• Find out what "political" issues your congregation has become involved with in recent years.

Most Unitarian Universalist communities have at least one issue, large or small, that brings into question the role of the congregation in public witness. Attaching the name of your congregation to a public display of political influence, whether it be through hosting a voter registration event, carrying a banner in a gay pride parade, or raising money for a local homeless shelter, requires thoughtful action. Lead the group to consider: How does our congregation decide when to take a public stand? Do we take action through a congregational vote, a board decision, the autonomous work of a social action committee, or a combination of measures? What criteria do we have for supporting a cause? Talk about any recent actions of public witness in your community. If your congregation does not currently have a policy around public witness, what would you like to see in place? How could this group work toward implementing it?