UU Church of Boulder, Colorado
A welcoming religious community celebrating liberal spirituality and the inherent worth of all life
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UUs are organized in networks around the country on a wide range of issues from economic justice, peace, the ethical treatment of animals, and environmental concerns. Many of these organizations have initiatives you can join and resources for congregations.

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Social Justice Activities at UUCB

UUCB's Social Justice Council (SJC) believes that our church's combined social action efforts can meaningfully contribute to the repair of injustices in our society, the environment, and the world at large. To that end, the SJC organizes several activities, as listed below. Everyone is welcome to participate in these activities. For more information, contact

Active social justice projects

  • Community Table Task Force — Community Table is a nonprofit group that hosts a hot meal program for economically disadvantaged people in the Boulder valley. UUCB has been providing volunteers for over ten years to cook and serve two nights a month (over 800 hours a year).
  • Single-Payer Health Care for Colorado All-Church Project — Started in late 2007, this project has begun organizing social witness, education, and action activities to help bring affordable health care to all Coloradoans in 2008 and all Americans in 2009. Read more.
  • Sunday Change for the Future Task Force — Provides over $1,800 per year to area nonprofits, including National Multiple Sclerosis Society, PRISM, Thistle Housing in Boulder, Rocky Mountain Animal Defense Group, Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary, Impact on Education in Boulder, Boulder Valley Woman’s Health Center, Intercambio de Comunidades, Urban Wildlife Rescue, Boulder Shelter For the Homeless, Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. This task force has been active for over six years; new nonprofits are selected every year.
  • Eco Web — Group's purpose is to help our congregation become more environmentally conscious and active through various activities, like selling organic, fair trade products and projects through the UUA's Green Sanctuary Program. We are the first church in Boulder to establish a Zero Waste program, partnering with Eco-Cycle in 2007 in a program that will save on process water, electricity, and trees, as well as reduce air pollutant emissions and land fill. Read our Zero Waste report for 2007.
  • Building Energy Efficiency Project — Started in 2007, this project has done much to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from our church building.
  • Interfaith Aids Coalition — Through cooperation with other faith communities, this group supports activities that help the Boulder County AIDS Project.
  • Social Action Immediate Witness — This group works to bring social justice issues to the congregation's attention, such as local peace rallies, gay pride events, and health care demonstrations. It promotes letter writing and other advocacy campaigns — such as supporting the formation of a U.S. Department of Peace — as well as lets UUCB know of other local, national, and international efforts (especially those supported by the UUA or affiliated groups) in which we can become engaged.
  • UUA Social Justice Initiatives — UUCB members also work on UUA's Social Witness Issues — such as Peacemaking, Ethical Eating, and Nuclear Disarmament — where we apply our values to the many policy issues that confront society. Many of our congregants are also active in the UUA's Standing on the Side of Love, a public advocacy campaign that seeks to harness love's power to stop social oppression.

Interested in other social action initiatives?

The Social Justice Council also encourages new social action initiatives. SJC provides financial and organizational support for social action projects initiated by UUCB members and approved by the SJC. Read how to start a social action initiative and how the Social Justice Council review process works.

Here are some of UUCB's key social justice opportunity areas that members could choose to work on:

  • Health and family justice — Protect woman's reproductive rights, secure age-appropriate sex education, and help find cures for a wide range of human diseases.
  • Environmental justice — Protect our ecosystem in order to sustain all life on earth and develop sustainable economies.
  • Civil rights and religious liberties — Protect and strengthen the rights of all minorities and protect separation of church and state to maintain a pluralistic, secular, liberal democracy.
  • Sexual identity equality (GLBT) — Protect against all forms of discrimination and hate crimes towards gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.
  • Economic justice — Improve living conditions and economic opportunities for the disenfranchised poor in our community and around the world.
  • Natural disaster response — Provide food, comfort, shelter, medical care, clean-up aid, and economic recovery to victims of natural disasters.
  • Children and teen-specific issues — Provide or improve after-school activities, day care, head start, big brother/sister programs, and youth mentoring programs.
  • Good government — Work to elect candidates that value the common good and expose corporate political influence, wasteful practices, and criminal activities.
  • International peace and human rights — Advocate and support methods of resolving differences without war and support efforts to secure basic human rights around the world.

Social justice in UU history

Unitarian Universalism has a long history of reformers who have acted to correct the injustices of our society and the world. Thomas Jefferson, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, William Ellery Channing, Dorothea Dix, and Hosea and Adin Ballou are just few of our UU ancestors who worked to improve social justice. They exemplified the Old Testament prophets, like Micah, who said, "He has showed you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."

This is what UU Rev. Richard Gilbert of Rochester, New York, calls the "prophetic imperative" in his book The Prophetic Imperative: Social Gospel in Theory and Practice. Rev. Gilbert explains that church and individual social justice activities fall into four main areas:

  • Social service/giving: A direct rendering of our time and funds to those in need.
  • Social education: Researching and understanding the issues so we are informed as we fight ignorance, plus teaching our children to do the same.  
  • Social witness: Displaying our convictions publicly through such activities as speaking out, carrying signs at rallies, and writing letters on important issues.
  • Social action: Organizing to influence policy and decision-makers to correct injustices by changing policy, laws, and the infrastructure.
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