We share this message from UUA President Rev. Sofía Betancourt, PhD.
The fires rage once again in California, coming so close in the aftermath of North Carolina’s rising water. We are surrounded by evidence of how precarious our tilting planet and precious lives are in the age of climate catastrophe. We hold all those impacted in our hearts today even as we process personal and collective tragedies that are not brought about by forces of nature, but by forces of coercion and human failure.
We know that the impact of this fire on all in the Los Angeles region will be tremendous. We also understand that already vulnerable populations often have fewer resources to draw on and therefore will need greater assistance in response.
This afternoon, we know that many Unitarian Universalists have been evacuated from the greater Los Angeles area. Still others have lost their homes entirely. As of this writing, our congregational spaces in the LA area remain largely undamaged, though access to them is increasingly difficult with many power lines and trees blocking roadways. We are aware that other faith communities have already lost their buildings to the fire. We offer our condolences to and prayers for them.
As I have had too many occasions to say in the last year, we are a sanctuary people. Unitarian Universalists are literally taking one another in, offering support to those in their surrounding communities, and creating pockets of relative safety amid so many challenges. Let us continue that work in many ways, now and in the days and months to come.
Today we are once again mobilizing our UUA Disaster Relief Fund to provide grant relief to impacted communities. Thanks to overwhelming recent generosity from individuals and congregations, grant funds are available. The need, however, is great and growing. If you have not yet made a gift to the Disaster Relief Fund, please consider lifting up your Sunday offering or making a personal gift now. We need one another, now more than ever.
Donations can be directed to the UUA Disaster Relief Fund at this link: https://www.uua.org/giving/disaster-relief
Resources for congregational special collections may be found here: https://www.uua.org/giving/areas-support/funds/disaster-response/disaster-relief-fund-collections
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