Justice, Witness and Mission Board (JWM)
JWM addresses issues of social justice in our community, state, nation, and world. We are supported in our work by our Central Pacific Conference JWM Team.
Our congregation is involved in a variety of activities to promote social and economic justice. These include:
Open and Affirming: We have chosen to be an Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation — the designation for congregations, campus ministries, and other bodies in the United Church of Christ which make public statements to welcome into their full life and ministry persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities. As a part of this commitment, our members and friends participate in local LGBT activities including the Boise Gay Pride parade.
Assisting the poor: We provide support for the poor through donating our time and gathering donations, such as food, school supplies, and funds. We also help support Interfaith Sanctuary, which provides overnight shelter and supportive services for men, women, and families with children in Boise.
Assisting our world neighbors: We support world neighbors through purchasing and selling Fair Trade items, and asking our Congressional leaders to take action to prevent or stop war and unjust treatment of people of all nations.
JWM Social Justice Book Study: Thursdays at 10am via Zoom
The JWM social justice book study group is reading Do The Work! By Kamau Bell & Kate Schwarz. We meet on Zoom at 10:00 on Thursday mornings. The book is available at Rediscovered Books in downtown Boise. Join us even if you don’t have the book because we read it aloud to each other & discuss. If you want the Zoom link, please email Liz- lzrobertsccl@gmail.com.
Here is the Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/98736900161
Boise First Green Team
Putting Faith into Action on Climate
The Justice Witness and Mission (JWM) Board decided to form a church Green Team in 2023. Our decision is rooted in love- the love of all God's creation, and that God's creation is threatened by climate change. Our church needs a Green Team to step up its efforts to be more sustainable and to become a carbon neutral congregation by 2050. Boise City's goal is for the entire city to be carbon neutral by 2050. Boise First UCC should set an example to the community and join this effort. We realize that to be successful we will work together to educate each other. Together we can reduce the carbon footprints of our congregation, building, and grounds.
Our Green Team is small but mighty and enthusiastically welcomes new members as well as suggestions. So far, Jessica Aston, Ed Keener, Liz Roberts and Carol Stirling are members. We've had a couple of meetings so far and are working on a statement of goals to be presented to the congregation at a later date.
The Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (BUUF) has made great strides in working on becoming a carbon neutral congregation. We've met with Jim Bigelow, a BUUF member. who's leading the effort there. Jim gave us suggestions on how to get started. We intend to invite Jim to Boise First UCC in early 2024 to let us know how BUUF plans to be carbon neutral by 2050.
We also understand that in addition to individual and church actions, policy changes that reduce greenhouse gases are important for maintaining a livable world. The Green Team will work to inform the congregation about opportunities for voicing concerns about climate policy at the local, state and federal level.
Please join our Green Team. We'd be happy to have you help us care for God's creation.