Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ

NJ Last Stand Networking & Press Conference
2022-06-16 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | NJ, United States
On Thursday, June 16, 10:00am – 2:00pm, For the Generations will hold a NJ Last Stand Networking & Press Conference on the Annex Steps of the State House, Trenton. (Press Conference at 11 am)
Join New Jersey activists, environment and justice leaders, and residents as leaders gather to urge the legislature to FINALLY grant a hearing for the proposed New Jersey Green Amendment that will constitutionally recognize and protect the environmental rights of all people in the state, rather than some. The event will be networking focused with a Press Conference at 11 am, and opportunities to engage with legislators who care about the issue. It’s been 5 years since the NJ Green Amendment has been introduced to the NJ legislature, and the time for your voices and environmental needs to be heard by your representatives is OVERDUE!
(Rain location: TBD).

June Volunteer Event : South Jersey
2022-06-15 18:00 - 19:30 | NJ, United States
South Jersey Community Action Team Meeting
Do you live in South Jersey? Join Planned Parenthood and other reproductive freedom activists as we discuss SCOTUS and take action on abortion access in New Jersey. For security purposes, exact location will shared after registration closer to the meeting date. Planned Parenthood is committed to public health and keeping our staff and volunteers safe. We are asking all volunteers to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status at all of our indoor programs. We highly encourage all volunteers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before attending our programs. To learn more about COVID-19 and where you can get vaccinated please visit: covid19.ppactionnj.org
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM ET

UUFANJ Board Meeting
2022-06-14 19:30 - 21:30, 2022-06-09 18:30 - 20:30, 2022-05-12 18:30 - 20:30, 2022-05-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Zoom
Members/supporters of UU FaithAction NJ are welcome to attend our monthly all-volunteer Board meetings. To access online meetings (all meetings from March 2020 onward will be conducted online) via the Zoom conferencing platform, please contact Board President Mia Morse, at mia.morse19@gmail.com, or board member Nick Lewis, at ozballnick@gmail.com, and request the Zoom login code. You must give at least 48 hours notice to request the code to allow our volunteer board members enough time to reply.
In the event you do not hear back with 48 hours notice, please contact Executive Director Charles Loflin, at execdir@uufaithaction.org or at (908) 376-6535.
As per our bylaws, the board leadership reserves the right to call an executive session of the board to discuss matters not appropriate for a more public conversation.

June Volunteer Night: Middlesex
2022-06-14 18:30 - 20:00 | NJ, United States
Community Action Team Meeting
Do you live in or near Middlesex County? Join Planned Parenthood and other reproductive freedom activists for bubble tea and action as we discuss SCOTUS and take action on abortion access in New Jersey.
For security purposes, the exact location will be shared closer to the day of the event.
Planned Parenthood is committed to public health and keeping our staff and volunteers safe. We are asking all volunteers to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status at all of our indoor programs. We highly encourage all volunteers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before attending our programs. To learn more about COVID-19 and where you can get vaccinated please visit: covid19.ppactionnj.org

Climate Change as Spiritual Practice
2022-06-14 15:00 - 17:00
Climate Change as Spiritual Practice
Transforming Anxiety into Empowerment
A powerful and unlikely spiritual teacher has arrived, sweeping everyone into the shadows of its cloak. This teacher has begun to interrupt life as we know it, showing us the impermanence and fragility of our lifestyle and our way of seeing the world. This teacher goes by the name of Climate Change.
We invite you to join us in imagining a new future together. Join in this special gathering to discover your authentic place in the world and to offer your soul-level purpose as a gift of service to life in this time.
JOIN
JOANNA MACY, Author of Active Hope
& JONATHAN GUSTIN, Founder of Purpose Guides Institute
on TUESDAY, JUNE 14TH
12pm-2pm PDT (3pm-5pm EDT)
For a Talk, a Sacred Council and a Personal Action Exploration
Register at https://www.purposeguides.org/ccspwithjoanna

FAIR (Youth Group)
2022-06-09 20:30 - 21:30, 2022-05-12 20:30 - 21:30 | Zoom
F.A.I.R. is an interfaith group of youth in grades 8-12 from across NJ and PA. Our goal: To work to incorporate racial bias education into NJ and PA school systems and provide educational opportunities to our community’s on the topic of race.
We meet every other Thursday at 7:30 PM on Zoom. Sign up here!
Find us on Instagram @faithactionyouth_
Contact us at fair@uufaithaction.org if you have any questions or concerns!
Contact our adult advisors: Rev. Rob Gregson at rob@uufaithaction.org, or Laura Kushner at laura@uufaithaction.org.

