Prophetic Outreach Opportunities for Unitarian Universalist Interns and Congregations

One of the five areas of competency the Ministerial Fellowship Committee (MFC) expects all candidates for ministry to develop is the area of Prophetic Outreach. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Internship Manual describes Prophetic Outreach as follows:

“…those aspects of ministry that extend the Unitarian Universalist (UU) commitment to justice, peace, democratic process, and interdependence beyond the congregational or community-based setting. This work includes:

Public witness of the intern's personal involvement with regard to community or world issues.

Social advocacy, the intern's engagement with anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multicultural initiatives.

Promotion of institutional inclusivity and commitment to Unitarian Universalist values.”

With these guidelines in mind, the Internship Clearinghouse has created the following partial list of opportunities to work with UU-related organizations engaged in prophetic outreach. Some of these organizations hire interns; others offer programs in which a UUA intern could become involved and almost all of them would welcome the leadership of an intern who could help a congregation become involved.

Organizations which include descriptions are those that responded to the query from the Internship Clearinghouse. However, all of these organizations offer opportunities for prophetic outreach.

Beacon House After-School and Saturday Programs

Bethany Union for Young Women

Building a City of H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Eat)
A project of the youth group of Bradford Community Church, Kenosha, WI, which offers a model for other youth groups.
bradforduu@core.com

California UU Legislative Ministry

The Cradle Club
A partnership between UUs and the Southwest Indian Relief Council which provides pre-and post-natal care to Native American mothers and their newborns.

Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM)

Faithful Fools Street Ministry

GROUNDWORK: UU Youth and Young Adult Anti-Racism Training and Organizing Program

Hale-Barnard – Hale House

Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative

Interweave

Latina/o UU Networking Association (LUUNA)
luunaysol@aol.com

Prison Ministry
Almost 300 prisoners across the U.S. have joined the UU Church of the Larger Fellowship, and dozens are still waiting to be matched with a non-incarcerated UU "penpal" through CLF's "Letter Writing Ministry." Interns might consider becoming a penpal for a CLF prisoner-member and/or getting a congregation involved. Visit the CLF's website and click on the Prison Ministry tab to review the Guidelines for the Letter Writing Ministry and request an info-application packet.
PrisMin@clfuu.org

Project Harvest Hope
harvesthope@uua.org

Promise Massachusetts Children
Ways to get involved: (1) Engaging children and youth (6th – 12th) workshops that include a legislative action. They are developing a environmental awareness workshop with a young adult and a senior in high school. (2) Getting involved in a specific issue such as early education or after school programming, following the legislative action issues in that piece of legislation throughout the year and encouraging UU congregations (and others) to take action by contacting their legislators. Also open to a part-time internship.

Social Justice Internship Program in the UUA Washington Office for Advocacy

Religions for Peace

Religions for Peace – USA
Based in New York City, Religions for Peace accepts interns and usually has a UU intern among the group at any given time. Newsletter feature on one UU from the summer of 2006. The organization offers part-time and full-time positions, mostly unpaid, though sometimes they can work out terms for pay. Religions for Peace is based in New York City across from the UN and by the UU-UNO.

Urban Disciples, the Veatch Urban Social Justice Ministry Project

UU Affordable Housing Corporation
UUAHC would welcome working with interns to provide direct involvement with people and organizations involved in creating affordable housing as well as opportunities to minister to low and very low income people in the process of becoming homeowners. UUAHC also offers the opportunity to learn about the institutional causes and solutions to the affordable housing problem. UUAHC could offer a paid part-time internship working in prophetic outreach in low-income and disadvantaged communities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitian region.

UU Allies for Racial Equity
machinebuster@gmail.com

UU Global AIDS Coalition

UU Men's Network

UU Ministry for Earth (formerly the Seventh Principle Project)

UU Partner Church Council
Community Capacity Building

UU Peace Fellowship
uupeace@uua.org

UU Service Committee

UU Trauma Response Ministry
(866) 730-8181

UU Urban Ministry

UU Women's Federation
uuwf@uua.org

UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast Relief
Potential for interns to work in the Gulf.

UUs for a Just Economic Community

UUs for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
An all-volunteer UU independent affiliate organization with no office or staff. Its main goal is to help UUs and congregations in their efforts to end the death penalty. They welcome the involvement of an intern and are committed to working creatively to provide a suitable opportunity, particularly for a candidate working toward fellowshipping as a community minister.

With a UUA grant from the Fund for a Just Society (the only way they could pay an intern) an intern could reach out to those UUs wanting to end state death penalty laws and show them how to organize and work collaboratively with other like minded groups. Currently, the organization's efforts include General Assembly exhibits and programs, a website, and an internet group, UUADP@yahoogroups.com.

UUs for Drug Policy Reform

UUs for Ethical Treatment of Animals
UFETA would welcome an intern, either full-time or part-time. The organization does not have an office. However, the organization's board includes several ministers one or more of whom could serve as an intern supervisor. There are varied opportunities for an intern, including organizational development, learning, and teaching. UFETA could offer experiences at the national, region, and congregational level.
amoloros@juno.com

UUs for Justice in the Middle East

UU-United Nations Office
Opportunities with UU-UNO include helping to plan a congregational UN Sunday in October, as well as services or programs at other times of the year. UU-UNO welcomes working with interns on initiatives that engage UUs on global issues year-round through education modules, youth and intergenerational projects, advocacy and outreach. Some of these initiatives are listed below.