Unitarian Universalism is rooted in the idea that a single heart can change the world, all of our hearts acting in loving concert cannot fail and San Gabriel is devoted to this change. Our social justice efforts are a fundamental part of our congregation. They are how we affect positive change and break down divisions, eliminate isolation and encourage the interconnectedness of life.

Our inclusive congregation partners with various organizations within our community and actively engages by:

• Neighborhood FREE Little Food Pantry. Donated food appears magically by members and passersby to help local residents.  No questions asked.
• Working with the homeless through organizations like The Caring Place
• Supporting PFLAG meetings for parents and families of our LGBTQ community
• Seeking economic justice for workers in Georgetown
• Organizing and participating in Courageous Conversations about race
• Promoting environmental justice through Green Sanctuary & Citizens Climate Lobby
• Working to remove the stigma of mental illness by working with NAMI
• Helping those in need at our southern borders
• Participating in Passover Seder and Ramadan Eid Al-Fitr celebrations
• Collaborating with other faith communities to Get Out The Vote

5 Steps of Social Justice

Educate, Service, Witness, Advocacy, and Community Organizing

Green Sanctuary Congregation

SGUUF is a recognized as ‘Green Sanctuary’ by the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is one of the ways our congregation works towards the vision of a healthier, more sustainable future. We live with a deep awareness of our current climate crisis and the ongoing environmental injustices happening in our world.

We commit to four practices, grounded in Unitarian Universalist principles:

Environmental Justice: Partnering with marginalized communities who are hit first and hardest by environmental crisis. By partnering with these communities we are able to address human and environmental needs at the same time.

Worship and Celebration: Worship inspires our work, reminding us of what’s most sacred and true as we labor together towards a cleaner, more just and sustainable world.

Religious Education: Workshops and programs for all ages shape attitudes and build practices that are sustainable and spiritually-grounded.

Sustainable Living: Treating the world more gently by using fewer resources and being mindful of the choices we make, both as a congregation and as households.

We invite all who share these values to join us on this journey of connection, sustainability, and hope.

LGBTQ+ Welcoming Congregation

 As a Welcoming Congregation we have pledged to:

• Honor the lives of all people equally without regard for sexual orientation
• Celebrate diversity by using inclusive language and content in worship
• Incorporate an understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer experiences throughout our programs, including religious education
• Affirm lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues
• Celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer history
• Affirm marriage equality and conduct same-sex weddings
• Advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people
• Promote justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society
• Speak out when the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons are threatened

Recognizing there’s always something more to learn the congregation remains open to a deepening understanding about the lives of LGBTQ+ persons.

Current Justice Projects

The Social Justice Team is always looking for new members and volunteers. For more information about the projects listed, please email social.justice@sangabrieluu.org.

Racial Justice

Courageous Conversations

Our local interfaith efforts to address issues around racial inequalities, public safety, public education, economic justice, and racial justice matters that arise in Georgetown, including challenges to the presence of the Confederate Monument. Open to anyone interested in working on racial justice issues locally.

Courageous Conversations GTX Facebook Group

GTX Connect

MISSION: to facilitate community problem solving by bridging the gaps between community members, government officials, and other organizations. We build on people’s strengths and aspirations by providing the support they need to become changemakers and leaders in the community.

Be An Ally to D.R.U.U.M.M. (Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries)

DRUUMM is a Unitarian Universalist People of Color Ministry and anti-racist collective bringing lay and religious professionals together to overcome racism through resistance and transform Unitarian Universalism through our multicultural experiences. We developed from several older ministries, namely the African American UU Ministries and Jubilee World anti-racism change trainings.

Economic Justice

We Support the Georgetown Housing Initiative

The Georgetown Housing Initiative (GHI) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) established to inform and contribute to conversations relating to workforce and affordable housing in Georgetown, Texas.  https://www.ghi-tx.org/

We support Prosper Georgetown, a living wage initiative. 

MISSION: Harness the power of a living wage to drive prosperity for workers, local businesses, and the overall economy of Georgetown.  https://prospergeorgetown.org/

Education

We support our local public schools through the annual Blessing of the Backpacks, collection of school supplies, and donations to offset students’ school lunch debt.  We encourage our members to attend school board meetings.  On a state level, we rally our congregants to write their legislators in defense of public schools.

Environmental and Climate Justice

Annual Earth Day worship and activities to enhance our knowledge for care of the Earth, for understanding biodiversity, and for promotion of the use of native plants.

Citizens Climate Lobby

The Georgetown – Round Rock CCL We welcome all who are interested in Climate Change Issues. There is always a presentation from the national office from an expert on a climate related issue.

Green Sanctuary

Green Sanctuary is an effort within SGUUF to become an environmentally responsible congregation via a national UUA environmental certification process.

Social Services

The Caring Place

The Caring Place is a local non-profit charity supported by many Georgetown congregations and residents that provides food, clothing, housing and utility assistance, etc. to those living in poverty or needing a helping hand. Annual Food Collection has been the primary support.

We support agencies assisting the homeless and unsheltered population in our city and county, by collaborating with Helping Hands of Georgetown and Wilco Homeless Coalition.  Some SGUUF members participate in the nationwide Point In Time Count of the homeless in January in our area.  https://www.helpinghandsgtx.org/ 

Social Justice

Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.

UUA Welcoming Congregation Initiative

LGBTQ Welcoming Congregation is a recognition of SGUUF by the UUA certification process as a open and welcoming congregation to all people regardless of their sexual identity.

Transforming Hearts Collective,   https://www.transformingheartscollective.org/

WE TRANSFORM HEARTS, NOT JUST MINDS

Addressing the Humanitarian Crisis on the Border

A recent group effort to discuss and plan strategies to provide aid and advocacy on behalf of asylum seekers and immigrants being detained at the border and in detention centers. Click here to view resources.

We support the work of the Immigration Legal Services through the GTX Connect non-profit.   link:  https://ilswilco.org/en/home/

We support the efforts of Texas Impact with donations for groups to take to the border to assist asylum seekers or writing our legislators.  link  https://texasimpact.org/

Promoting Interfaith Relations

Coordinating annual dinners with local Muslim/Jewish communities.

Texas Impact & Texas UU Justice Ministry

Texas Impact, the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy, and Texas UU Justice Ministry form an interfaith network that brings faith to bear on social issues through grassroots education and policy advocacy.

Together, we give people of faith the information and leadership skills they need to help policymakers improve conditions for families and communities throughout Texas.