Read the full issue of this week’s newsletter here: The Weekly Liberal September 10

In this week’s issue, Rev. Justin Schroeder writes:

Greetings!

My father has a very compromised immune system, and as result, both of my parents have restructured their lives to minimize their chances of catching Covid-19. I’m extremely grateful for the backyard physically distanced visits we’ve been able to have this summer. On a recent backyard visit, my father shared with me that he’s not really worrying too much about Covid-19, as he is retired and fortunately, can minimize his chances of any exposure. What he is most worried about, what keeps him up at night, he said, is the upcoming election. Like so many of us, he is deeply worried about our democracy, the right to vote, voter suppression, and the possible chaos and confusion this is ready present and will certainly emerge after the election. 

Many of you feel the same way, and you want to put your faith to work – you want to “UU the Vote,” bringing your UU values to the sacred right to vote and to the election itself, probably the most important election of our lifetimes.     

Thankfully, the Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA), is supporting UUs across a multi-state region with a get out the vote effort. There are postcards to write and text banks and phone banks to support. You can learn more at the resource list here and here. In the Twin Cities, MUUSJA has distributed nonpartisan lawn signs from the League of Women Voters for congregations and individuals to post, and has shared huge nonpartisan banners for Overpass Banner Brigades to remind commuters to vote. 

MUUSJA has a goal that 85% of individual UUs across our region will do #JustOneThing to get one other person to take action for voter engagement, whether they have 15 minutes to post a lawn sign or 15 hours to phone bank with one of our nonpartisan groups or with their favorite candidates. To learn more, and do #JustOneThing, go here.  

And if you’re interested in doing “UU the Vote” efforts with others from First Universalist, you can contact me at justin@firstuniv.org. We’ll convene a team and get to work – the election is less than 60 days away! Come to a UU the Vote workshop for First U folks with Karen Wills and Denise Konen, which will be held via Zoom here on Monday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. to find out more. 

I’ll see you in church,
Justin