Community Corner
UUCF Takes Stand on Climate Change
OAKTON, VA – Members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax (UUCF) overwhelmingly approved a Congregational Resolution on Climate Change at a specially called congregational meeting on Sun., Nov. 3, 2013. The Congregation resolved to act together to make real, measurable, positive impacts that help to reverse the course of global warming and climate change. The congregation resolved to join with other faith- and morally- inspired individuals and communities to take actions to reverse climate change and pledged to inspire hope that, together, we can reduce the likelihood of catastrophic climate change.
About the Resolution
The UUCF resolution recognizes that “Global climate change is fundamentally a moral, ethical and justice crisis. We, as individual Unitarian Universalists, our UUCF community and faith communities everywhere have a religious responsibility to act and bear witness, to work together to avert and to limit the potential catastrophes of climate change.” With this resolution, UUCF declares that we will not acquiesce to the ongoing degradation and destruction of life that human actions are leaving to our children and grandchildren.
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“Climate change is one of the greatest moral, technical and political issues in human history,” says UUCF’s Parish Minister Rev. Mary Katherine Morn. “We affirm the value of hope even in the gravest of circumstances -a hope justified not only by the power of human action for good, but also by our understanding of the creative force of life in the universe. Thus we commit ourselves to live and act with hope.”
Eric Goplerud, chair of UUCF’s Climate Action Group, says, “It is rapidly becoming apparent that climate change overshadows the many great problems facing humanity: War and peace, poverty, injustice, hunger and disease. Humans are causing or substantially contributing to it. Climate disruption is already inflicting suffering on the earth’s most vulnerable peoples and threatening the extinction of many animal and plant species. Soon we will pass a point of no return. Yet, the worst effects of climate change can be avoided… but, we have to act now.”
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About Unitarian Universalist (UU) Congregational Resolutions
Unitarian Universalist resolutions serve as a form of public witness, with the goal of educating the congregation and broader community and rallying and mobilizing congregational action and participation to create change in the world. An unusual course of action for a UU congregation to take, this climate change resolution signifies that this issue is of the highest importance and urgency to UUCF members. Over the past decade this congregation has voted on only three other resolutions.
How to Get Involved
To join with UUCF and other faith-based organizations working together to address climate change, please contact Eric Goplerud, goplerud@gwu.edu. Meetings of the Climate Action Group are the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month from 7-9 p.m., at UUCF.
About UUCF
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax is a liberal religious community of about 1,100 adults, youth and children dedicated to the free and responsible search for religious truth and meaning. The congregation’s mission is to “transform ourselves, our community and the world through acts of love and justice.”
For more information about UUCF, please contact Mary Lareau, 703-281-4230, mlareau@uucf.org.
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