Social Justice Ministries are a core of our faith and religious practice. Our commitment is expressed in various ways, including education, service, advocacy, and community organizing. Social justice is not just an optional activity but a fundamental part of being a Unitarian Universalist.

Social justice is embedded in our shared values of justice, equity, pluralism, and generosity. Our Social Justice Ministry focuses on service, education, advocacy, community organizing, and public witness (the spiritual practice of taking a public position in support of justice). The long-standing programs described here are just some of the issues we address every year. The pictures show other activities in which our members participate.

Animal Advocates

Animal Advocates addresses the welfare of all animals, and the people who love them, through social action and social justice activities.

Meetings:  As needed, with advance notice.  All meetings are open to all members and friends of the UUCLC.

Contacts: David and Ilene Steele

Hospitality For Refugees

The Border Servant Corps (BSC) operates a hospitality center at Peace Lutheran Church to provide food, clothing, and shelter for refugee families who are seeking asylum in the US. These are people who have been cleared by Immigration & Customs Enforcement to join their sponsors elsewhere in the country.  In 2019, our church collaborated with BSC and Peace Lutheran to provide several meals each month and a steady supply of new underwear.  2020 Update:  Current immigration policies have largely caused us to suspend these activities, although Undies Sunday continues. BSC now focuses most of its efforts on Juarez.

Contact: Jan Thompson or Patrick Collins

Elementary School Mentoring

We conduct monthly artistic, scientific, and cultural projects to enrich fourth and fifth graders’ education. These types of activities help make them aware of future educational opportunities. Every year, we take students on a daylong field trip to New Mexico State University. The trip introduces them to museums, theater, the athletic department, and the overall college experience.

Contacts: Shirley Davis and Peggy Devlin

J. Paul Taylor Detention Center

Church members conduct cooking classes every month at the center. Our goal is to teach practical life skills to the young men. We believe this will help to reduce recidivism, and provide alternatives to professional criminality and incarceration.  The program also does a fine dining event every three months.

Contacts: Haney Pearson, Elwin Nunn, and Peggy Devlin

All ministries welcome the involvement of the congregation. For more information about any of the UUCLC Ministries, contact the members listed above.