Congregational Affiliation with UULMNJ

Through a congregation’s involvement with the legislative ministry they will be helping to forge policies that:

• uphold the worth and dignity of every person;
• further justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
• ensure use of the democratic process;
• protect religious freedom, and;
• promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence.

Activities of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey will include:

• Fostering the spiritual foundation of social justice through our legislative ministry.
• Engaging UUs in working for social justice through a legislative ministry congruent with our principles that have broad based UU support.
• Creating vehicles through which we may coordinate legislative ministry involvement across the state.
• Establishing working relationships between UUs and other allies (interfaith and secular).
• Developing and sharing educational and worship materials.
• Hosting leadership training opportunities and lobby days.
• Fostering the engagement of youth and adult UUs in the legislative ministry.
• Coordinating enhanced media visibility for UU values.

Affiliating congregations are asked to:

• Inform UULMNJ about issue priorities on a regular basis that are important to them.
• Make one or more UULMNJ priority issues part of our their social justice ministry agenda each year.
• Designate a UULMNJ Liaison(s) and support their work to:
• foster UULMNJ support, visibility, and involvement in their congregation
• designate leader(s) to coordinate education and action on those UULMNJ priority issues with which their congregation wishes to engage
• serve on UULMNJ’s Plenary Council.
• Encourage communication between UULMNJ and their congregation.
• Provide an annual contribution (either from special collections, fund raisers, and/or a budgeted item) to the UULMNJ which shall, starting in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010, equal a minimum of five dollars per member as a supporting Congregation, $10 per member as a sustaining Congregation, or $25 per member as a champion Congregation.
• Communicate to the Congregation the opportunity and need for contributions to UULMNJ by individuals to supplement the Congregation’s contributions.

While individuals are encouraged to contribute to and participate in UULMNJ, voting membership shall be limited to New Jersey Congregations that are affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and choose to affiliate with UULMNJ.  A Congregation, or UULMNJ, may end this affiliation at any time. 

If a congregation feels that $5 per member will be overly burdensome and a barrier to their affiliating, please contact UULMNJ's Executive Director for a discussion of fundraising possibilities and ideas or arranging a waiver.