You may be wondering: What happened to the ideas for church-wide service and engagement that were generated at the "Revival" in October? Well, our Social Justice Steering Committee (SJSC) has decided to focus on three projects for at least the rest of the year. If you are interested in joining these projects, please contact the listed coordinators.

Mutual Aid/Helping Hands

Coordinators: Ian Mosher, Leah Evison, Jane Howard

Congregants need help at different times with different challenges. How can we support one another? For now, we are hoping to develop a pilot program to match congregants who can offer rides to church with those who need rides. The SJSC will host a learning station after each service on February 22 to answer questions and enroll interested congregants in this “Share-A-Ride” pilot program.

The committee also may organize a book group to talk about Dean Spade's Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next). We realize we all have a lot to learn about mutual aid as an alternative to charity.

Eckstein Student Support

Coordinators: Emily Joseph and Patricia Graesser

Many of the students who attend our neighborhood middle school are from low-income households. We are collaborating with social workers at Eckstein to determine needs (probably food and clothing, and perhaps laundry services). With the help of our Coming of Age youth, we envision a first step: building storage shelves in the church.

Activism and Advocacy

Coordinators: Catherine Ruha and Walter Hatch

You may have noticed, or even joined, the congregants holding “Side with Love” signs and singing pro-justice songs on the sidewalk outside UUC on several Sundays. Along with our Acting for Racial Justice Team we hope to help organize more vigils like these.

In addition, the Activism and Advocacy group is also focused—for now—on three additional efforts:

1. Organizing UUC efforts to monitor ICE activities and support threatened neighbors. We expect to collaborate with the Church Council and the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN).
2. Lobbying the state Legislature on behalf of bills that reflect UU values. We are working primarily with the Faith Action Network. One example of legislation we are backing is HB 2266, which would promote housing for the homeless by requiring cities to allow permanent supportive, transitional, and indoor emergency housing in residential zones, and shelters in hotel zones. It prohibits local ordinances that block such efforts.
3. Mobilizing in the spring to remind the Seattle City Council that a budget is a moral document. We intend to work with the Church Council to support social services and housing.

While the Social Justice Steering Committee has launched these projects for the current church year, we acknowledge that some, if not all of them, may continue into the following (2026–7) year.

Please join us!