UUCOC, Friends, and Family in the News

Inclusiveness has been a tenant of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff for all of its 50 years. Church members, from left, Kelley O’Conan, Kimberlyn Crowe, the Rev. Mark Walz, Michael Cipollo and the Rev. Marcia Shannon stand in front of a banner in the UUCOC sanctuary that reads “Marriage is a civil right.” (David Taffet/Dallas Voice)

"Marking 50 years of inclusiveness"

Oak Cliff Unitarian church has moved beyond tolerance and acceptance and has been doing equality for a long time, leaders say...

David Taffet, Staff Writer for the DallasVoice.com, reports how at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff, the LGBT community isn’t just accepted. LGBT members are an integral part of the church.

Please visit their website to read the article.

"Labyrinth Walk Coffee House:
Oak Cliff Music Space Provides Outlet For Teens"

Nature Sargent highlighted the "Juvy Jam" program sponsored by the LWCH in an article for the Dallas South News. You can read her report here.

A Call for Unity on the Anniversary of Sept. 11th


Rev. Mark Walz (seated on left) of UUCOC
and Ministerial Intern Rev. Shams Cohen (at podium) of
First Unitarian Church of Dallas

Calling for unity, religious leaders of many faiths gathered at the Majid Al Islam in downtown Dallas on the anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks. The ministers, including Oak Cliff's Rev. Mark Walz, and First Unitarian Church of Dallas' Ministerial Intern Shams Cohen, met Saturday at Dallas’ oldest mosque by invitation of the Muslim Community Center and the Dallas Peace Center.

Diane Jennings of The Dallas Morning News quoted Rev. Walz in two articles on the event: “The Rev. Mark Walz of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff said he was there both as a pastor and as the father of a Marine. ‘No one who ascribes to terrorism has the right to claim a religious motivation,’ Walz said.”

“Waltz said he is passionate about battling the tendency to ‘demonize each other as human beings.’”

You can watch a video of Jonathan Betz reporting for WFAA (Channel 8) here.

Arezow Doost covered the event for CBS (Channel 11) News and can be viewed from the CBS library. Ministerial Intern Shams Cohen of First Unitarian Church of Dallas is featured in this report.