In the wake of devastation wrought by the earthquake which struck the island of Haiti on January 12, 2010, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) are launching a joint relief effort to bring aid to the impoverished island nation.

On Easter Sunday, April 4, the UU Church of Muncie will devote its monthly designated offering to the Haiti relief work of the UUA. Members and friends of the congregation are encouraged to give generously to this effort. If you are unable to attend church on Easter, you can send a check to the church office with "Haiti Relief" on the memo line.

Our offering on Love Sunday, February 14, will be dedicated to Indy PFLAG. Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays, is a national non-profit organization with over 200,000 members in the United States, including a local chapter in Muncie. The people of this organization celebrate diversity and envision a society that embraces everyone, especially including those of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. PFLAG provides: 1) support, to cope with an adverse society; 2) education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and 3) advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Like our UU Church, PFLAG asserts "Only with respect, dignity and equality for all will we reach our full potential as human beings, individually and collectively." The Indy PFLAG has a special need to advocate against the current anti-gay legislation coming before the Indiana congress. For more information about PFLAG visit the Indy PFLAG web site.

Our January designated offering (January 10) will benefit the Harvest Soup Kitchen, housed in the basement of the old St. Lawrence School at 820 East Charles Street in Muncie. (One imagines cheerful ladies in hair nets serving children there in the 1950s!) The Soup Kitchen, a non-profit corporation, was founded in 1994 and is not to be confused with Second Harvest Food Bank, although the two agencies work cooperatively. Its $20,000 annual budget is funded primarily by voluntary contributions of food and cash, with some grants; it is staffed with two parttime employees and 30 volunteers, plus BSU students.

On Santa Lucia day (December 13) we take a Special Collection, as we have for more than a decade, this year to benefit A Better Way and Friends Food Pantry. A Better Way provides shelter and services for victims of domestic violence, transitional housing, advocacy for victims of sexual assault, a 24-hour crisis line for persons in any type of crisis, AOK after-school programs, and a check-in call service for elderly or disabled homebound persons. Our assistance is intended to help fight domestic violence.

Friends Memorial Church has operated a food pantry since 1977 as an outreach program to the very low and low-income families in our community. The Food Pantry is affiliated with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, from which most of their food comes, but we help supplement the purchase of needed items.

On November 8 our congregation will raise money for diversity initiatives in the UUA. The money raised will expand the "Building the World We Dream About" curriculum that is designed to promote multiculturalism. It will also be used to support congregations who are working to become racially, culturally, and economically diverse, as well as congregations and districts that minister to youth and young adults of color.

The Rev. Stephan Papa, special assistant to the president for congregational giving and growth funding, said the funds raised will move the UUA toward diversity. "Growth in diversity is a challenge for us," he said. "It's also one reason Peter (the Rev. Peter Morales) was elected president in June. We told him we wanted our faith to be part of the multicultural future."

Read more about this new curriculum at the UUA web site.

As the economic pressure on low-income families grows, more and more are placed in the position of choosing between vital necessities and essential home repairs and modifications, though lack of repair may endanger their home. The Mission of Rebuilding Together is "Bringing volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of homeowners in need." This organization is the nation's leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities. Drawing on volunteer labor and resources of our area Rebuilding Together of Delaware County provides free rehabilitation and critical repair to the homes of low-income people in Delaware County. Many members of our church have volunteered for Rebuilding Together over the years, now we can provide financial support as well with our Dedicated Collection on October 11.