UU Principles and Giving

This is a newsletter article I have developed for use at canvass time.

The UU Principles and Giving
Sonja Lamicela, DRE

Because we acknowledge the inherent worth and dignity of every person, we want to help people. Giving to charities that empower people to rise up from indignity and become strong is one way that we can do this. Working for marriage rights or to defeat hunger and homelessness are ways that we can lift up this principle.

Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations calls us to work towards these aims as a congregation, and in our social justice work. Anti-racism, anti-oppression work is something that many UU congregations engage in to support this principle.

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations leads us to understand that we all come from a different starting point. That perhaps there are people who cannot give at this time due to life circumstances, or have not come to terms with generosity as a spiritual practice. We need to think first of our own commitment to giving, and let others come along as they are ready.

A free and responsible search for truth and meaning challenges us to search our hearts for what deserves our support and generosity. While giving to the Heifer Foundation may be meaningful to someone who want to empower families to be self supporting, another person may be moved to find an alternative organization because they do not support agricultural use of animals for food. These decisions both have virtue, based on individual spiritual values.

The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and society at large come into play when as a congregation we set our budget and decide upon our shared values about the use of our collective time, talents and treasures. What will we stand for and for what issues will we “put our money where our mouth is.”

The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all challenges us to step up and address issues that are larger than ourselves. You may have heard those who support the military using the phrase “freedom isn't free” or seen the buttons extolling “ignore your rights and they will go away.” In order to create a world in which all of these things are possible, we need to be mindful and support others who can make it their full time job to be mindful of these goals. Organizations like Amnesty International, the Peace Corp and the Coalition to Save Darfur, need financial support to continue their missions.

Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part is something that we can actually support by spending less. Fewer trips to the mall means less gas spent. Goods and services need to be manufactured and shipped to our neighborhoods, consuming more of our planet's resources. In other ways supporting organizations that protect our natural resources, prevent pollution, and work to reduce our impact on the planet are all good causes that we can support.

While the ways in which we express our generosity and the resources we have available to us are varied, our children learn from what they see us do. The way we support our church shows our children what we stand for. The justice work we do, shows our children what we feel is important. The meetings that we attend tell our children what it is worth spending time on. And issues we fail to raise tell our children what is not really important to us. Let us act mindfully in making these decisions, knowing that the next generation is watching.