Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff : Social Action

"Love is the doctrine of this church and service is its prayer."

The UUCOC Social Action/Social Justice Ministry meets the second Sunday of every month from 12-1:00 in the Hope building. Our meetings are open to the public. We are a diverse group of people working together to further the principles of our faith, including peace, non-violence, social justice, and respect for our environment.

The congregation is involved in a number of service projects, some of which are listed below.

Green Sanctuary

We are beginning our journey to become a "Green" Church and are actively working on raising environmental awareness within our membership and community. We are implementing programs to control our environmental impact and help educate ourselves and others on what can be done to preserve the resources of this planet.

Click Here for News from the Green Sanctuary Project

Welcoming Congregation

In November 2005 we were officially recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association as being a "Welcoming Congregation." This means that the UUCOC underwent a voluntary effort to become more welcoming to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. The process involved a series of educational events, organizational assessment, and community outreach.

Events for North Texas

Keep an eye on this space for special events and activities
in the North Texas area and sponsored by the Social Action Ministry
and other Social Action & Justice Organizations:

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Member Spotlight

Look at what one of our members is up to for his social action ministry!

By Jase Donaldson

I have been making a conscious effort to get more involved in our community for a couple of years now, from volunteering with GLBT job fairs and food pantry operations for the Resource Center of Dallas, to organizing a spur-of-the-moment canned food drive during the influx of people fleeing New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, to the recent Winter Coat Drive that has proven to be such a success (thank you all so much!)

I say all that not to pat myself on the back, but to lead into what I'm up to now! I have decided to form an informal organization to help those "Regular Joes" in our midst (such as me) find a way to do something to contribute to society and the betterment of our local community. It's called Central Dallas Community Outreach or CDCO.

CDCO is a grassroots informal nonprofit seeking to bring some change to growing and persistent issues that affect the areas of Oak Lawn, Oak Cliff, downtown Dallas, and West Dallas. It will be a central place under which to organize and carry out small gestures that hopefully will have a big impact on our brothers and sisters in Central
Dallas.

CDCO is a way for individuals who love and care about our city and our communities to have a chance not only to give back in a way that each person is able, but also exists to foster awareness and increase the mentality and prevalence of social action in Dallas.

I hope to achieve some measure of good through drives (food, coats, toys, etc.), fundraisers, partnering with individuals and local organizations (such as UUCOC), increasing social awareness and shedding light on problems our community faces such as homelessness, etc., and other means that will directly impact social services and citizens in the communities of Dallas' urban core.

To find out more, please visit CDCO at www.myspace.com/centraldallasoutreach. You may also e-mail dallasoutreach@gmail.com. There is much to do, and I'm making plans continually. I look forward to working with anyone who wants to help out, in any way they can. I truly feel I would not be able to do anything like this without the loving support and fostering spirit of this church.

First Tuesday Social Action Film Festival
CoSponsored by the Dallas Peace Center

The First Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm the UUCOC hosts free screenings of socially relevant films followed by a (usually intense) discussion of actions we can take. Please go to our Film Festival page for details of this month's featured film.

Check out Dee Stofko's Article:
"Oak Cliff church putting on social film series"
on Pegasus News.

Photograph of folks clearing space for a compost pile as part of our Green Sanctuary Project

Clearing space for a Compost Pile as
part of our Green Sanctuary Project

Dallas Area Interfaith

November, 2007 - The congregation of the UUCOC voted to accept an invitation to join the Dallas Area Interfaith association; a group of 60 religious congregations in the Dallas metropolitan area.

Rev. Mark Walz speaks at a rally in downtown Dallas
to end the Iraq war.

Labyrinth Walk Coffee House

Proceeds from donations at the coffee house are used to provide entertainment and support local charities.

Please click here to visit &
support Bryan's House.

For our 2008 season, our proceeds will benefit Bryan's House, where families coping with HIV/AIDS as well as other serious medical issues can find love and warmth when they have no place else to turn.

www.labyrinthwalkcoffeehouse.com

Oak Cliff Churches for Emergency Aid (OCCEA)

This is a collective effort with many of the churches in the Oak Cliff area working together to meet the emergency needs of persons living in Oak Cliff. By combining resources, OCCEA is able to distribute food, personal items and financial aid to many people. Referrals are made to service providers who can help with long-term needs.

Our church highlights the third Sunday of each month as an opportunity to donate food and money to OCCEA. OCCEA is located in the Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church at 6000 S. Hampton. Their telephone number is 214 943-7757. Volunteers are always welcome!

Volunteers from our church include: Ernest Archer and Roy Pietsch.

The School of the Americas Watch Rally & Vigil

The Social Justice Ministry of the UUCOC and the Dallas Peace Center sponsor a trip to the annual November The School of the Americas (SOA) Watch rally and vigil as part of our ongoing work for human rights.

Located at Fort Benning, Georgia, and renamed as the "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation" in 2001, SOA is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers whose graduates have consistently used their skills to wage war against their own people. The mission of SOA Watch, as a nonviolent grassroots movement that works to stand in solidarity with the people of Latin America and the Caribbean, is to close the SOA/WHINSEC and change the oppressive U.S. foreign policy that the SOA represents.