Coalition of UU Social Action Networks (CUUSAN) monthly conference call
2022-06-08 08:00 - 09:00, 2022-05-11 08:00 - 09:00
Rev. Rob Gregson joins other paid and volunteer staff on this monthly networking call. CUUSAN is the national organization that coordinates state-level UU social justice witness in 25 states across the U.S. If interested in joining the discussion, please reach out to Rev. Gregson at execdir@uufaithaction.org

Reading Scripture with Pride
2022-06-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair, 67 Church St, Montclair, NJ, 07042, United States
On Tuesday, June 7, 7PM, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, 67 Church Street, a group of Interfaith Clergy and Laity will present “Reading Scripture with Pride.” We will hear from LGBTQ people of faith on their experiences, and clergy will each reflect on why Sacred Scriptures should not be weaponized against LGBTQ people. Reception to follow.
This event is co-sponsored by the Montclair Interfaith Clergy Association.
Space is limited, so please RSVP to this free event by clicking here: https://outmontclair.org/events/reading-scripture-with-pride

Monthly UUFANJ Board Meeting
2022-06-06 19:00 - 21:00 | NJ, United States
Members/supporters of UU FaithAction NJ are welcome to attend our monthly all-volunteer Board meetings. To access online meetings (all meetings from March 2020 to present time will be conducted online) via the Zoom conferencing platform, please contact the Board President, Mia Morse or Vice President, Nick Lewis, ozballnick@gmail.com and request the “Zoom login” code. You must give at least 48 hours notice to request the code to allow our volunteer board members enough time to reply.
In the event that you do not hear back prior to that 48 hour cut off, please contact the Executive Director, Rev. Rob Gregson, execdir@uufaithaction.org or on the office phone, 908-376-6535.
As per our bylaws, the board leadership reserves the right to call an executive session of the board to discuss matters not appropriate for a more public conversation.

Guest Pulpit at Dorothea Dix UU Community in Bordentown
2022-06-05 10:00 - 11:00 | 39 Park St. Bordentown, New Jersey 08505, 39 Park St, Bordentown, NJ, 08505, United States
Charles Loflin, Executive Director, and Laura Kushner, Ministerial Intern, will be guests in the pulpit at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood NJ on May 29th!
“Doing What Must Be Done”

Sermon by Charles Loflin, Executive Director UU FaithAction NJ
Social justice work is integral to Unitarian Universalism but sometimes a source of tension among and within congregations. UU theologian James Luther Adams suggests freedom of belief demands social justice action. How do we collectively determine where to put our energies? What is the “work that must be done”?

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Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky
Charles Loflin serves as the Executive Director of UU FaithAction NJ. He is a 2021 graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School having earned a Masters of Divinity degree. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Louisville. Charles served the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship from 2019-2021 under the supervision of Rev. Alison Miller. A member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, he calls Montclair home.

Poor People's Campaign Street Rally
2022-06-04 11:00 | Seated Lincoln Statue, Market St and Springfield Aves, Newark, NJ, United States
The Rev Dr William Barber II and Rev Dr Liz Theoharis, Co-chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign, will speak at a rally against poverty and injustice on Saturday, June 4, 2022, 11am at the Lincoln Statue, 12 Springfield Avenue in Newark, NJ. Joining them will be Charles Loflin, Executive Director of UU FaithAction, NJ.
Rev Barber and Rev Theoharis will address growing poverty, economic hardship, racist terrorist attacks like that in Buffalo, gun violence and mass shootings, ecological devastation, and the need to build a national movement for social transformation.

