Giving Gifts

Our church takes a very active role in social justice issues; one way we have chosen to do so is by sending the offertory collection of the third Sunday of some months to a worthy organization. Many congregants and interested friends of the church have asked how we choose these recipients.

In the fall of 2013, the Social Justice Action Committee (SJAC) used a survey designed by the Rev. Connolly to learn issues of high priority to our church community. The results of that survey are used to focus our Third-Sunday Beneficiary selection to those organizations devoted to the issues members wanted to address. The top issues identified by our congregants/friends are, in decreasing order:

Collecting Food for Food Bank
Collecting Food for Food Bank
  • Progress in LGBTQ rights
  • Local environmental action
  • Education/action to address global warming
  • Ethical eating issues, including GMO use in food
  • Immigration reform & outreach to minorities
  • Reproductive justice
  • Job training for the marginally employed
  • Mountaintop removal education/action
  • Prison ministry
  • Landlord-tenant justice
  • Restoration of voting rights for felons
UUSC Creating Justice
UUSC Creating Justice

As a committee, we also diversify our selections among local, national, and international beneficiaries. The following organizations address the issues that congregants have shown support for, and SJAC continues to use the survey results when weighing the selections for each recipient. Our regular support of social justice organizations highlights the generosity and open-heartedness of our spiritual community and complements UU seven principles.

MONTH ****CAUSE****AMOUNTYearly Total
2015 OctKentuckians for the Commonwealth
2015 AugFoundation for Community Development in Nicaragua
2015 JunNepal Earthquake Relief$334.00
2015 May Human Rights Campaign
2015 Apr Minister’s Discretionary Fund$553.00
2015 Mar Double Dollars
2015 FebAfrican American History Museum
2015 JanBarren River Area Safe Space, Inc$886.00
2014 DecGuest at Your Table$2721.73
2014 NovKentucky Waterways Alliance
2014 OctRoom in the Inn
2014 SepDoctors Without Borders
2014 AugKentuckians for the Commonwealth$ 250.72
2014 JulEarth Care Workshop$ 300.00
2014 JunEarthjustice$ 348.00$8,485.51
2014 MayVSA KY$ 420.56
2014 AprMinister’s Discretionary Fund$ 1,261.00
2014 MarPFLAG International$ 411.00
2014 FebBoys’ and Girls’ Club$ 340.55
2014 JanDouble Dollars$ 576.80
2013 DecGuest at Your Table$ 2,409.60
2013 NovUUSC Typhoon Relief$ 936.00
2013 OctH.O.T.E.L. Inc.$ 785.00
2013 SepCropWalk$ 280.00
2013 Aug350.org$ 317.00
2013 JulEliminate Project (Kiwanis)$ 400.00