoing violence against Palestinians and joins again with the growing chorus of voices across the globe urging immediate and total ceasefire, the provision of massive emergency humanitarian aid, and the safe return of all hostages and prisoners.

We call upon all …to open our hearts and be present to the depths of human suffering in this moment – not just by one group, but by people of many nationalities, identities, and religions. We commit to identifying and mitigating the evils of anti-Semitism, anti-Arabism, and Islamophobia in our own tradition and to address their toxic legacies wherever we encounter them. Our faith rejects all forms of nationalism and supremacy, and insists that we struggle for multiracial, multi-religious democracy in our own nation and across the world. We encourage all Unitarian Universalists to take action in solidarity not only with global movements for ceasefire, but with liberatory pro-democratic movements of all kinds that are working toward a future that contains the conditions of possibility for a true and enduring peace.

The Statement is a condensed, near verbatim
version of June 25, 2025 Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Statement on Immigration,
written by UUA General Counsel Adrienne K. Walker and published on the UUA website. Please
see the UUA website for the full statement.
The UUWC, a member of the UUA, has consistently recognized that immigration is a moral issue.
Religious values and principles compel UU’s to honor the inherent worthiness of all immigrants
as people, to minister to and with them, and to advocate for their just and humane treatment
(see Immigration as a Moral Issue). As a moral and religious commitment, UU’s reject any
violations of the human rights and dignity of immigrants, regardless of citizenship status,
including denial of due process or civil rights protections, the increased risks of human
trafficking and exploitation, and violent and capricious immigration law enforcement actions.
The UUWC affirms our fundamental rights to exercise our religious practices protected under the
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. As a
religious organization freely exercising our long-standing faith and beliefs and within our rights,
the UUWC extends its ministry in keeping with fundamental UU religious values. Love is the
power at the center of UU’s inseparable and deeply interconnected shared values of
interdependence, pluralism, justice, transformation, equity and generosity.

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The Social Justice Committee is currently focusing on projects in Food and Shelter Security, Racial Justice, LGBTQI recognition and protection, Immigration Justice, and Environmental Justice.

UU Westside Social Justice Committee meets on the 4th Sunday of each month in the UUWC Conference Room. Join us.

For the UU Justice Partnerships, the link is

 Take Action: Resources for Justice

Welcoming Congregation

We know that religious spaces haven’t always been welcoming places for all people, especially when it comes to gender and sexuality. We are out to change that.

Since conception, UUWC has worked hard to make sure lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are full members of our faith communities. Being welcoming means striving for radical inclusion, and creating spaces that honor every part of our identities, backgrounds, and experiences.

UU Westside on June 7, 2025, had a celebratory Pride weekend, with a parade entry, a booth, and a special Sunday service Here’s some photos of our members and friends participating in the Parade: More photos are available on the UU Westside Congregation Facebook page here.

Health Care Justice

UUWC  supports reform of the healthcare system that the United States currently uses. Make no mistake: The United States has the resources and information to ensure healthcare to every single person within our country, from conception to death. However, by granting profit-driven insurance, hospital, drug, nursing home, and hospice companies the power to ration care, policy-makers have made it so that millions of people every year forgo needed medical treatment, millions more are pushed into debt and financial turmoil by healthcare expenses, and we lack adequate trust in government, in medicine, and in one another to stage an effective response to the current crisis.

Find out more at Health Care and Coverage for All Working Group

 

Image description: Header with the horizontal UU the Vote logo: a dark blue background with a light blue UUA chalice and the words, “UU the Vote” in white block letters. UU the Vote is a bold initiative created by the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Side With Love team, providing UUs a thoughtfully crafted “plug-and-play” opportunity to bring our democratic values to life in the crucial struggle to build a genuine multiracial democracy. UU the Vote engages people in voter registration, issue education, get-out-the-vote drives, voter protection, state leadership development, and more. Now, in 2024, we have progressed to shift from just election-year organizing to year-round movement-building work toward building a truly inclusive democracy. ACTION CENTER DONATE EVENTS SKILL UP TRAINING     Unitarian Universalist Association 24 Farnsworth St Boston, MA 02210 United States If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe.Did you get this email as a forward? Subscribe here!

Christian Nationalism threatens Separation of Church and State

Louisiana Legislature wants to mandate posting of Ten Commandments in Public School Classrooms.

Green Sanctuary

Being a Green Sanctuary is one of the ways we work toward a vision of a healthier, more sustainable future.

As a recognized Green Sanctuary, we live with a deep awareness of our climate crisis and the deep environmental injustices of our time. We commit to four practices, grounded in Unitarian Universalist principles:

• Environmental Justice: We partner with marginalized communities who are hit first and hardest by environmental crisis.  In partnering with these communities we are able to address human and environmental needs at the same time.
• Worship and Celebration: As we work together towards a cleaner, more just, and sustainable world, worship inspires our work and reminds us of what is most sacred and most true.
• Religious Education: Our workshops and programs for all ages shape attitudes and build practices that are sustainable and spiritually-grounded.
• Sustainable Living: We treat the world more gently by using fewer resources and being mindful of the choices we make, both as a congregation and as households.