Policies of the Justice Council, Jefferson Unitarian Church

(Approved June 6, 2017)

Mission

Guided by Unitarian Universalist principles and powered by the energy and resources of its members, the mission of Jefferson Unitarian Church is to nurture our spiritual community, grow Unitarian Universalism, and transform the world outside our church walls.

At Jefferson Unitarian Church, we seek to build wholeness, within and among people, through ministries that help us:

Deepen to our truest selves;
Connect authentically with others; and
Engage with needs beyond our own.

The Justice Council of Jefferson Unitarian Church exists to fulfill the mission of our church by faithfully engaging our members & friends on behalf of our values and traditions that-

• Support robust engagement with our community and partners that place us on the forefront of social justice issues, and increase our ability to transform lives
• Cultivate the robust network we need to transform lives outside our church walls including other Unitarian Universalist churches and institutions, and other groups aligned with our goals
• Engage with our partners in the community and people within our congregation to do outreach work while raising our profile in the community
• Train and empower leaders to address existing and new or emerging areas of concern

Vision

Grounded in our Unitarian Universalist identity and heritage the members of the Justice Council will facilitate and lead programs that empower every member of our church community to work for justice inside our church, in our community and in the world at large. The result of our efforts will be that justice seeking is embedded in our collective identity as who we are and what we do at every age and stage.

Responsibilities

The Justice Council, in collaboration with the professional ministers of the church, coordinates and administers all social action activities for our church. It formulates and oversees the process for congregational approval of justice activities that are aimed at achieving congregational support and participation.

Justice teams organize to plan and carry out activities that include service, education, direct action, community organizing and advocacy in specific program areas. Each team identifies its goals and general plans for the year in a written proposal, presented to the minister responsible for social justice for review. Justice teams are responsible for implementation of their own objectives. These teams are eligible for financial and organizational support by the Justice Council and JUC’s ministers and other professional staff.

In addition to team efforts, the Justice Council as a whole, or any of its adopted entities, may take a position on issues of conscience and may make recommendations to the congregation regarding taking a position.

The Justice Council and its member teams are expected to form partnerships with organizations outside of our church that promote the goals, values and efforts of our work.

Responsibilities of the Justice Council

The Justice Council is responsible for the administration and coordination of social justice activities at our church, including communication with the Board of Trustees, the ministers and the congregation.  It administers the social action portion of the operating budget. It meets on a periodic basis to resolve operational issues such as:

• Creating an annual budget and making decisions on budget expenditures.
• Follow church guidelines regarding fundraising efforts and provide oversight of those efforts.
• Coordinating church resources among the teams (for example, physical space, bulletin boards).
• Planning, coordinating and scheduling of all-church activities (for example, fundraisers and justice events).
• Sharing of information about justice teams.
• Promoting a position or partnering with external organizations to support causes that promote the ideals and goals of the Justice Council, including fundraising or financial support.
• Establishing ad hoc groups to address an urgent social action need in a timely way.
• Coordinating Special Plates Donations

• Providing guidelines to the congregation, with an emphasis on UU partnerships and Jefferson County programs
• Choosing the special plate recipients and creating an annual calendar
• Communicating to the congregation information about the recipient and the special plate amount.     

Justice Council Structure

The Justice Council is headed by a JUC staff person and consists of the chairs of all the justice teams at our church.

The staff person will:

• Call for agenda items and create agenda for meetings.
• Facilitate meetings.
• Submit compiled annual report.
• Sign reimbursement requests.

At least one representative from each team must attend Council meetings and participate in guiding our justice policies. All meetings are open to JUC members.

Guidelines for new justice teams

Church members that wish to be start a new justice team shall submit a proposal to the minister(s), as described below. Upon initial receipt and approval the group will be authorized to use church resources, including space and publications, to determine if sufficient interest exists to allow the group to continue going forward. A proposed group will have six months in which to establish sufficient interest, at least 12 people willing to be actively involved, or dissolve if not enough members become involved. Each proposal should include:

• a definition of the problem/issue to be addressed by the group
• a statement of the group’s goal(s)
• a statement of the Unitarian Universalist principles that guide or motivate the action
• a description of the activities/strategies planned to address the problem
• the time scale envisioned for the team (ongoing or for a limited time)
• an estimated budget for the planned activities
• an estimate of the volunteer effort required and an assessment of known volunteer participation
• names and descriptions of partnerships with organizations beyond our walls
• a commitment to send a representative to all regular meetings of the council
• a commitment to submit a year-end report to the council and congregation that may evaluate the progress toward attaining stated goals.

Justice Council Procedures

• Teams commit to using the resources of the church wisely
• Operating within the allocated budget
• Keeping the bulletin board updated and current with team activities
• Updating church members about meetings and other team activities through all church communications
• Using ministerial support
• Using physical space
• Carrying out the goals of their team
• Supporting Unitarian Universalist principles
• Teams will create their own leadership, including assigning someone to come to council meetings and participate in the council
• Teams will follow the policies and guidelines the church has established
• Justice Council teams will submit a renewal application each year is to ensure that there remain a minimum of twelve people at a grass roots level committed to the success of the project

Reporting

Justice Council teams will submit an annual report each April outlining their use of finances, the yearly participation, outside partnerships and how they have met their stated goals for the past year. If the team intends to continue for the coming year, they will also include future goals or plans for the coming year, as well as financial needs.

If a Justice Council team has achieved their goals or there is no longer sufficient interest on the part of the congregation, the team will submit a final report and dissolve, either at year end, or at any other time.