Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
of Falmouth
840 Sandwich Road
East Falmouth, MA 02536
508-457-0449
Social Actions by Committees,
Members, and Friends of the UUFF
Action Alerts
***Crisis in Darfur: Darfur, Sudan, is the scene of the worst genocide since that in Rwanda in 2004. Our Fellowship has collected postcards for the Million Voices for Darfur campaign. The cards will be delivered to President Bush. William Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), has posted a letter on the UUA website giving a summary of what is going on in Darfur, and what the U.S. and international community are/are not doing about it. President Sinkford reports on his trip to neighboring Chad, which has welcomed many of the refugees from Darfur, and urges participation in the campaign to end the violence. The UUA web page containing Sinkford's letter links to further sources of information on Darfur. Says, Sinkford, "Our public demand for US action may very well be the key to ending one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time".
***Response To Hurricanes: The need for help for victims of hurricanes in the Gulf Coast continues. The UUA-UUSC Gulf
Coast Relief Fund has been created by the joint efforts of the
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and Unitarian Universalist
Service Committee (UUSC). Rev. William Sinkford, President of the UUA,
stated on the UUA website that "all funds received will be distributed
under the auspices of the UUA's Southwest and Mid-South Districts and
will be used entirely for hurricane relief. The two districts will
establish a panel to distribute funds to local relief efforts and to UU
congregations so that their ministries in their communities can be
restored." To contribute, see Information about how to donate.
***Preparations for disaster: Relief organizations
need trained volunteers; untrained volunteers can get in the way and
require emergency services themselves. The two local organizations to
contact are: Cape Cod Red Cross, Hyannis telephone 508-775-1540, and Upper Cape Medical Reserve Corps,
508-495-7137. The Medical Reserve Corps is a national organization with
a local volunteer unit based at Falmouth Hospital. Rev. Bob Murphy is a
member of the board of directors. Despite its name, most volunteers do
not have professional training in medicine.
| Back to Social Action submenu |
Social Action Committee
Mission
The Social Action Committee focuses on social issues by
being informed, informing others, contributing financially,
participating individually, and encouraging the participation of
others. We inform the membership of the UUFF about matters of concern
in and beyond the local area, with a primary focus on the Upper Cape
Cod area. We encourage social action efforts of the committees of the
UUFF and individual members.
Supermarket Gift Certificate Program
The Committee raises money by selling supermarket gift certificates to local grocery stores.
Any individual or group can buy the certificates. The Committee buys certificates from participating stores
at a rate that is discounted for non-profit organizations, and sells
them at face value. The difference between the face value and the
discounted rate is donated to charities on Uppper Cape Cod; none of it
is used for the Fellowship. Proceeds are paid to nonprofit
organizations in two ways: monthly support and annual gifts.
Monthly support is being given to three organizations that help
homeless, battered women and their families, and to one organization
that provides free medical care to those without insurance:
Annual gifts have been given to many organizations, including:
The Social Action Committee encourages members and friends of the
congregation to help people in need by volunteering their services and
making individual donations to the above organizations.
How does the program work?
- All of the major food retailers sell their certificates at a
discount to non-profit organizations, such as the Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth (UUFF). This is one way of showing
that they have a sense of civic responsibility. For example, if the
Social Action Committee of the UUFF pays $9.50 for a certificate that
is worth $10.00, when you pay $10.00 for the $10.00 certificate, the
Committee has $.50 to give to the organizations we are helping to
support.
- Instead of using cash, a check or credit card to pay for your
groceries, simply hand the person at the check-out counter a gift
certificate that comes from the store in which you are shopping. You
can use the certificate in conjunction with cash or check if it does
not cover your bill. If the certificate more than covers your bill,
most stores will give you cash in change up to $5.00 or make a notation
on the certificate. Certificates in the form of plastic cards that can
be scanned work like debit cards; the amount of the bill is subtracted
from the balance available on the card, recorded electronically, and
you are given a receipt that shows the balance remaining.
What stores participate?
Grand Union, Roche Brothers, A&P, Shaw's, Star
Market, Stop & Shop, Windfall Market, Family Foods, Jack in the Beanstalk, and Cataumet Fish.
Criteria for Giving
The Social Action Committee has selected organizations to receive donations using these general criteria:
- The organization should be non-profit and non-lobbying
- The organization should be non-denominational or sectarian
- If possible, our help should have some significance and impact
- At least 90% of available funds should go to local organizations
- New donations should be proposed by a member or friend of the congregation who is informed, and will take
responsibility for keeping the Committee informed, about the organization."
| Back to Social Action submenu |
Additional Activities Our Congregation
Many members of our congregation, in addition to
those who serve on the Social Action Committee, are involved in a
variety of social actions. Their activities tend to fall into five
categories:
War and peace
Our congregation has a Resolution in regard to the Iraq war.
Several of our members participate in anti-war vigils in front of the
Falmouth Post Office on Main St. each Saturday morning. Others serve in
the military. Our congregation supports all people in their search for
truth and meaning.