We Can End Gun Violence Rally on June 3 in Summit, NJ
2022-06-03 17:00 - 18:00 | Summit Village Green, 365 Broad Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
#WearOrange Rally
Friday June 3
5:00-6:00 PM

Confirmed Speakers :

US Representative Tom Malinowski
NJ Senator Joe Cryan
Summit Mayor Nora Radest
Councilman Danny O’Sullivan
The Rev. Vernon Williams, Fountain Baptist Church
Logan Johnson of BRADY Campaign

June 2 - UU Faithful Rally for PPC June 18th
2022-06-02 12:00 | Via Facebook, NJ, United States
Mass Poor People’s and Low Wage Workers’ Assembly
and Moral March on Washington

We cry out with pain, rage, and despair. What can we do?
In the wake of the racially motivated hate crime in Buffalo, NY, and the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas it is clear that nothing less than a powerful, united fusion movement will be able to end systemic racism and enact lasting policies that protect our children. Prayers and solitary petitions are not enough. We need to come together now across movements and raise our voices for justice and declare a shared agenda. This is why UUs are going to Washington DC on June 18th with the Poor People’s Campaign.
As the gun lobby gains power, as racist transphobic extremists build power on the backs of Black, Brown, and queer folx in the U.S., as more people are plunged into poverty and denied health care and living wages, and our democracy and voting rights are under attack, Unitarian Universalists are ready to rise. We are mobilizing and organizing for the June 18th Poor People’s Campaign March on Washington & to the Polls in 2022. We UUs have had a long partnership with the Poor People’s Campaign which has called us to a mass assembly to show our united power. We are answering yes.
In preparation for June 18th, join the UUA Poor People’s Campaign Leadership Council and UU leaders from around the country on June 2nd at 12pmNoonET / 9amPT for a Side with Love Facebook Livestream UU Gathering.

Come ready to mourn, to be inspired, to commit, and to organize. We’ll share details on the UU Meet-Up at the March with JaZahn Hicks, UU the Vote Campaign Manager, UUA PPC Council members, and UUs from around the country.
You can RSVP for our June 2nd rally here and/or just tune into the Side with Love Facebook Livestream when we go live at 9 am PT/Noon ET on June 2nd.
We’re asking congregational leaders to please share the Side with Love Livestream to your congregational pages when we go live. Help us build momentum and our part of the movement.

Guest Pulpit at The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood
2022-05-29 10:00 - 11:00 | Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ, 07450, United States
Charles Loflin, Executive Director, and Laura Kushner, Ministerial Intern, will be guests in the pulpit at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood NJ on May 29th!
“Doing What Must Be Done”

Sermon by Charles Loflin, Executive Director UU FaithAction NJ
Social justice work is integral to Unitarian Universalism but sometimes a source of tension among and within congregations. UU theologian James Luther Adams suggests freedom of belief demands social justice action. How do we collectively determine where to put our energies? What is the “work that must be done”?
Zoom information below:

To join us on Zoom:
Click on the link below to join by video and audio via computer, iPad or Phone. You can also phone in on this number: 646-558-8656.

Join Zoom Meeting
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We recommend logging in a few minutes before 10am to make sure all your technology is working. Our greeters will be online to greet you and help troubleshoot. We can’t wait to see you!
In this strange time when we must physically distance ourselves, we remain confident that our shared commitment to community will lead us to learning quickly the tools we need to stay close in spirit. We are determined that USR will continue to offer spiritual nourishment to and care for all our people and anyone who needs us.
Please click here to review USR’s Virtual Behavior Guidelines.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky
Charles Loflin serves as the Executive Director of UU FaithAction NJ. He is a 2021 graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School having earned a Masters of Divinity degree. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Louisville. Charles served the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship from 2019-2021 under the supervision of Rev. Alison Miller. A member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, he calls Montclair home.

Reproductive Justice Task Force Monthly Call
2022-05-23 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
The monthly conference call to update and strategize around reproductive justice and rights in New Jersey. Join us monthly on the fourth Monday, 7-8 PM.
For Zoom invitation and agenda, please email reprojustice@uufaithaction.org attn. Carol Loscalzo, Task Force Chair.
Carol A. Loscalzo (The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood) is Task Force Chair. For more information on reproductive justice, please email reprojustice@uufaithaction.org attn. Carol Loscalzo.
For general inquiries about our Task Forces, email admin@uufaithaction.org.

