D. D. Hilke, Executive Director, Northwest UU Justice Network challenged participants to imagine doing more justice, more easily and to greater effect... And to be able to do that work as UUs in our local and regional communities.  A small group of UUs, the founders of the Northwest UU Justice Network have been imagining just that outcome over the past year.  Their imagination has spawned commitment and their commitment has brought them to this Summit to present four proposed programs to help us realize this vision:

• An Annual Northwest UU Justice Summit
• A NW UU Justice Program Census
• Organizational Support for UUs Networking By Issue (in our region)
• A Website to Support All (regional) Networking

Download D. D. Hilke's PowerPoint presentation here, to learn more about these programs.

While participants were enthusiastic about the programs proposed, they were challenged to think even deeper about what else would be needed to do more justice work, more easily and to greater effect, as UUs.  Below are attendees' initial responses to this challenge as recorded by Sarajane Siegfriedt:

• Training in, for example, community organizing, fundraising, communicating, networking.
• Sustain inspiration and passion. That’s what’s missing.
• How does this NW UU JN relate to Washington UU Voices for Justice, which focuses on state legislative issues? Answer:  WA UU Voices for Justice focuses on legislative issues; such advocacy is definitely one of the ministries under this umbrella, but there are other justice ministries under the Network umbrella as well: e.g., education on issues, standing witness, serving at-risk populations, etc.
• We could have a spirituality component, or a theological component. Important to be clear about why this is a UU network: i.e., How is this work grounded in UU values? Why is this a religious issue?
• Funding the network and the work of UUs in the work: Are there grants for such purposes?
• Great, if this helps all UU churches become more active. Real community involves passion and activism. That can be our salvation.
• What about the people who don’t use computers? How do we touch people personally?
• Each of us is probably in four or five other UU networks, including UUSC, UUJEC, UU Voices and so on. How it relates to all these other networks within (and outside) our movement is important to determine.  We don’t need yet another network or organization unless it is important to making our work more effective.