Climate Justice Revival Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Rolla (UUFR) to Host Climate Justice Revival

September 29th, 10:30am-2pm

On Sunday, September 29th, 2024, The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Rolla is working to collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future. In conjunction with hundreds of UUs across the world, UUFR’s Climate Justice Revival is catalyzing a shared vision and purpose within the congregation and in the greater Rolla community to realize climate justice and collective liberation.The Unitarian Universalist (UU) Climate Justice Revival movement hit a key milestone recently when more than 175 UU congregations from across the country announced their participation in the Climate Justice Revival. Rachel Myslivy, the UUA’s Climate Justice Strategist stated “Racial justice, disability justice, gender justice, economic justice—these are all deeply interconnected with climate justice. The UU Climate Justice Revival builds on decades of faithful and visionary UU environmental leadership and social justice advocacy.”

Here in Rolla, UUFR is planning a rousing tent revival in the backyard of the fellowship house, 608 E. 11th Street. Longtime lay leader and environmentalist Connie Roberts will deliver a sermon entitled “Reimagine Together: From An Extractive Age to a New Era”, with special musical guest Chris Feaster, with coffee and conversation starting at 10:30 and the service from 11-12. Following the service, the music will continue as they invite the Rolla community to join them as they serve a conservation inspired church supper from 12-1. They will be focusing on sustainability as they work to will be locally source the majority of the ingredients, working to reduce plastic consumption, and serving no meat in order to reduce the carbon footprint. At 1pm, all who are willing and able are invited to join them on “Food Waste Brigade Parade” across the 10th Street Bridge and through downtown along Pine Street. They will pick up biodegradable food waste from local restaurants along the way, a form of climate justice in action. From there they will parade these buckets of compost materials in wagons and carry them to the Common Grounds Community Garden, at the end of Pine Street behind Taco Bell on 72, where they will conclude the revival by dumping this compost into their bins with a closing song, prayer and dance. Climate Justice Revival Co-Organizer and lay leader Maggie VI Beedles states “The food waste brigade parade is our way of taking our values and putting them into action. By taking a bite out of Rolla’s carbon footprint by keeping a bunch of foodwaste out of the landfill, helping to build new soil at Common Grounds, and walking as a group through our beautiful, walkable community, we hope to find inspiration and hope to be able to face what’s to come with a unified commUUNITY spirit.”