What We Do

Advocacy & Service is a Social Justice group of Murray UU Church whose mission is to create a better world in which to live. This is accomplished through educational programming, volunteering for community-based programs that improve the local community and to support financially, with our voices, and our actions, the global effort to create a just world. Some of our goals are:

▶ To provide opportunities for members and friends of the congregation to participate in social service projects, including collecting money, donating food and clothing, and    supporting area shelters and youth programs.
▶ Enable members and friends to witness about social issues, including writing letters and visiting elected officials, writing letters to the editor of our local newspaper.
▶ Develop public statements in the name of the committee or where appropriate, in the name of the congregation.
▶ Use the special talents of congregation members to implement change.
▶ Ensure that the congregation building is used to facilitate social change: open building for community groups, allow controversial groups to meet.
▶ Suggest the congregation’s financial resources are used for moral ends: ethical investing of endowment funds; fundraising for community projects.
▶ Strengthen alliances with area organizations such as Resource Center, Project Bread and Council of Churches.

For the latest Advocacy & Service news,  please see the the 'the Universalist newsleter.   Here are some of our ongoing projects...

Murray Church Food Pantry
 The Murray Church Food Pantry is an all-volunteer run outreach program of Murray Unitarian Universalist Church. This service is provided by the generosity of Murray Church members & friends in the greater Attleboro community. We are open for grogery bag distribution two days a week on Mondays & Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 AM.  

For more information, please visit the Food Pantry Page.

 Food ‘N Friends Soup Kitchen Visits
The Attleboro Area Council of Churches opened the first Food n Friends Soup Kitchen in 1985. This program has now expanded to 6 kitchens, serving hot and nutritious food to those in need in Attleboro, North Attleboro, Seekonk and Mansfield

Murray Church coordinates the Food n' Friends Soup Kitchen visits on the last Saturday of the month. Help is needed from 8:30am-12:15pm at the Centenary United Methodist Church, (pictured at left), located on the corner of 39 North Main and 15 Sanford Street, across from the Attleboro YMCA.

Please use the entrance located down the ramp at the side of the building. Even if you can come for an hour or two during that time, it would be greatly appreciated. Strong able bodies are especially needed to set up tables -- can you spare 30 minutes?  

To learn how you can help or for more information, please call the Church office at 508-222-0505

For a list of other Food

CROP Hunger Walk
CROP Hunger Walks are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by local congregations to raise funds to end hunger at home and around the world. Murray Church sponsors a team for the local Attleboro Walk that takes place every year in October. CROP Hunger Walks help children and families worldwide -- and right here in the U.S. -- to have food for today, while building for a better tomorrow.

Each year some two million CROP Hunger Walkers, volunteers, and sponsors put their hearts and soles in motion, raising over $16 million per year to help end hunger and poverty around the world and in their own communities.

Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 36 Christian denominations and communions working together to eradicate hunger and poverty and promote peace and justice among the world's most vulnerable people.

Within the United States, Church World Service assists communities in responding to local hunger and disasters, resettles refugees, promotes fair national and international policies, provides educational resources, and offers opportunities to join a people-to-people network of local and global caring through participation in CROP Hunger Walks,

Green Meal & Green Reel

Recently, the Congregational Activities and Social Concerns Committees teamed up to present a reel deal.  The evenings started at Murray Church with a simple vegetarian meal prepared by Linda Miller.

After dinner, the venue moved 1 mile up the street to Congregation Agudas Achim at 901 North Main Street, where the 2011 Green Reel Film Series was presented.

Now in its thrd season, Murray Church sponsored the Green Reel Film Series, and the Social Concerns Committee invited everyone in the Murray Church congregation to attend to learn more about "the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." A short discussion, led by an expert in the topic followed each film. The films were suitable for youth in middle school and older and study guides were available for some of the films.

The Social Concerns Committee goal with these films was to help stimulate thought about what issues we would like to address as a congregation. Also, one way to care for the planet is to eat a vegetarian meal once a week. Simple vegetarian meals prepared by Linda Miller provided a tasty and nutritious example of how to attain this goal.

For more information about other Social Concerns Committee activities and events, contact Barbara Clark or Charlie Adler. Please call the Church office for contact Information or consult your Church directory.

Climate Action Day - 350

Several environmentally concenred Murray members were involved in Climate Action Day activities at the North Attleboro Farmers Market. This event was sponsored locally by Attleboro Area Climate Action - 350, an offshoot of the 350.org campaign that's building an international movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis—the solutions that science and justice demand. The mission is to inspire the worls to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis-to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet. The focus is on the number 350, the most important number in the world—it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Three years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs of climate change, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ remained above 350 parts per million.

This grassroots movement is working hard to organize all over the planet. This October they organized a 'global work party' all over the world. People put up solar panels, dug community gardens—and sent a strong message to our leaders: 'If we can get to work on solutions to the climate crisis, so can you.'

