Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey

The purpose of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey, a statewide network of the 21 New Jersey Unitarian Universalist congregations, is to provide a comprehensive structure, network and resources to empower the moral voice and actions of our Unitarian Universalist principles and values in the public arena. UULMNJ will engage in impacting social justice and public policy issues important to our state through Education, Research, Advocacy, Witness, and Service.

Charitable activity has traditionally been important in UU congregations. However, when poverty, environmental degradation, inequitable access to health care, and deficiencies in education are part of the structures of society rather than unforeseen exceptions, charity is not enough. Our faith calls us to challenge and change policies and structures that inhibit human development, harm the environment, and destroy communities. The research, education and structuring of our efforts will complement and expand the deeds of social justice service we already do within our local communities. An important component of the activities of UULMNJ will be to strengthen social justice programs at the congregational level, facilitate communication among congregations and serve as a source of information.

If you are interested in becoming more active in the Legislative Ministry, contact Board President Rohn Hein at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We are always looking to expand the opportunities for UUs to become involved.  Join us!
 

What's New

News of UULMNJ

Read about the activities of UULMNJ over the past few months in our July E-Bulletin.

Action Update on Affordable Housing: Visit our Economic Justice Task Force page to find out more!

Immigration Action: At the UUA General Assembly in Minneapolis at the end of June, the delegates approved a 2010 "Action of Immediate Witness" on Immigration to Oppose Anti-Immigrant Measures at the State Level (Arizona SB1070 and the Like) and Hasten Federal Immigration Reform, the entire text of which is found at www.uua.org/socialjustice/socialjustice/statements/169112.shtml.  Read our statements on current immigration issues, and keep informed about upcoming events by visiting our Emerging Issues: Immigration page. 

What are our congregations up to?

Unitarian Universalist congregations all over New Jersey have been finding creative and motivating ways to get involved in making our world a more compassionate, just and equitable place. What has your congregation been up to? Are you looking for ideas?  Perhaps some of these recent events will inspire you! This is just a sampling of what has been going on around the state:

>Washington Crossing has been participating in the Standing on the Side of Love campaign to support Immigration reform.  The documentary 9500 Liberty will be shown after service on Sunday, August 15. The film is especially important and appropriate because it tells the story of what happened in a Virginia locale in 2007 when an Arizona SB 1070 law went into effect there.

>The UULMNJ Action Team in Montclair is putting together a presentation for thier Peace & Justice Committee about affordable housing and has reached out to other local groups concerned about this issue to find ways to work together.

>Ridgewood and Central Unitarian Church in Paramus co-sponsored an educational forum on immigration policy, partnering with other justice organizations to bring in highly respected speakers on this topic.

>The Social Action Committee in Monmouth County has chosen to take a year-long look at global warming, forming a Climate Change Committee to work on this issue.

>The Princeton congregation recently hosted a series of discussions about ENDA, the proposed federal policy to stop discrimination against transgender people in the workplace.  They used Skype to connect thier guest speaker to the forum, projecting the image on a big screen and setting up a camera so that he could see them as well!

>The congregation in Hunterdon County held a community meeting to discuss the issue of affordable housing, which resulted in the whole congregation adopting the following statement about the current propsed legislation on this issue, NJ Senate bill S1:

"As presently drafted, S1 devolves from the State to its many municipalities nearly all responsibility for determining affordable housing needs in New Jersey.  This is inconsistent with our belief that
* providing opportunities for all residents to have safe, decent and affordable places to live
* while upholding our respect for the land on which we all depend,
is a regional, if not statewide moral and legal obligation that requires cooperative regional and statewide solutions."

Please keep up the great work and let us know if the UULMNJ can help your congregation take action!

Who Are We?

The purpose of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey, a statewide network of the 21 New Jersey Unitarian Universalist congregations, is to provide a comprehensive structure, network and resources to empower the moral voice and actions of our Unitarian Universalist principles and values in the public arena. UULMNJ will engage in impacting social justice and public policy issues important to our state through Education, Research, Advocacy, Witness, and Service.

Charitable activity has traditionally been important in UU congregations. However, when poverty, environmental degradation, inequitable access to health care, and deficiencies in education are part of the structures of society rather than unforeseen exceptions, charity is not enough. Our faith calls us to challenge and change policies and structures that inhibit human development, harm the environment, and destroy communities. The research, education and structuring of our efforts will complement and expand the deeds of social justice service we already do within our local communities. An important component of the activities of UULMNJ will be to strengthen social justice programs at the congregational level, facilitate communication among congregations and serve as a source of information.

For more information please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

What Are We Working on?

For updates on what each of our Task Forces are working on and how you can get involved, visit our Current Priority Issues page. You will find updates from our Task Forces on Health Care, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Marriage Equality and Immigration.

We need you. Please complete a volunteer form, or contact our office.

Thank you to everyone who attended our 2010 Plenary!

A special thank you to East Brunswick for their hospitality, and to Montclair for hosting a reception with UUA President Peter Morales the evening before the Plenary.  Updates from the meeting have been posted.  If you have questions, or would like to request materials from this event, plese e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .