On May 29, the Faithful Action Council hosted a dinner to celebrate the community partnership and faithful action work of our members. Fifty people came to recognize the commitment and perseverance of those who lead First Universalist Church’s community partnerships.

In the 2017–2018 church year we had six community partners: Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative (Families Moving Forward), Simpson Housing Services, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, Augsburg Fairview Academy (AFA), EMERGE, and Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light (MNIPL). We are deeply grateful for all who have volunteered with these partners over the past year, and we are especially thankful to members Peg Mitchell, Jess Lyons and David Caccamo, Geoff Lenox, Ingrid Young, Cindy Marsh, Hal Schroer, and Stan Sattinger and Mark Bohnhorst for their leadership and generosity of time and energy.

Some of the highlights of this year’s faithful action work include:

• Geoff Lenox and over 40 church members and friends hosted eight meals at Simpson Shelter, serving more than 960 shelter guests. This represents 384 volunteer hours helping Simpson Shelter meet the needs of their guests. Two church members are currently involved in Simpson’s Middle School Mentoring program.
• Mark Bohnhorst served on the Policy Team lead at MNIPL, working to integrate Environmental Justice into a state carbon pricing bill.
• Through our partnership with Beacon we have advocated for (and shifted their approach toward) the use of a racial justice lens on housing and homelessness across all of their efforts.
• More than 100 people hosted families at church for two weeks in the fall. We will be hosting Families Moving Forward for two weeks again this August and September.
• In partnership with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, the University of Minnesota’s Cold Climate Housing Program, and the Center for Sustainable Building Research, volunteers from First Universalist helped to build a “monopath” house—a pilot project to test innovative energy-efficient and sustainable building technologies in Habitat’s affordable housing model.
• First Universalist volunteers provided more than 1,200 volunteer hours to the community through our church’s partnership with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.
• Church advocates joined with others across the Twin Cities to secure $120 million in Housing Bonding Funds for affordable housing and temporary crisis housing with Habitat, Beacon, Simpson, and the Homes for All coalition.
• This was the 3rd year that First Universalist Church helped with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) clinic at EMERGE. Five of the 13 volunteers came from our church, and contributed approximately 175 hours of assistance over the course of the 12-week tax season. Overall this year, $245,929 went back to 186 community members and families through this program.
• AFA is in its 6th year of partnership, supporting the 100+ economically disadvantaged and marginally housed students that attend this unique public charter high school. Volunteers and members of our community stock the Hope Food Closet, and provide students with needed clothing and supplies throughout the year. They held their spring prom at our church, with decorations and party favors, baked goodies, and even formal wear contributed by church members. In response to a question asked about the relationship between between First Universalist and AFA, one of their teachers said, “They just love us.”