What is the Social Responsibility Council (SRC)?

The SRC is the group within First UU that coordinates the church’s social justice efforts and thus serves as “the conscience of the church” in the same way the Membership Council can be said to be its “heart” or the Worship Council its “soul.”   It is one of several First UU councils called for in the church’s Bylaws.  A council may undertake or co-sponsor programs on its own initiative from time to time, but its primary role is to coordinate the work of numerous committees under its auspices, in this case, committees with a social justice purpose.

Why should I get involved and what kind of commitment is required?

Membership on all SRC committees is open to any member or friend of First UU, as well as to interested members of the public. Everyone is welcome. The only restriction is that  committee chairs must be members. The commitment can very tremendously from one hour one time to an ongoing commitment for months or years. The choice is yours! There is no cost to be involved, although some may choose to make donations of goods or funds in addition to their time commitment . Individual committees have their own meetings.

∙ SRC Activities Fair. Once a year in early September the SRC hosts an Activities Fair in the lobby on Sunday after the 9:30 and 11:15 services to give members of the congregation an opportunity to learn more about the work of SRC committees, including information about each committee’s specific needs and how to get involved. The 2008 Activities Fair will be held on September 14.

∙ SRC Regular Meetings. The SRC usually meets 5-6 times a year. Meetings are typically on Sunday after the second service, and are listed on the church calendar, published in the First UU newsletter, posted in the Order of Service, and distributed to the church listserv. Meetings are open to everyone.

∙ Annual Report. You may review the Annual Report for 2007-08.

∙ SRC  needs your energy and good ideas, and welcomes your participation.

How can I communicate my interest and get started?

We want you to get involved! Email src@richmonduu.org, give us your contact information, tell us what you are interested in, and how we can meet your need to become involved in social justice.

What kinds of social justice programs do the SRC and its committees undertake?

The church’s social justice activities generally fall into four categories:  education, direct service, public witness, or social action. 

1.Education.  The aim of the SRC’s various educational efforts is to teach members and friends of the church, and often the general public, about some important social justice issue. The format of such a program may be a film, a roundtable discussion, a church service with an invited guest speaker, a class, a workshop, a public forum, or an entire conference.  No matter what form the activity takes, the overall purpose is the same-to raise awareness, to inform, and sometimes to build specific skills.  Recent examples of  popular SRC-sponsored educational programs are the Earth Committee’s series of adult religious education classes on voluntary simplicity, a sense of place, and sustainable living and the Mending the Web Committee’s Immigration Forum.

2. Direct Service.  The purpose of direct service programs is to fill an immediate need for a specific group of people.  Examples of direct service SRC activities include our participation in the city-wide CARITAS program in which we share the responsibility for sheltering homeless people in the winter by hosting a group in our basement for one week; our Mitten Tree holiday gift drive for the residents of the Old Dominion home, a retirement home near the church for low-income individuals; our UU Katrina work trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast; and our periodic financial and food donations to local food distribution centers, which coordinate the collection and distribution of food to the hungry throughout Greater Richmond.

3. Public Witness. The intent of public witness activities is to make a public statement on an important social justice issue, both to inform others about what we as a church value and to grow personally from the experience of speaking out and taking a public position on something that matters.  Examples have included testifying before the Virginia State Legislature in opposition to the proposed marriage Amendment, and various letters to the editor in which the writer identified himself or herself as a UU.

4. Social Action. The point of social action is to change public policy or otherwise bring about systemic change with respect to a particular social justice issue.  We as a church  passed a mission statement to oppose the death penalty in its current form, which excludes appropriate new evidence from consideration in determining whether the death penalty should be applied.

In the view of the SRC, a healthy mix of all four types of social justice activities is the best approach, since they all meet important needs and at the same time offer members and friends of First UU multiple opportunities to get involved, to make a difference, and to grow.

What issues are the SRC and its committees currently addressing?

Please see our current list and descriptions of SRC committees.  For more information about any of these programs, please email us at src@richmonduu.org.  

How does the SRC choose which issues to address, start new programs,determine whether existing programs are worthwhile?

The SRC is an organic part of the First UU congregation and therefore tries to reflect the congregation’s values and to address its concerns. When a prospective issue is raised, the immediate question for the SRC is whether our seven principles call us to address its social justice implications.  Assuming the issue passes that threshold question, the next important question is whether someone in the church cares enough about it to assume a leadership role and to enlist the help of other members and friends of the church willing to devote time and energy to it.  Although no hard and fast rule applies, a good guideline is to form a group of at least five people before bringing the idea to the SRC as a whole for consideration.  At the SRC meeting, the council will then discuss whether the proposed new undertaking fits into the existing SRC program, is duplicative of an existing program,  any budget constraints apply and what further action, if any, the SRC should take.  Proposals from individuals or groups outside the church will be given consideration, as time and resources are available. We constantly evaluate our programs to determine whether they are working well, whether they are consistent with our mission, and whether the organizations we associate with act in line with our principles or whether other organizations would be a better fit.

What social justice projects has the SRC undertaken in the past?

First UU is proud of its long history of working for social justice in Richmond and beyond.  The complete list of activities is too lengthy to recite in full here, but significant past projects have included the following:

• participation in anti-Viet Nam War protests,
• opposing the use of nuclear weapons,
• providing abortion clinic escorts,
• donating and serving food at the Daily Planet,
• sponsoring refugee families,
• participating in interfaith social justice coalitions,
• adopting a congregational resolution in 1998 supporting the efforts of the SRC’s Racial Harmony Committee as a mission of the church,
• hosting the 2003 Thomas Jefferson District Antiracism conference,
• initiating emergency food drives,
• participating in the Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA) Study/Action Issue process and Statement of Conscience program on economic globalization (including having a member of our church serve on an economic globalization panel at the subsequent UUA General Assembly in Quebec),
• sponsoring XO, the Exceptional Orchestra, for people of all ages and physical, mental, and musical abilities,
• working in coalition with other groups to persuade the Richmond City Council to pass a resolution opposing the Patriot Act,
• passing a resolution in 2005 to seek official UUA designation as a welcoming congregation to gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

What other social justice programs does First UU provide?

Besides programs that are clearly identifiable as SRC programs, the church offers various social justice activities from time to time through its religious education program for youth, for example, and through its community circles program for members and friends.  Community circles are small affinity groups for adults in the congregation that give them an opportunity to meet together regularly over a period of time, to get to know one another, to study religious or other subjects together in some depth, and to work together on one or more service projects of their choosing.  Such service projects may benefit either the church itself or the larger community.

How does the SRC work with groups out side the church?

More than most groups within the church, the SRC interacts with individuals and entities outside the church through various interfaith networks, single-purpose coalitions, public forums, and joint projects as well as by opening many First UU SRC programs to the public.  Nonmembers and friends may also serve on SRC committees. 

What rules does the SRC follow to ensure that its advocacy efforts do not jeopardize the church’s tax-exempt status?

A nonprofit organization is not allowed to participate in partisan activities related to elections, political parties, or candidates, but it may devote a certain percentage of its resources to issue advocacy.  The SRC follows the guidelines called The Real Rules, issued by the UUA Washington Office for Advocacy and tracks the amount of time and money First UU volunteers devote to such advocacy issues.

How does the SRC decide how to allocate the money that the congregation budgets for social justice programs each year?

At regular meetings of the SRC, the council’s members decide together how operating funds for the year will be spent, based on anticipated needs, existing resources, and priorities that the group determines collectively.  

Updated 7/9/08