The theory of change is simple: if an international grassroots movement holds our leaders accountable to the latest climate science, we can start the global transformation we so desperately need.

For more pictures of the event, go to http://sites.google.com/site/attleboro350.

Walk for a Nuclear-Free Future

Murray UU Church opened its doors for walkers from the New England Peace Pagoda stopped by Murray Church last year to rest for the night and have a potluck dinner provided by some of our members. They're 2 month walk originated in Burlington, VT, and finished in New York City in time for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review by the United Nations in May. Peace walkers from three other routes also converged at the U.N. building at that time. This photo was taken just as the group was resuming their walk. Mary Whelan and Rev. Fitz-Henry accompanied them on their walk through downtown Attleboro and over to La Salette Shrine before bidding them farewell.

*Special thanks to Mary Whelan and Linda Legendre for offering their homes overnight and providing food for the walkers, and to the other volunteers who provided a welcoming presence and food for the potluck; Rev. Sandra D. Fitz-Henry, Claudia Binns, Barbara Clark, Inki Hasselbaum and Dawn Casstevens.

Murray Church’s Social Concerns Committee

Murray's Socal Concerns Committee was created as an offshoot of our continued involvement with Advocacy & Service. Members are needed to build and strengthen upon Murray Church's commtment to social action, locally, regionally and globally. We welcome new members to our committee to discusss and devise ways for us to live out our Unitarian Universalist values What social issues need Murray’s action? Join Advocacy & Service Commitee to be part of the solution.

Can you commit a few hours to environmental concerns? Should we consider the UUA study/action issue about global warming or children and poverty? How does Welcoming Congregation move forward exploring gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues? Can’t commit to a specific Food ‘n Friends Soup Kitchen date; add your name to the phone bank of volunteers who will be called on when needed.

Guest at Your Table - Advancing Human Rights Around the World

In the fall each year we open our Guest at Your Table program. This is an annual UU tradition of being mindful of our blessings and giving back to others less fortunate.

When we bring home our Guest at Your Table boxes and place them prominently where we regularly gather, our families and friends have the chance to delve into several real struggles for justice and how Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) advances human rights in the US and around the world.

Each box comes with a copy of Stories of Hope, to helps children, youth, and adults learn more about how UUSC works to change our world for the better. The stories introduce human-rights champions like Carolina Lara, a youth leader of a movement in Ecuador that successfully lobbied to have the human right to water included in the country’s new constitution.

Please consider making it part of a mealtime ritual to read through one of the stories and discuss its meaning and how we can help. When we share our blessings with our “guests,” we ensure that UUSC and people like Carolina can continue their important work.

American Cancer Society's Relay For Life
"Leading by example fosters a caring and giving spirit in our children" 

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At the Relay,  teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

Murray Church Members and Friends sponsor Team "Rainbow Chasers" in this annual fundraiser. It is a moving experience to see so many people of all ages coming together for a common goal, beating cancer so there can be more birthday celebrations. Participants may walk the course, light a candle of hope for a loved one, take a chance on our lottery drawing or stay for the entire event. Opening Murray's doors and reaching out to the greater community continues to be a very important part of our mission here at Murray.

Equal Exchange & Murray Church
Murray Church serves Equal Exchange coffee & teas during Coffee Hour. Equal Exchange sells a variety of products, including coffee, tea, chocolate and cocoa. When you purchase products from the Equal Exchange fair trade cooperative, this benefits farmers (pictured at right), Equal Exchange employees (a local company), and you.  Equal Exchange is a certified Fair Trade association, working directly with coffee growers. By serving Equal Exchange coffee, the Welcoming Committee is aligning our weekly Coffee and Fellowship Hour with our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Purposes.  Equal Exchange coffees are certified Fair Traded, certified organic and certified kosher. Visit our Equal Exchage page for more information!

Promise the Children Inc.

 The Advocacy and Service Commitee supports the Massachusetts UU organization called Promise The Children Inc which was originally founded by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is looking for advocates to help improve the lives of Massachusetts children and those that care for them. Their purpose is to help Unitarian Universalists advocate for and with young people. Promise gives special priority to initiatives that promote the well-being of low-income children and youth.

Promise’s main activities include:

• Researching policy issues and educating our members about legislative campaigns.
• Lobbying legislators through visits, phone calls, letters, e-mails and petitions.
• Leading worships, discussions and trainings at churches.
• Building relationships with church members, local advocates, education experts, and lawmakers.

Over the last five years, Promise The Children has supported voluntary early education for children who are ages 3 to 5 and living in Massachusetts. Our work along with that of colleague organizations has generated a functioning Massachusetts Department of Early Education that is coordinating public preschool education in our towns. They have also consistently advocated for funding for the Massachusetts Housing Trust Fund. Since the inception of the Trust Fund in 2001, more than $60 million has been committed to assist in the construction or renovation of 4,358 units of housing. Of these, 80% (3,546 units) are affordable for eligible working families.

UU MASS Action Network