Social Justice Collective
Mandate
St James United Church formed a “Social Justice Committee” in 2009. After some exploratory meetings a mandate was developed. In 2024 there was renewed agreement and enthusiasm to continue working together, but to rebrand as a “Collective” rather than a “Committee”, as that definition better reflects how we work. The group communicates primarily by email and telephone, with infrequent meetings for event planning. We welcome new members and input from the congregation.
Our approach is to “think globally and act locally”. We want to educate ourselves about topics of community and world concern and inform the congregation of our findings. We encourage everyone to act individually on these matters. As a collective, we will act collaboratively on those issues that seem particularly relevant to us here.
Our mandate includes, but is not limited to:
1) connecting with other social justice agencies and participating in related activities within our community (including attending meetings and events either as individuals or as representatives of St James; creating formal and informal liaisons with other organizations; and reporting information gathered to both the collective and the congregation)
2) communicating about social justice issues and events to the collective and the congregation (including educating ourselves about these matters and presenting that information in a relevant manner; publicizing dates, times and descriptions of events we can attend; preparing articles for our Church website, newsletter and bulletins; and updating the congregation during services)
3) planning and carrying out social justice projects (including organizing congregational or community events with speakers; taking part in awareness campaigns; beginning fundraising drives – either alone or in conjunction with other organizations and related events; and working with other congregational groups such as the Sunday School.)
Our exploration of social justice issues shows us that they can be broken down into the following general categories: poverty, environment, equality, peace, health, and education. The collective’s primary focus will be poverty issues. However, we will also highlight other issues as they arise, and celebrate the environment by holding an Earth Day Service annually in April.