Members of the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship care about improving the community and country in which they live.

But most don’t do it just by siding with one candidate or another during an election campaign.

Instead of simply being loyal to a political party, they call their approach “Standing on the Side of Love.”

Love is a core UU value.  To walk their talk, UUers are likely to ask themselves: Who do we know or need to get to know to build Beloved Community right here? Who is excluded? Who is vulnerable? Who is working for change and would welcome our support?  Who shall we partner with?”

Their answers range from supporting people who are immigrants, food insecure, without a home, non-English-speaking, newly released from incarceration, LGBTQ, and others who face injustice.

SUUF also engages in partnerships with other faith communities that run food pantries, shelter homeless families, challenge human rights violations, and advocate for climate justice.

These collaborations build bridges across the divides of age, race, class, and faith. They also seek to shift economic development priorities toward affordable housing and green jobs, shift funding from prisons to schools, and assure accessible and secure elections.

When UUs stand on the side of love, they view secular activism as a spiritual experience.  They avoid polarizing language and positions. They focus on transforming our world for the better, starting with their own congregation. They ask members to find the best fit between their own abilities and passions and their community’s needs.  They ask themselves, “What would the community lose if we were not here?”

They invite partner groups to their services, share the pulpit, share Sunday pass-the-plate offerings, and participate in partners’ charitable efforts.

In brief, SUUF does its best to create a hospitable, loving culture dedicated to justice and inclusion—to model a Beloved Community.

March 29, 2024