Raising Our Voice
UCC members throughout the life of the church are lifting their voices and getting involved in the 2012 elections. Join them on the journey.
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Our Faith, Our Vote, Our VOICE!
Thank you for your work in this election!November 7, 2012Election Day has come and gone, and thus the passion of a campaign season gives way to rest, reflection, and a new political landscape. THANK YOU for your commitment to engaging your congregation in the important work of democracy. It is our goal as faith advocates to speak out against injustice, and ensure all people's voices are valued and represented. We are heartened by your efforts to make sure that every voice in your community was heard at the polls.
 Results in some key ballot issues that affect public schoolsNovember 7, 2012Here is an update on the election results for some of the key statewide ballot issues related to public education.
The UCC Collegium of Officers voted today - have you?November 6, 2012We caught our UCC Executive Ministers and our GMP with"I Voted" stickers this morning! They're voting - are you?
Out of the Mouth of BabesNovember 6, 2012Last week four year old Fort Collins, Colorado girl, Abigael Evans, cried as she listens to the 2012 political season campaign advertisements on National Public Radio (NPR) in her mom’s car. ‘I’m tired of Bronco Bama and Mitt Romney’, says Abigael sadly. Me too! Her mother, Elizabeth reported said, “That’s why you’re crying? With crocodile tears streaming down her face, Abigael nods affirmatively.
Thank God Climate Change is Solved!October 29, 2012The deafening silence we hear from the presidential and congressional campaigns must mean that climate change has been solved in the last four years! This is exciting news from our politicians for the planet, for humans, and for the natural environment!
Preserving the Dignity of Health Care for AllOctober 24, 2012On June 28, 2012, the United States Supreme Court declared the Affordable Care Act (federal health care law) constitutional. The decision was lauded as a victory for American families because the law targets health care benefits to the most vulnerable and those most in need. I had the occasion to talk with two seniors (one female and one male) both of whom had recent and very serious health events...
Powerful Reflections from our Collegium of OfficersOctober 22, 2012In the weeks leading up to the election our denominational leaders have been sharing personal reflections on why they vote. Read these heart-felt and inspiring pieces.
Foreign Policy and our Faith – Looking at Tonight’s DebtateOctober 22, 2012Tonight in Boca Raton, FL President Obama and Mitt Romney will square off in their third and final debate. This debate will take the form of a round table debate on foreign policy. Although most acknowledge that the economy and jobs remain the crux of public debate and will determine this election, over the past few weeks there has been growing interest and media coverage over the candidate’s stances on foreign policy. Drawing distinctions between their positions on foreign policy is not as obvious between the campaigns as it is on other issues, such as the environment or tax policy, but the differences are there and will result in starkly different trajectories for U.S. policy. In the sensitive realm of foreign policy, slight emphases can result in very different positions and perceptions by U.S. allies abroad.
Registering to vote – why isn’t it easier?October 20, 2012Registering to vote should be as easy as possible. There are enough things to worry about for individuals and families in the process of moving. Especially in such tough economic times as these when people are much more likely to move homes, we should remember that voter registration is not a one-time deal.
Elect Statesmen and Stateswomen, not Ideologues.October 17, 2012According to polls, the foremost concern on the minds of voters this year is the economy. But what is arguably the most important economic debate of the next two years will happen after the election but before any newly-elected representatives take office. Before year end, Congress will have to decide whether to avert an impending recession and how to do it. Yes, a recession. Experts predict that unless Congress changes the 2013 federal budget, the United States will be back in a recession by early 2013.
Where Are Our Values?October 8, 2012I watched the first presidential debate like millions of other voters. I agreed with the analysts and pundits about who did well, better than expected, or not all that well. I was not uplifted by either candidate’s rhetoric, arguments, approach, tone or style. I still know who I am voting for – that didn’t change – but I was distressed.
When is a citizen not a citizen?October 1, 2012In this election season, I have heard next to nothing about criminal justice reform. Are other issues really so much more pressing? Think about it. 2.3 million men and women in prison and another 5 million on probation or parole – amounting to 1 out of every 32 Americans under justice system control. Countless others have completed their sentences but live with a record of a felony conviction. They are returning to community at a rate of 1.5 million every two years. Most do not return to prison. Instead, they live in community, struggling for jobs and housing and reunification with their families. They have paid their debt, but it is not over.
Ask Candidates to Support the Public Purpose of Public EducationSeptember 14, 2012Until the past two decades our society has valued public education practically and philosophically. In the practical sense, public schools in the United States have been able to operate on a mammoth scale with 90,000 public schools in 15,000 school districts across 50 states and Puerto Rico—a relatively loose system that serves over 50 million children and adolescents and employs 3.5 million teachers.
Clarity, Comfort and Race in AmericaSeptember 7, 2012I recently went to see my eye doctor, and told him that my prescription glasses don’t seem to let me see afar clearly, and, at the same time, read comfortably for hours on end. To my surprise, for what I thought would be a simple visit with a simple question, it actually launched him into this philosophical rumination whether clarity and comfort can co-exist!
Behind The Velvet Curtain (no, not the Wizard of Oz)July 18, 2012How are you talking about the election with your kids? Have you ever discussed why it is important to you to vote and be involved in your community? I encourage you to begin these conversations now, and to begin bringing them behind the metaphorical velvet curtain.
A War on Women and the SisterhoodJune 21, 2012The nuns are headed on a bus tour of seven states as I write this – a tour that will take them to the many programs and institutions which they as Catholic religious women, sisters, started and have supported over the years. Programs that feed the hungry, care for the homeless and the abused woman and child, provide health care for those without insurance, and schools that offer excellent education to many children caught in a web of poverty...
High Country UCC and Proposition OneJune 7, 2012On May 8th, North Carolina citizens voted to add an amendment to their state Constitution that defines marriage as solely between one man and one woman. The High Country United Church of Christ in North Carolina remained loyal to their call to witness to the far-reaching love of God throughout the time leading up to the deciding vote.
Protecting my Grandma’s Right to VoteJune 1, 2012I love my grandmothers. They both have the tendency to drive me up the wall sometimes, but they’re mine. There’s something about grandparents and seniors that makes me want to stop what I’m doing and sit with them for a while to learn from their years of experience...
Is there room for religion in political campaigns?May 17, 2012A diverse group of faith groups has signed on to a statement of principles on the role of religion in the elections. And what they say might not be what you're expecting.
On the Brink: Bracing for the Real WorldMay 14, 2012I really dislike existential crises, but upon my graduation from college, I find myself embroiled in one. I’m leaving behind my old sphere of existence – the sphere of youthful idealism – and will be rudely dumped at the corner of this other sphere of existence that I call “the real world” in the span of a two-hour graduation ceremony.
Ms. Sandra Sorensen
Director of Washington Office
Program Team Based in Washington, DC
Justice And Witness Ministries
100 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington,District of Columbia 20002
202-543-1517
sorenses@ucc.org
Ms. Jessie Palatucci
Online Communications Specialist
Program Team Based in Washington, DC
Justice And Witness Ministries
100 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington,District of Columbia 20002
202-543-1517
palatucj@ucc.org
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