Worship Service at Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church

This morning I had a wonderful preaching experience at the Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church. I love preaching for small congregations and Melrose epitomized the reasons why. The white rectangle sanctuary was intimate. The congregation was enthusiastic during the service and friendly afterwards. And this is singing congregation! The hymns were filled with spirit.

In the sermon, I shared some stories from my experience teaching this past semester and reflections on the recent street violence in Boston.

Following the service, I met Rebecca Mooney, a congregant at Melrose and the Program Director of the Melrose Alliance Against Violence. MAAV takes a holistic approach to violence prevention, working both on domestic violence issues and dating violence among teens. They also have Youth Site on teen mental health.

Happy New Year!

May you be blessed this year with laughter and hope.

I am feeling a swell of excitement about this coming year, and the potential for people in this country to make real policy changes that help children and youth. From the minimum wage on the national level to universal pre-kindergarten here in Massachusetts, there is energy behind legislation that will support working parents and their children. My New Year’s resolution is to continue working hard on this blog, so that you can check back here regularly and find crucial information to support you in advocating for children. Happy New Year!



 

Generous Grant from UU Funding Panel

I was thrilled to learn recently that the Unitarian Universalist Funding Panel has approved our grant application for the coming year. Through the Fund for Unitarian Universalist Social Responsibility, Promise the Children will be receiving $10,000 in direct funding, and up to $7,000 in matching donations! This is an exciting boost to our efforts to expand nationally.

The staff here at Promise the Children are thankful for the generosity of the UU Funding Panel, and have spent the last several weeks letting members and supporters know about our new donation-matching program:

If you donate $15 or more, your donation will be doubled!
If you donate $35 or more, your donation will be tripled!

Donations can be made by credit card from our main page (http://www.promisethechildrenuu.org) or by mailing a check to Promise the Children, 58 Winter St., Nahant, MA, 01908. Whether you are a longtime supporter of our work, or a visitor to this website for the first time, please consider making us a part of your holiday giving.

The new year will present exciting opportunities for children’s advocacy. Our staff and board have been reflecting deeply on how we can use new funding and the new legislative season to strengthen the collective UU voice for children and youth.

Our plans for 2007 include:
§    Expanding the national network of UU advocates.
§    Promoting universal and voluntary pre-kindergarten.
§    Supporting comprehensive sexuality education in public schools. 
§    Advocating for a higher federal minimum wage.
§    Publishing and distributing the Green Web, our global warming curriculum designed specially for UU youth.

We always welcome e-mails from other Unitarian Universalists working on children’s issues. As you are considering your own plans and hopes for the New Year, please don’t hesitate to send us an e-mail letting us know about projects you are launching in your congregation, issues you will be lobbying for in the new legislative session, and other comments relevant to UU children’s advocacy!

E-mails can be sent to Shelby Meyerhoff, National Organizer (shelby[at]promisethechildrenuu.org) or Becky Richardson, President (becky[at]promisethechildrenuu.org)