What's Next?

Dear UUCUC Community,



My message on January 19th titled “The Center Never Holds” challenged us to look realistically at our past as Americans, and as Unitarian Universalists, to recognize the challenges we have faced before in times of great oppression, to remember we are part of a long lineage of people who have fought for justice. The challenges we face are many and at the heart of it what we are called to do as people of faith and conscience is to resist the tyranny of oppressive policies that are harmful and life-threatening, to oppose those who spread hate and division. We must cultivate compassion and empathy while remembering that being empathetic to a person does not mean accepting or validating the policies and practices that ultimately harm us all. Holding compassion for people does not mean we accept the invitation to a middle ground where no one thrives. And while we have been and will continue to be faced with calls to compromise our values, we can resist the fallacy of moderation and root firmly and deeply in our interdependence. We must hold onto hopes for justice and transformation and commit to do what is right, here and now for all those we love and those who will come after us.

Because here we are, a day after the inauguration, and already the incoming administration is doing exactly what they said they would do: taking actions that threaten the lives and well-being of so many of us. Specifically, the first two executive orders of this administration have targeted trans people and immigrants and already the fear we have been carrying has been multiplied.

And so what do we do next?

Self-care and Community-care

The work ahead of us as people of faith and conscience is daunting but we are not alone in it. I want to offer you today resources to remind us that we are indeed part of a large body of people who are committed to justice and love. Leaning on one another in these times is how we can attend to our own well-being so that we can indeed show up for the well-being of everyone around us.

First. The UUA’s Side With Love has begun their annual 30 Days of Love 2025, which will offer weekly inspirational messages and concrete practices to engage in individually and collectively: https://sidewithlove.org/30daysoflove2025. We’ll make use of some of these resources during our weekly Tuesday vespers and I encourage you to share these with each other.

Second, as you consider your own self-care in the coming days and weeks, this article from the website “Finding Steady Ground” offers 7 things to strengthen our spirits: 7 Behaviors To Face What's Next.

Community Actions: Protecting Trans and Queer People

Additionally, as you seek ways to do whatever work you are called to do in this moment, know that there are many opportunities here in our congregation. I'm especially grateful for the leadership of our LGBTGUU + Allies team: Jerry Carden and Tim Temple have been holding holy space for our community for decades, and Roxie Howard and others have been leaning into leadership in the past few months and welcome active engagement from our entire community. The UUA’s Side With Love again offers us resources to stay connected nationwide and to engage in work here in our community: https://sidewithlove.org/reproductive-justice-trans-rights. We also have a strong partnership with Uniting Pride Center of Champaign County and will continue to work with the UP Center to serve our immediate neighbors.

The UUA is also supporting a nationwide grassroots effort called Pink Haven https://www.pinkhaven.org/ which is an organization working to ensure the safety and thriving of trans people through mutual aid and community defense. Our sibling UU congregation in Bloomington-Normal has already formalized a partnership with Pink Haven and are willing to share with us the lessons they are learning in that relationship and what the needs are.

Community Actions: Protecting Our Immigrant Neighbors

We know our immigrant neighbors are also at risk from this administration and indeed an executive order is already signed, although it's an illegal one and already challenged by the ACLU, to end birthright citizenship, which is, of course, protected by our Constitution. But this will be just one of many, many ways that immigrants are targeted. We have a long-standing relationship with the Refugee Center here in Champaign County and our Immigrant Justice Team will continue to work with them to discern the needs here in C-U and how we can best partner with them.

Community Actions: Reproductive Rights and UUANI

Illinois continues to be a haven not just for trans folks, but also for people seeking reproductive health care. We'll be working with both the UP Center and our Reproductive Rights team to actively engage in serving the needs and protecting the rights of people seeking care. Part of this will be taking a more active role in the UU Action Network of Illinois, of which we are now a covenanting congregation. Our congregation member Mike Sabacinski, who heads up our Reproductive Justice Team, is doing active training with the UUANI this spring and will be bringing that training to us via one-on-one conversations with folks who wish to be more deeply involved in the local and state level around a variety of issues. Pam Richart, who chairs our Social Action Council, is already involved with UUANI (amongst a host of climate action issues that she leads!) and I’m grateful for Mike and Pam’s leadership in these efforts.

These are just some of the ways that we will come together as a church community to take action. We'll continue to also share financial resources with organizations doing justice through our Shared Offering program and we will continue to foster opportunities through both worship and small group ministries to come together and support each other.

 Our hearts will continue to break, but with compassion and care, we can break open instead of apart. I hold you all in love and I trust that you will remember in these times that, in the words of June Jordan, we are the ones we have been waiting for.

With deep love,

Rev. Beth