News – October 14, 2022

Dearest Friends,

      The Fifth Principle of our Unitarian Universalist Association is “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” Democratic practice is so important to our tradition that we are sometimes referred to as “the religion of democracy.” And many of us think of democracy as synonymous with the Beloved Community—that vision we have of a society where love, justice, and solidarity have been brought into being.

      In a democratic society, struggle for a better world does not have an end point. It is an ongoing process, with every generation making an effort to reshape the country into their own vision of Beloved Community. I tell all this to you because as part of our congregation’s dedication to democracy as a religious practice we have made a commitment to increase voter participation in Houston in the upcoming election.

      We have set two goals. First, we aspire to have 100% voter participation from our community. Second, we hope to increase voter turnout in Precinct 20, one of the voting precincts that’s closest to our campus. Here are several ways you can help us meet these goals:

1. Let us know if you have a voting plan or need help getting to the polls by filling out this google form!

2. Attend Sunday’s Accountability Session with TMO. We’ve committed to turning out 20 people for the event. It will be held at St. Gregory the Great Church at 10500 Nold Dr, Houston, TX 77016. This is an opportunity to see where the candidates stand on issues such as access to health care and mental health services, workforce development, gun safety, and immigration among others.

3. Join me by participating in our Blockwalk Parties on Saturday, October 22nd, Sunday, October 30th, and Tuesday, November 8th, and help get people to the polls! Participants for these events should come to the church.

4. Phonebanking! Call voters using our convenient phonebanking technology, all from the comfort of your own home. More information on this will be available soon.

Our effort has already met with success. We’ll be celebrating it this Sunday during the service when we dedicate the more than 4,000 Get Out the Vote postcards that members have prepared to mail out to encourage people to come to the polls.

Democracy is a religious practice! Let’s practice it together!

love,

Colin

The Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen, PhD
Senior Minister, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston
colin@firstuu.org