UUSJ Partner Congregations
and Affiliated Organizations

Give UU values a voice in our nation’s capital!

UUSJ is more strategic and effective than ever; we continue to build a UU movement for direct federal engagement: advocacy, witness, amplification, and related education and activism. We believe in powerbuilding towards beloved community, for our families, our faith and our futures.

We welcome all congregations, churches, or fellowships that wish to participate and find alignment with our vision and mission. We also invite partnership with organizations of similar disposition, especially UU-affiliated organizations.

Vision: A just, compassionate, and sustainable world community.

Mission: Advance equitable national policies and actions, aligned with UU values, through engagement, education, and advocacy.

In our work toward mission fulfillment, we have:

• We founded the Advocacy Corps, which regularly visits Congressional offices and has held nearly 500 in-person or virtual meetings. We have delivered over 11,000 letters and messages to Congress from UUs.  We have explained UU values and positions to legislators and staff, drawing their attention to bills that incorporate those values.
• As part of a multi-year strategic planning project, we have seated a board representing multiple generations, racial backgrounds, nations of origin, and geographic areas, all charged with embodying a new vision.
• We are working to develop the necessary relationships with frontline groups supporting environmental/climate justice, immigrants, racial and economic equity, voting rights, and democracy.

Partnership with UUSJ is viewed as a collaboration. Together we aspire to sharpen UU’s direct federal engagement and achieve an unremitting UU presence in the nation’s capital. To that end —

UUSJ partners with congregations by…

• Expanded our engagement: Growing into relationships for the work across all our policy issue areas with both UU and non-UU communities, coalitions, and networks.
• Ramped up our advocacy: Founding the Advocacy Corps, organizing our policy volunteers for in-person or virtual Congressional meetings, and launching our action hour series.
• Showcased UU concerns: Explaining our values and positions to legislators and staff, drawing their attention to how our values are present in federal policy and legislation.
• Increased our education offerings: providing briefings, webinars, and lay-leader convenings to learn more about our views on the root harms and root causes at play in federal matters. 
• Restructured our approach to the work: Reorganizing our board and bylaws to embody a new vision as an intentionally national organization.
• Aligned better with frontline communities: developing the capacities and attitudes, as ongoing work, that more effectively cultivate and support authentic solidarity with the impacted.

Partnerships with UUSJ are viewed as a collaboration. Together, we aspire to sharpen UU’s direct federal engagement and achieve an unremitting presence for Unitarian Universalism in the nation’s capital. To that end —

UUSJ partners with congregations and affiliated organizations by…

• Providing regular updates on issues, legislation, witnesses, and advocacy actions;
• Offering members information and training to strengthen social justice activities;
• Sharing background research on UUSJ priority issues and news updates regarding relevant legislation being considered by Congress;
• Encouraging individuals to participate in the Issue Action Teams that provide our research and help discern our positions;
• Inviting participation in direct federal advocacy, especially making arrangements and providing guidance for meetings with Congress on UUSJ priority issues;
• Enabling congregations to learn from others through periodic meetings of social justice leaders or similar events and briefings;
• Offering a ready means for UU ministers and lay leaders to urge involvement in Federal social justice issues; and
• Connecting our partners, moral owners, and others in the work.

Partners may choose to …

• Engage in social justice education, witness, and advocacy activities and events;
• Disseminate our education, advocacy, and witness information to their members;
• Inform and update UUSJ as to the justice priorities important to their community and its members;
• Support our visibility among their networks;
• Foster participation in our educational offerings and briefings;
• Encourage their members to join UUSJ as individual members; and/or,
• Guide volunteers passionate about federal matters into a mutually beneficial relationship.

No aspect of the partner relationship is obligatory. 

UUSJ asks Partners to make an annual contribution as they are able. The recommended amount is 0.25% (one quarter of one percent) of the annual budget, but we appreciate any and all contributions.

• Some Partner Congregations have a budgeted line item, others hold a special event, and still others use a share-the-plate or special collection.
• Affiliated organizations are encouraged to consider this guideline and discuss the feasibility with UUSJ staff.

Our request is designed to be flexible and responsive to differences between partners in various circumstances. Whether your house of worship is newly founded or established and vested; be it growing and flourishing or rebuilding and reorganizing; whether it’s rural, suburban, or urban, or perhaps even virtual. Similarly, for organizations, we invite relationship and exploration of our capacities together.

Click Here to Enroll Your Congregation as a UUSJ Partner!

Click Here for Consideration of Your Organization

Please contact the Membership Implementation Team at info@uusj.com to further explore congregational membership.