GETTING OUTSIDE ONE'S SELF.

A happy, effective person does not live only for his or her self. And so it is with churches. A church must have many interests and activities that are for the good of the larger community - be these activities local, national or international. UUCCH is no exception to this dictum.Indeed our history in social action goes back to near our origins. In March of 1965, our then minister Rev. Ed Lane (in the center of the photo with the gray hat), accompanied by several church members including Lyra Mathwich and Gwen Gain went to Selma, Alabama to participate in the historic Selma-Montgomery march.

Here are a number of our outreach activities as organized by our Social Justice Steering Committee.

Our TRANSYLVANIA CONNECTION
We made a commitment to a fellow church in Székelyderzs, Romania in 1990 stimulated by a UUA program originated in that year whose purpose was to aid them in recovering from decades of persecution. Our program's originator, our late Minister Emeritus Rev. Rudy Nemser D.D. first visited Székelyderzs in 1991 and we have sent groups every year since, except for a hiatus from 2003 to 2006, and have had visits from them. Read about this important program on the linked page.

NEW! Our partner church in Székelyderzs now has its own web site! Go to http://szekelyderzs.erdely.org/ One small worry - it's all in Hungarian (!) but not to worry. This site, as ours, has lots of photos to give you a flavor of their church and surroundings. Go to the button, testvérkapcsolatunk, and you will see a photo of our late minister emeritus, Rev. Rudy Nemser, who started this UUCCH program. Also, we are told an English version is in process.

IHOC (Interfaith Homeless Outreach Council)
This council consists of 25 area churches which provide a place for a two week stay for homeless men during the winter months. Food, housing, attention by a social worker and assistance in attending support programs such as AA are provided. UUCCH supplies food and overnight monitoring persons to these churches.
In a second activity, we provide school back packs containing needed supplies and clothing to children in need.
Lastly, in the spring, we have an Adopt-A-Box program to give children and homeless men and women a shoe box of needed toiletries.

EMERGENCY FOOD
Collecting food and other household-type donations every Sunday morning has been a regular yearlong activity since the fall of 1991. The donations are divided equally and are delivered weekly - half to New Visions on Stevens Street in Camden and half to the Cherry Hill Food and Outreach Group in this area.
New Visions is a rehabilitation center, homeless center and soup kitchen. It aids persons looking for work in preparing themselves in cleanliness, good clothing and demeanor when going for job interviews.
Any non-perishable food is acceptable but it must be new and in unopened cans or boxes. Canned vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, pasta and pasta sauce, cereal and canned meats are typical donations. Non-food items such as soap, dish washing and clothes washing detergents, paper towels, toilet paper, towels, wash cloths and socks are always "premium" items.
New Visions can also use large items such as working television sets, sewing machines and dishwashers. These are collected by their truck by special arrangement.
From time to time, a notice appears in the newsletter indicating special food needs and reminding readers that this is an ongoing activity.Contacts are Marion R., marionreigle@comcast.net and Sue C., scamlin1@comcast.net.

CAMDEN
Our neighbor, the City of Camden, is still under stress. Although there are number of up-scale projects now under way, there are still a number of less fortunate people whose humbler needs go unmet. This task force seeks out churches and other community groups to aid them in presenting their problems to Camden government officials and commercial organizations. We help them get a fair shake in appropriate venues.

FOOD BANK OF SOUTH JERSEY
The Foodbank of South Jersey in connection with Second Harvest is the recipient of quantities of surplus food from super markets and other sources for distribution to Churches and shelters. This food needs to be sorted into appropriate quantities and containers. We send groups of volunteers to aid in this distribution process.

JOURNEY TOWARD WHOLENESS
This Task Force is committed to an examination of institutional racism and do work that leads toward Trans formative change in ourselves, our congregation and the larger community. Recent efforts have included a film series, Reels on Racism and a Jubilee Weekend Workshop on racism and oppression.