“Charity is a matter of personal attributes, justice a matter of public policy. Charity seeks to alleviate the effects of injustice; justice seeks to eliminate the cause of it.”
William Sloane Coffin, UCC Minister
Becoming a “Green Church”
Green Church Covenant (Approved 2008)
Green Sunday Services
Energy Audit
Outreach to the Community
Our Faith Our Vote
Voter Registration
Becoming an Multiracial and Multicultural Church
Anti-Racism Training
UCC Historical Commitment
Other Social Justice Actions
Movies and Discussions
Fair Trade
Advocacy and Awareness
Who We Are
Mission Statement and Guiding Principles
Green Church Covenant
Covenant to Become a More Environmentally Friendly “Green” Church
As faithful and loving people, we believe peace and justice are God's plan for all creation. God, the Creator, calls us to care for, appreciate, and enjoy all of creation. Relying on God, the Sustainer, we strive to live in harmony with all people and the environment by respecting and honoring God's creation. As humble stewards, we commit to deal justly with one another and the earth in all areas of our personal and our church lives. Through study, prayer, and reflection, we will strive to:
Green Sunday Services
We have “Green Sunday Services” emphasizing the theological aspect of protecting God’s creation. To help individuals take environmentally friendly actions, we communicated “easy to be green” ideas, and displayed and sold compact fluorescent light bulbs. We continue to look for opportunities to focus on environmental issues, for example a children’s time about one of our most precious resources -- water.
Energy Audit
We have been moving from awareness to action in becoming better stewards of the environment both corporately and personally. We performed an energy audit which resulted in recommendations that, if implemented, will substantially reduce our carbon foot print. We have already implemented two of the recommendations. We have replaced all our exit lights with super efficient LED signs, and we have just changed all our overhead fluorescent light fixtures to be more energy efficient. These changes will reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere.
Outreach to the Community
We joined with Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light (GWIPL) to work with other faith communities on environmental issues. We opened our doors to our neighbors and offered a free showing of the movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” Through GWIPL, we have been invited to various settings including the Rumi Forum, a gathering of diverse faith communities, which provided an opportunity for exchange of ideas, thereby multiplying the impact we have on our environment.
Our Faith Our Vote
We sponsor community voter registration drives, which is a part of a national UCC initiative called “Our Faith Our Vote.” The hope is that this and other actions will inspire dialogue about the importance of expressing our faith through civic participation. In order to do this, members attended training to certify for voter registration.
Anti-Racism Training
We at Bethesda UCC affirm the importance of the UCC’s historical commitment, and continue working on becoming a church of extravagant welcome. A group of us participated in an “Anti-Racism Training.” We learned about the difference between being non-racist and anti-racist, the patterns of oppressors and the oppressed, definitions of racism, and levels and types of oppression – individual, cultural and institutional. We talked about cultural competency and the continuum on becoming a multiracial and multicultural church. It was a powerful and enlightening experience. We realize we must be bold to become multiracial and multicultural. We have to “welcome the world.” Such a welcome is the work of worshipping, the work of learning, the work of trusting, the work of trying, and the work of removing obstacles. God is calling Bethesda UCC to deeper commitment. We know this will take study, reflection, and prayer.
We also sponsored an anti-racism training for our youth and invited youth from neighboring UCC churches.
UCC Historical Commitment
When the founding General Synod of the United Church of Christ met fifty years ago, the overwhelming majority of those present were men from a European heritage. The synod reflected little racial or even gender diversity. Since then, God has been working consistently with the UCC.
Over the years, changes have taken place within the UCC that paralleled changes in society. Such change was empowered by the civil rights movement, the emergence of liberation theologies from developing countries, the feminist movement, and the gay and lesbian movement. God worked among us through these voices.
Many members from distinct communities and congregations found solidarity, identity, and power within a predominantly European American denomination. Some of those same members challenged the church to make good on its ministry of justice and love.
In 1993, the 19th General Synod adopted the pronouncement titled “Becoming a Multiracial and Multicultural Church.” The pronouncement called on the UCC “in all its settings to be a true multiracial and multicultural church.” It reminds us of our vision as a denomination, “that they may all be one,” and names some of the impediments to reaching that vision. The pronouncement identifies the sins of racism, discrimination, and bigotry. It also acknowledges changing economic, cultural, and social realities that impact the church as well as the world. The mission stated in the pronouncement reflects the challenge: “A multiracial and multicultural church is called to participate in God’s mission of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God through Christ in all communities with all peoples in all places.”
Most importantly, what compels us to be multiracial and multicultural in the United Church of Christ is not changing population demographics, but rather biblical and theological imperatives. It is a faithful response to God, creator of all people.
Movies and Discussions
We sponsor a bimonthly Movie Night, open to everyone, to view and discuss films and documentaries dealing with peace, justice and social issues.
Fair Trade
We increased awareness of how purchasing Equal Exchange (fair trade) products support farmers around the world and backed it up with a system to make it easier for our congregation to purchase Equal Exchange products. One of our members spent a week living with coffee farmers in Chiapas, Mexico, and she has increased our awareness of the impact purchasing fair trade products has on farmers around the world.
Advocacy Resources
Members are invited to respond to timely social justice concerns through various forms such as signing petitions and contacting our local representatives. For example, members were informed about an upcoming vote on the children’s health insurance (SCHIP legislation) and urged to contact their legislative representatives. We keep people informed about advocacy resources available through the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries.
Mission Statement and Guiding Principles
The Faith in Action group is dedicated to finding ways we at Bethesda UCC can put our faith into action regarding the issues facing our world today. Through experiencing God’s grace and the Spirit’s energizing presence, our hope is to move beyond charity and further into justice
Our Mission Statement is:
We seek to encourage, support and inform people as they live out their faith with respect to the issues facing our world today.
Our Guiding Principles are:
Base actions on Scriptural study and reflection
Speak with a prophetic voice
Speak to the issues
Respect the opinions of others
Work with the UCC and other like-minded organizations