The GVRC Research Day
2022-05-20 09:00 - 15:45
Welcome to The GVRC Research Day! During this free event on May 20th, we will showcase gun violence research being done by our leadership team, GVRC post-doctoral and doctoral students, community partners, and researchers we have funded this year. This conference is not looking to engage with simply an academic audience. Instead, we’d like this to be a truly community-engaged event, with community members, those involved in violence interruption work, policy makers, journalists, students, educators, the military, and others attending.
Opening Remarks by Senator Cory Booker and U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman.
Register here: https://hopin.com/events/the-njgvrc-research-day/registration

Who we are

The New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center (GVRC) is one of just three state-funded gun violence research centers in the entire country, which means we have an important role in gun violence prevention and research. The goals of the GVRC are to conduct and fund cutting-edge scientific research on gun violence prevention, and also serve as a voice that makes scientific information available to all communities impacted by gun violence. We believe that everyone should have access to information that can save lives. The GVRC will focus on all aspects of gun violence, including both suicide and interpersonal violence. We are committed to combating racial disparities that leave Black and brown communities shouldering a disproportionate level of the burden of interpersonal gun violence, and we also aim to partner with groups like our service members and veterans who are so heavily impacted by firearm suicide.

Reparations Task Force Monthly Call
2022-05-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The Reparations Task Force convenes monthly, for Unitarian Universalists to strategize around advancing reparations for New Jersey. Newcomers are warmly welcome!
Read and sign the petition.
For more info and to join the call, contact Task Force Chairs Rohn Hein (reparations@uufaithaction.org) or administrator Emily Parker (admin@uufaithaction.org).

IMAGINE MORE: Racial Justice Begins with Us
2022-05-17 18:00 - 19:15 | Zoom
IMAGINE MORE: Racial Justice Begins with Us
6-part series
IMAGINE MORE: Racial Justice Begins with Us challenges us to imagine racial justice as integral to the future of New Jersey.

CLICK HERE for information on the full series including the following sessions.

Eliminating the Racial Wealth Gap and Ending Poverty – February 24
Disrupting the Criminal Justice System – March 15
Achieving Safe and Healthy Homes for All – April 26
Reaching Equity in Education – May 17
Ensuring Health for All – June 21
Building Political Power of the Most Impacted – July 21

Attendance is free and open to all.

IMAGINE MORE: Racial Justice Begins with Us brings together one of the largest and most diverse lineups of New Jersey organizations and voices from across the ideological spectrum to develop an action plan for racial justice and reparations. Participants include national thought leaders, philanthropic and community-based organizations, policy advocates, jurists, and local activists who have been directly impacted by injustice.

Criminal Justice Reform Monthly Conference Call
2022-05-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on the third Monday of the month from 7–8 PM for our UU statewide Criminal Justice Reform call, where we strategize around issues like racial justice, mass incarceration, prison conditions and more.
For the Zoom or phone dial-up information to join the call, and/or to get on the email list for upcoming meetings and events, please contact admin@uufaithaction.org.

Annual Meeting
2022-05-14 10:00 - 11:30 | Zoom
Our UU FaithAction NJ Annual Meeting is Saturday, May 14, 10–11:30 AM! The event is virtual via zoom.
The meeting will feature reports from our task forces, Executive Director, President and Treasurer. Our Annual Meeting is free and open to the public, and all NJ UUs are encouraged to attend!
There is no cost to attend the annual meeting, but your sign-up is greatly appreciated. Click the button below to sign-up form and receive the Zoom link:
Sign Up

New Jersey: Slave State of the North
2022-05-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
May 12th, 7-9 PM
Join the Zoom at tinyurl.com/NJSlaveState
The purpose of the program is to introduce you to the difficult history of slavery in New Jersey.
Featured Speakers:
Gail R. Safian, Author of Slavery in New Jersey: A Troubled History
Samuel Still Ill, Chairman of Dr. James Still Historic Office Site, Medford
Followed by:
Q and A time and “What Can We Do?”
For more information, please contact reparations[at]uucch.org
Sponsored by the Reparations Task Force at UUCCH (Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill)

