Helping Others

In response to the call to promote justice and compassion in the world, Beacon Unitarian Church seeks to make a positive social impact on the surrounding community and beyond. Beacon constantly seeks for ways that members can put their values into practice, helping others as we help ourselves.

Social Responsibility Committee

The Social Responsibility Committee is currently seeking a chairperson. Until one is found, the committee is inactive, although social responsibility efforts at Beacon of various kinds are ongoing.

Leading this effort is the Social Responsibility Committee. The Social Responsibility Committee strives to find ways that we can help in the community and the wider world around us. Its mission is to encourage and facilitate the efforts of the members of Beacon Unitarian Church to strive for justice, equity and compassion among all peoples and harmony with our environment. Our Unitarian Principles are the cornerstone of our identity as Unitarians, and include the call to social action.

The SRC sponsors a number of projects and activities, both limited and on-going. Primary among these is the operation of a food bank depot by Beacon and Como Lake United Church for the SHARE Family & Community Services Society which operates food banks in the Tri-Cities area. Every second Wednesday, a volunteer crew of Beaconites distributes food at mid-day to people and families in need.

The SRC also produces two public forums a year with social justice themes, such as the workshop on the HIV-AIDS pandemic held in November 2004 and the planned all-candidates meeting during the provincial election campaign in April and May to answer questions on topics such as poverty, affordable housing, and health care, as well as numerous smaller discussions, especially Brown Bag Café sessions after services.

Past activities of Beacon's Social Responsibility Committee:

• Held a public forum on the GVRD's plan to use chloramine for future disinfection of the water supply, and successfully lobbied six municipal councils plus the GVRD against the use of this chemical
• Supported preservation of the Riverview lands
• Held a public forum on proactive responses to violent crime which lead to the creation of an annual violence prevention month in the Tri-Cities area called Together Against Violence
• Participated with other Lower Mainland faith groups in opposition to the provincial government's policy for expansion of legalized gambling in British Columbia, including successful lobbying of Tri-Cities municipal councils
• Held a public forum on the Young Offenders Act and alternative resolution processes for youth
• Invited End Legislated Poverty to conduct an exercise for Beacon members and friends called The Poverty Game to simulate the experience and constraints of living on a fixed social income
• Held a public forum on the Multi-lateral Agreement on Investment (MAI)

Membership in the SRC is a great way to turn your passion for social justice into action and to do so in concert with others who believe their actions should express their values. As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Partner Church

Beacon Unitarian Church supports a sister church in Transylvania (a Hungarian enclave in Romania), where "anti-trinitarians" were first called Unitarians and the first churches began. The Edict of Torda, 1568, decreed religious toleration, and Unitarianism was established as one of the "received faiths." Within only a few years, severe repression was once again heaped upon innovative beliefs. The Unitarian Church in Romania has suffered ever since, especially during the communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu.

Our partner church is located in the village of Kobatfalva, with Rev. Csongor Nyitrai our principal contact. Twice a year, we take up a special collection for our partner church. As well as sending funds (which go a long way in Romania) we also parcel up school supplies, medicines, office supplies, confections, and other items identified by the Kobatfalva church. Contact John Slattery and Joy Silver for further information about our partner church and especially if you are interested in becoming involved in the program.

Other Outreach Activities

The children in the Beacon Religious Education Program take up a collection every year for Heifer Project International in order to buy farm animals for families in Third World countries.

There is currently a discussion at Beacon as to whether the church should be doing more for Third World causes that are not as visible and well-publicized as the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami disaster in south Asia, such as the AIDS pandemic in Africa and the devastating situation in Darfur.

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