Actions you can participate in with CRS, UU Prison Ministry, and UUANI:

CRS (Community Renewal Society) held its annual membership assembly on November 12 and several UCE members participated.  This year’s actions will focus on violence prevention, jobs in the inner city, employment opportunities for people with records, and implementing the Fair Cops Ordinance in Chicago.

Our Evanston team gathered with CRS teams from congregations in the north suburbs (there are 6 of us) to plan to work together to bring CRS issues forward in our own communities, linking with local community groups addressing like issues.  We will continue to meet periodically to strategize and energize.  We are meeting with our legislators in December to inform them of the CRS agenda and invite them to the Annual martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Faith in Action in January.  Our north suburban legislators have been enthusiastic supporters of CRS.

Join Community Renewal Society for our Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Faith in Action on Monday, January 16, 2017.   Contact Dale Griffin for more information or to RSVP today!

The UU Prison Ministry of Illinois is conducting its annual fundraising campaign with individuals who would like this ministry to thrive.  You can donate online by clicking “give” on the UCE homepage.

We expect to have a presence in Logan Correctional Facility and Cook County Jail soon, and have begun to help people returning from prison.  We are working together on ways to be radically welcoming congregations to those who have been incarcerated.

UUANI (UU Advocacy Network of Illinois) begins a new year with emphasis on raising the minimum wage (economic justice), passing a clean jobs Illinois bill (environmental justice) and passing anti-solitary confinement legislation (racial justice).

UUANI recently completed a very successful fundraising campaign, exceeding our goal of $12,000 to complete a package to hire the very energetic Rev. Scott Aaseng as half-time director.  UCE folks have been very generous in their support and we are grateful!

For more information on any of these please contact Dale Griffin or other participants.  DaleCGriffin@comcast.net

Another month of putting UU values into action!

The UU Prison Ministry of Illinois invites you to a workshop on radical hospitality on October 1 at Countryside Church UU in Palatine, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  This is particularly important for people who would like to make congregations more welcoming and helpful to people returning from prison.  More information is in the events section of the UUPMI Facebook page.  To register, email uupmi.info@gmail.com with your name and congregation.

CRS (Community Renewal Society) is in advocating for our police accountability proposal, called FAIR COPS.  It establishes an independent police auditor.  Chicago City Council will vote soon.

UUANI (UU Advocacy Network of Illinois) took part in the National Moral Day of Action on September 12 in Springfield and 29 other state capitols to be religious voices for moral stances on many related issues of poverty, racial justice, imprisonment, health, and the environment.  We were 7 people from UCE with over 70 UU’s statewide of a group of 120 people from various faiths.  See pictures and this short TV news clip on the event showing some of your fellow UCE members! http://www.illinoishomepage.net/news/capitol-news/rally-calls-for-change

For more information on any of these please contact Dale Griffin or other participants.  DaleCGriffin@comcast.net

These three efforts at UCE work in different but mutually supportive ways for positive social change.

CRS (Community Renewal Society) is in active discussions with Chicago officials and the public about police accountability proposals.  Come to a town hall meeting Tuesday August 23 at 6:30 at Granville Avenue United Methodist Church, 1407 W. Granville Ave to learn about and advocate for the CRS proposal, called FAIR COPS. This is an educational opportunity to see CRS in action along with community leaders and others making a difference.  Contact Bedford West, come to the table in back of sanctuary Sunday for more info.

SAVE THE DATE – Saturday morning, November 12, Community Renewal Society (CRS) annual membership assembly – nearby location TBD.  This is the kickoff to another yearly cycle of celebrating victories and ratifying a platform for the coming legislative cycle.  Usually an action advocating for an issue is part of the morning.

UUANI (UU Advocacy Network of Illinois) as part of its racial justice work asks you to tell Governor Rauner you would like him to sign three pieces of legislation that were passed by the Illinois legislature and would remove certain lifetime bans on employment for people with criminal records.  The easy process can be found at: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50480/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=19237

This link is also on the UUANI and CRS Facebook pages.