Each year on August 6 from 11 am to noon in front of the Falmouth
Main Post Office, some of our members attend the peace vigil observing
the anniversary of Hiroshima Day, which is endorsed by the UUFF Social Action Committee. Hiroshima Day reminds the world
of how atomic bombs have been and still are a threat to human life and
peace. The Hiroshima Day vigil is a joint effort of
Citizens for Global Solutions and the Falmouth Anti-War Vigilers.
On August 17th, 2005 more than two hundred people stood on the Falmouth
village green to express support for the American mothers who have lost
sons and daughters because of military service in Iraq. The "Falmouth
Enterprise" (August 19) reported that "the mood was somber and, above
all, quiet." Olive Beverly and Wendi Buesseler, two Fellowship members,
were interviewed.
Food projects
Members of our congregation are involved in a variety of food projects that help families and individuals in need.
One member acts as a liason with the food pantries in Sandwich,
Mashpee, Bourne, and Falmouth. She puts in many hours inspiring our
members to bring in donations, distributing donations to the food
pantries, talking with the people who run the food pantries to
determine what their needs are, advocating with the Social Action
Committee for financial support of the pantries, and coordinating an
annual Rachel Carson Harvest Dinner to raise additional money for the
pantries.
Several members work in our Community Garden project at the Falmouth Service Center, where we grow organic vegetables that we share with families in need.
Several others prepare and serve hot meals for the "Around the
Table" program the first Wednesday of each month. Around the Table serves free lunches every Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday to people in need of a free meal and/or
fellowship.
Human rights
Much controversy has surrounded the increasing use of computerized
voting machines that provide no way to check on the accuracy of their
results. One of our members has been campaigning tirelessly for
verified voting that leaves a paper trail. The issue was the subject of
an Action of Immediate Witness
at the 2004 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Paper ballots can be used to verify machine results in cases of
recounts or disputed election results.
The Welcoming Congregation Committee has joined with the Social Action Committee. The Welcoming Congregation Committee
coordinates our Fellowship's support of the "No Place for Hate"
programs in Mashpee and Falmouth, our participation in in anti-racism
programs and programs in support of gay rights, and the annual
Wampanoag pow-wow in Mashpee. In March, our Fellowship sponsors the
Celtic Diversity Dinner--a fundraiser that supports Cape Cod human rights organizations. The Celtic Diversity Dinner is endorsed by "No Place
for Hate".
Barnstable County has established a new Human Rights Commission. Rev. Bob Murphy is one of the social justice advocates who has worked
in support of this program.
On Sunday evening, September 11th, 2005, the second annual Sunset Jazz
Reception and Auction took place at the Highfield mansion in Beebe
Woods in Falmouth. This event raises awareness and financial support
for the Cape and Islands Gay & Straight Youth Alliance (CIGSYA),
(508) 280-9931, in Hyannis. Our church's Welcoming Congregation
Committee has endorsed CIGSYA and the September 11th fundraiser.
Environmental projects
Ongoing Projects
The minister and Welcoming Congregation Committee participate in a study on whether there is racial profiling in the Town of Falmouth Police Department. Information about the study and results of a survey were published in the 2006 January 24 Cape Cod Times.
Our Fellowship has adopted a mile of Sandwich Road. Once each month,
volunteers clean litter from the roadside. This effort is sponsored by
the Social Action Committee.
Rev. Bob Murphy works with AmeriCorps, the Sierra Club,
local food pantries, and other agencies to distribute information about
fuel assistance programs and programs for home energy conservation. A
long-time member of the UUFF and our Social Action Committee, David
Dow, is the leader of the Cape Cod Group of the Sierra Club.
The Building and Grounds Committee has implemented an energy-saving
program and is working to further "green" our Meetinghouse and grounds. A task force has been establish to study the prospect of our Fellowship becoming a Green Sanctuary.
Emergency responses
The congregation responds to emergency needs by working with the American Red Cross, the Upper Cape Medical Reserve Corps, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and other agencies. Rev. Bob Murphy manages the emergency shelter in Falmouth.
On July 7th, 2005, terrorists attacked public transportation in London. Over
fifty people were killed and more than 700 were wounded. The Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth responded by contacting the
Unitarian headquarters in London. Our message of sympathy and support
was then forwarded by e-mail to all of the Unitarian congregations in
the British isles.
On September 11th of each year, people gather on the
Falmouth village green to recognize the fourth anniversary of the
terrorist attacks against the United States. This is an opportunity to
thank emergency services workers. It was also an opportunity to reflect
on the ways in which people of faith can best respond to emergency
situations. Our Social Action Committee has endorsed this event.
Hurricane season for the United States continues until November.
In 2005, our congregation provided financial support in response to
the four hurricanes that hit Florida and Alabama. We responded to the
Cape Cod blizzards. In September and October, the Upper Cape Medical
Reserve Corps provided classes on emergency preparedness, first
aid, and stroke prevention at the Falmouth Hospital. See the Cape Cod Emergency Preparedness Handbook, available in several formats, on the Cape Cod Commission website.
| Back to Social Action submenu |
| Home | Special Notices | Calendar |
Sermon Summaries | Minister's Messages |
| Religious Education | Music | Welcoming Congregation | Social Action | Environmental Justice |
Photos | History of Congregation | Bylaws | Long Range Plan | Associations |
|