Sundays are for worshipping aren’t they?
Not always. People attending at the Elora & Fergus Unitarian Universalist Church on Dec. 5 were engaged in tying social action to spirituality.
President Leigh Brownhill led the service, which included normal Unitarian traditions as sharing joys and concerns, a children’s story, singing, meditation, and main address. Ellen Papenburg, past president, then talked about how even one person can make a difference, let alone a group of people. She said people have the ability to make enormous changes. What can be more spiritual than actually helping people who are in hopeless situations with no rights?
Amnesty International’s action across Canada this week is called Write for Rights, with participants writing letters with the goal to set unjust situations right.
Members and friends of the Unitarian church took part, and this time two very upsetting situations were addressed. One cause is right here in our own country in Alberta, with the Lubicon Cree losing their traditional hunting grounds to big oil rigs without any input or compensation. Another cause is in Papua, New Guinea, of which the source of brutal treatment and eviction of local residents lies with a Canadian gold mine company whose bottom line seems to be the big buck rather than people.
After the abbreviated service those present sat down at tables and were given paper, pens, envelopes, and stamps including all the details necessary to write and send letters to those in power who can make a difference.
Letter writing might seem futile, yet it is one of the most powerful tools to make a change. Amnesty International is one of those organizations that has succeeded in freeing political prisoners, returning rights to people, and who have accomplished sheer impossible results with just the power of the pen.
It was a different service, but in truth, not that much out of line with the usual services at the congregation, as it is never quite the same every Sunday.
The service might address traditions of different religions, history, human rights, rights of all beings, experiencing the beauty of the universe, nature, spirituality, environmental sustainability, celebrating music, the joy of art, natural and green burials, listening to the voice within, hope, love and indeed, also social action.
For information about Amnesty International visit http://www.amnesty.ca.