The UU Prison Ministry of Illinois is about to move into ministry in prisons, welcoming efforts for people returning from prison, and advocacy for alternatives to incarceration.

For more information on any of these please contact Dale Griffin or other participants.  DaleCGriffin@comcast.net

Submitted by: Dale Griffin

CRS/UUANI Blog posts will show up here

News for May, 2016 – CRS, UUANI, UU Prison Ministry – advocacy successes and challenges
Community Renewal Society (CRS) has focused this year on job opportunities for people with records, police accountability, and adequate support for education and social services, all as moral issues, and many UCE members have been active participants. These issues are receiving more attention lately. Some progress is happening and more is yet to come. WBEZ had a story this week about how a third of all jobs in Illinois require some kind of license to perform them, and how that can be a lifetime barrier for people with records, unless laws are changed. CRS has four bills that on this that have made it through committees and in one case further. They may be passed this month!

UUANI (UU Advocacy Network of Illinois) has supported the CRS issues and also took 5 UCE members and many comment cards to Springfield for environmental issues, primarily legislation to encourage carbon emissions reduction in the power supply through efficiency, renewables and incentives. That is still pending but has broad support. It was fun seeing people we know from other UU churches on the Springfield trip.

The UU Prison Ministry of Illinois is building toward a July 1 start to worship services and small group ministry in two Illinois prisons beginning July 1. We have also pushed legislation to reduce the use of solitary confinement to amounts that are not considered torture by the UN!

For more information on any of these please contact Dale Griffin or other participants. DaleCGriffin@comcast.net

CRS, UUANI and UU Prison Ministry – Come to a Potluck/Training and Springfield Trips

Come to a potluck and training on issues we will advocate for in Springfield! And come to Springfield April 12st and/or 21st! Please contact Dale Griffin to RSVP or for more information.

The potluck/training is for UCE and other local Community Renewal Society churches on Saturday, April 2, 6-8 p.m. at UCE. Learn about the issues of race and poverty we will address on the April 12th trip with CRS, UUANI (UU Advocacy Network of Illinois) and the UU Prison Ministry of Illinois:
• Ending absolute bars to employment for people with records
• Fair tax for Illinois to increase revenue and protect the most vulnerable
• Removing barriers to filing a complaint against a police officer
and the UUANI issue for the April 21st trip:
• Clean Jobs Illinois – reducing greenhouse gases through efficiency, renewables and incentives

The UU Prison Ministry of Illinois held a workshop March 11-12 led by Chris Crass on racial justice, prisons and UU, for all the UU churches involved. Books by Chris are at the book H.

CRS, UUANI and UU Prison Ministry work together

The annual Community Renewal Society lobby day in Springfield will be on April 12 on issues of race and poverty. Come with us to meet with our legislators on police accountability, fair tax, and job opportunities for people with records. Contact Dale Griffin for more information. We plan to hold training before the trip.

Our statewide UU Advocacy Network of Illinois has set its areas of emphasis for 2016 to be 1) Economic justice (most immediately joining other organizations to support an Illinois Fair Tax and a budget), 2) Environmental justice (supporting the Clean Power legislation) and Racial justice (supporting the statewide UU Prison Ministry and many local efforts to promote racial justice). We listened to social justice leaders at 22 congregations in Illinois, and these were the clear areas chosen for advocacy. We expect to have letter writing campaigns and will join the environmental lobby day in Springfield April 21st.

The forming UU Prison Ministry involves many churches in Illinois in 1) welcoming former prisoners 2) advocating for alternatives to incarceration and 3) holding worship services and small group ministry in prisons. We plan to hire a quarter time minister in July. There are opportunities to get involved in all aspects of this ministry.

Please contact Dale Griffin DaleCGriffin@comcast.net for more information