The UU's "social action" states:
The Mission of the Social Action Ministry is to disseminate information, promote participation by the congregation in local and worldwide projects, and endorse political involvement, in accordance with UU principles.
The Valley UU Congregation's specific "social action" is to fund the "non profit" Paz de Cristo in Mesa, AZ.
Social Action Ministry Description
- Provides volunteer opportunities to help in the local community by serving meals to homeless individuals and families at the VUU focus charity Paz de Cristo.
- Collects toiletries* to be distributed to homeless men and women at Paz de Cristo through Shoebox Ministry; for more information visit: www.shoeboxministry.org.
- Sets aside “Share the Plate” collections received on the first Sunday of every month; “Five Percent Fundraisers” (which earmark 5% of all money collected at congregational events); and amounts raised at a special “Souper Bowl” collection on Super Bowl Sunday. All receipts are donated to Paz de Cristo
- Collects foodstuffs and other items* to help Paz de Cristo restock its shelves through the VUU Donation of the Month program.
- Promotes direct contribution checks to Paz de Cristo, a 501(c)(3) organization that qualifies for an Arizona State Tax Credit.
Paz de Cristo also receives funding from the Mesa United Way. According to the 2011 Form 990, the Mesa United Way donated over $18,000 to Paz de Cristo.
One of the pastors for the UU said in a sermon in April 2010 regarding the recent passage of SB1070,
"We can and must resist this unjust law. We can resist by refusing to use the word "illegal" because it dehumanizes and covers over the human lives behind the rhetoric...We can resist by abstaining from reporting on our friends and neighbors. We can resist by actively calling on the federal government to step up to their responsibility and to do the politically unpopular work of passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform... And, we can resist publicly by standing and witnessing our disagreement with this legislation."
To be clear, we are not criticizing the desire of groups to help those in need. We are questioning donations going to a group who caters to facilitating illegal behavior.
It is mindboggling to discover how this radical and admittedly liberal "thinking person's religion" with their Godless ideologies have not only been able to incorporate themselves into the fabric of our every day society, but they have managed to sucker other organizations to fund them.
We hope that those who serve on the board of the Mesa United Way, including Kirk Adams and Bob Worsley, will take a closer look at who they are giving grant money to and perhaps do a little vetting first. We aren't sure that Alinsky associated groups who preach anti-Christian hate and promote illegal behavior is where donors intended for their money to be spent.