Common Read: "The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome" by Alondra Nelson
2022-05-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Registration is now open for for the six session common read of The Social Life of DNA, sponsored by the UUFANJ Reparations Task Force. Sessions will be conducted over Zoom on Feb 23, March 9, March 23, April 6, April 27, and May 11 from 7:00-8:30pm.
The common read curriculum is prepared with leadership by Dionne Ford, author, and Dr. Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad, Reparations Task Force Co-Chair.
Sign up!
Course outline:
Feb. 23, Preface and Introduction (29 pps)
March 9, Chapters 1 & 2: Reconciliation Projects & Ground Work (24pps)
March 23, Chapter 3 & 4: Game Changer & The Pursuit of African Ancestry (41 pps)
April 6, Chapters 5 & 6: Roots Revelations & 6 Acts of Reparation (27 pps)
April 27, Chapter 7 The Rosa Parks of the Reparations Litigation Movement (20 pps)
May 11, Chapter 8 & 9: DNA Diasporas & Racial Politics After the Genome (26 pps)
About The Social Life of DNA
In The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome, Alondra Nelson details how DNA testing is being used to grapple with the unfinished business of slavery: “to foster reconciliation, to establish ties with African ancestral homelands, to rethink and sometimes alter citizenship, and to make legal claims for slavery reparations.” In her deep dive into the intersection of genetic ancestry and racial politics, Nelson gives an overview of US reparations projects over the past century including one in our backyard – the African Burial Ground in New York City. Now a national monument and the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans, the African Burial Ground was a major factor in the development of consumer DNA testing, a multi-billion dollar industry.
Teaming up with Source of Knowledge
UU FaithAction NJ is working with Source of Knowledge—a Newark-based bookstore and community center that centers Black art, Black literature, culture, and community—to stock copies of The Social Life of DNA for our members. Price is $20, plus $4 shipping if you do not pick up at their shop in Newark. Please indicate your intention to purchase from Source of Knowledge; copies have been ordered, and we will contact our members as soon as they are available.
Alternatively, paperback copies are available from Beacon Press ($20), and E-Book copies are available from Bookshop.org ($10).

Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America
2022-05-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
The Reproductive Justice Team of The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood presents a book discussion with author Lauren Rankin:
BODIES ON THE LINE

At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America

Wednesday evening, May 11, 2022
At 7pm on Zoom*

*RSVP required:
Carol Loscalzo closcalzo@aol.com
Regina Branca rghb65@gmail.com

Lauren Rankin is a writer, speaker, and activist. Her work has been featured at the Washington Post, The Cut, Fast Company, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, NBC News, Refinery29, Rolling Stone, and many more. Her debut book, Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America, out on April 5, 2022, is available for pre-order now. She served as a volunteer clinic escort at a New Jersey abortion clinic from 2014-2020, and is a board member of A is For, a reproductive rights advocacy organization.

Ocean County Environmental Justice Community Engagement Session
2022-05-11 18:00 - 19:30 | Second Baptist Church of Toms River, 2 First Street, South Toms River, 08753
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is pleased to invite Ocean County residents to attend a community engagement session regarding Environmental Justice with DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette and EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator Lisa Garcia.
In-Person and Virtual Options Available
Date and Time: Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 6:00-7:30pm
Location: Second Baptist Church of Toms River, 2 First Street, South Toms River, New Jersey, 08753
Livestream: via Zoom. Click here to register.
In-person attendees will be required to wear masks.
This session is sponsored by the Toms River Area branch of the NAACP.
The community engagement session will provide residents, community groups, and other members of the public a chance to meet Commissioner LaTourette and Regional Administrator Garcia and discuss environmental justice issues in Ocean County. The Commissioner will also provide the community with an update on the Department’s efforts to advance the mission of environmental justice for New Jersey’s overburdened communities.
This community engagement session is part of the Administration’s commitment to promoting environmental justice in New Jersey to ensure that all state residents, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, or income are able to live, learn, work, and recreate in a healthy and clean environment and to have equal access to green space, clean energy resources, and other environmental benefits.

NJ Communities on Accountable Policing
2022-05-09 18:00 - 19:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81856954228?pwd=[REDACTED] NJ, United States
West Orange Police Dept and Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris about their Partnership program which was piloted in fall 2019. The zoom only meeting is Monday, May 9th from 6-7:15 p.m
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