For the time being, all Arlington Street-sponsored meetings and events will be shifted to an online format or postponed.  Know that these are temporary measures! This coronavirus, too, shall pass. 

Social Action Committee

Uncomfortable Conversations about Race

Sunday, March 15th ~ 12:30 pm, Alan Helms Library

Concerned aout the rise of overt racism in our communities? Does talking about race make you uncomfortable? The Transformation Team for Racial Justice holds space for facilitated discussion about developing an antiracist worldview. All are welcome and no RSVP is needed. For more information, email mpost? If we don't, food waste ends up in a landfill or an incinerator. As we work to mitigate climate change, one important strateg.

Climate Crisis Team Meeting

Sunday, March 15th ~ 12:45 pm, Carol Smith Room

Join the Members of the Climate Crisis Team to share steps that we've taken and to talk about ideas for future work. We have a vibrant and dedicated team and would love for you to be a part of it. Our planet is in trouble, but if we all pull together we can stem the tide. Good things are happening; be a part of them!

All about Compost

Compost is decayed organic material, like food and paper, that can end up as trash—or be put to many eco-friendly uses, such as fertilizer. Why compost? If we don't, food waste ends up in a landfill or an incinerator. As we work to mitigate climate change, one important strategy is to reduce trash. The EPA estimates more food (75 billion+ pounds per year) reaches landfills and incinerators than any other material in trash. Members of the Environment/Climate Change Committee plan to tackle the task of finding creative uses for the compostable waste ASC generates. Stay tuned!

News from the Environmental Justice Team

Tips on Reducing Plastic Use ~ Thanks to Emma & Jayson Uppal!

Click on the Environmental link to learn about all the ways you can do you part in reducing the use of plastic and keeping it out of our landfills. Thank you!

Care Cards Table

Can you spare an hour once a month? The Care Cards group is seeking volunteers to help host the Care Cards table in the Parish Hall during lunch. Volunteers collect the candles of sorrow and joy from the worship team, host the table during lunch, and deliver the signed cards to the office for mailing. If you have a busy life and live a long commute from Arlington Street, this is a perfect way to be of service to the community! Please email office@ascboston.org to be put in touch with the Care Cards team. Thank you!

Green New Deal Resolution

If you are in favor of the Green New Deal, a large social justice and environmental resolution, please consider calling Senator Ed Markey (617.565.8519) and thank him for introducing the resolution. You can also thank Senator Elizabeth Warren (617.565.3170) who signed on to the Green New Deal as a co-sponsor. For the final thank-you call, please contact your Representative. All U.S. Representatives from Massachusetts are co-sponsors of the resolution! Members of Congress keep tabs on pro and con calls from their constituents. It's important for your voice to be heard! This information is provided by the Social Action Committee and Arlington Street members of Mothers Out Front.

The Environment and Food Choices

Less Meat = Less Heat. To what does this refer? It is about the fact that the raising of livestock is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Of these emissions, it is mainly beef cattle that produce methane, a gas that gets trapped in the ozone layer. As the ozone layer thickens, less heat is able to escape into the atmosphere, causing the earth to heat up. There are many steps we can each take to lessen the heating of the planet and one is to no longer eat beef. Please give serious consideration to this important suggestion; small steps by millions of us can have a positive effect. You can be part of the solution! This information is sponsored by the Social Action Committee and the Arlington Street members of Mothers Out Front.

Survey

Members of the Social Action Committee have designed a survey to learn what issues you're interested in and how much you are able to engage with them. The survey can be found here: https://goo.gl/forms/JsJkYvnUY9ZnRPyj1 You can just select your choices and hit submit. In addition, paper copies will be available in the Parish Hall after the service. As Kim reminds us, we are a community and as such your participation is needed and greatly appreciated.

A Sustainable Environment

As we did last year, members of the Social Action Committee and ASC members of Mothers Out Front will be passing along tips about how to take care of the environment. Today's tip again comes from Unitarian minister Everett Edward Hale (1822-1909), whose statue graces the Charles Street entrance to the Public Garden. He said, "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I will not let what I cannot do stop what I can do." Think about ways you can support the environment. We must stand up now for future generations!

ASC Cares Table

For the past year, the Arlington St. Cares Committee—coordinated by Helen Kobek—has held a space in the parish hall directly after Sunday service for members of the community to sign cards for those who have shared candles of sorrow and joy. The table will return on September 30th. We are also looking for volunteers to hold the space once a month—an ideal commitment for someone who is only able to be at ASC on Sunday mornings! If you are interested in helping during the 2018-2019 church year, please contact the table coordinator Anna Clutterbuck-Cook at Office@ASCBoston.org.

Cards Needed for ASCares!

The ASCares Cards table in the Parish Hall needs greeting cards! If you can contribute to the collection, sympathy, goodbye, thinking of you, get well, birthday, thank you, and blank cards (medium-to-larger size) would be very helpful. Please leave them in the ASCares mailbox outside the Hunnewell Chapel. If that space is full, leave them in any empty mailbox in that space, labeled "Candles Cards" and we will find them. Thanks so much!

Care For Mother Earth

Plastic was invented around 150 years ago. Think about how much plastic has been used in our country since then! It is still unknown how many hundreds of years it will take it to decompose; every single plastic item is still in existence! Let's pledge to buy fewer groceries and drinks packaged in plastic. Think about buying milk in cardboard cartons or salad greens in cellophane packages. What changes can you make? You can make a difference! This information is shared by members of the Social Action Committee and ASC members of Mothers Out Front.

Water Bottles and the Environment

Water is good for our bodies...let's make the drinking of it good for the environment as well! Did you know that tap water is tested for safety by municipalities, but bottled water has less stringent requirements? Choosing to fill a reusable bottle at the tap instead of buying bottled water means safe drinking water, saving money, and keeping plastic out of the landfill. If you still purchase store-bought water, please consider buying a 'permanent' bottle that you can refill to your heart's content. If you are unsure about the best options, suggested choices include a plastic bottle free of BPA or a stainless steel (not aluminum) one. This information is provided by the Social Action Committee and members of Mothers Out Front.

Join Social Action

Committee Meetings are Second Sunday of each month ~ 9:30 am

We welcome and support anyone who would like to have Arlington Street Church address a social justice issue of importance, and has energy and ideas to help make it happen. Come to our meetings! Join our team and get support on the social action topic you are passionate about: voting rights, climate change, economic inequality, gun violence, Citizens United, homelessness, and more. Contribute your ideas, energy, and talents to help us keep Social Action the important part of Arlington Street Church it has historically been. Our committee chair is Margy Herley at socialaction@ascboston.org.

We also like to support people who are working with groups outside the church. Bring brochures and leaflets for our table and bulletin board to let people know about the good work you are doing, and how they can be involved.

We staff a Social Action and letter writing table most Sundays during coffee hour, with letters addressed to public officials or business leaders on a local, national, or international issues. You can sign a letter, write a letter about an issue that is important to you, or help out at the table anytime.

"The service begins when the service ends."

Join the Transformation Team for Racial Justice

The Transformation Team for Racial Justice is an ongoing task force of Arlington Street Church that seeks to identify and eliminate interpersonal and institutional barriers of racism and oppression, and build a justice-seeking, multiracial, multicultural community. If you have suggestions, questions, comments, or concerns for the Team, please email ttransformation@ascboston.org, attend our open meetings on the third Tuesday of every month from 7 - 8:30 p.m. or speak with a team member (Jonah Beukman, Chris Cobb, Sarah Cooleybeck, Rita Falzarano, Margy Herley, Laura Pattison, Barbara Seidl, and Julia Simon). Membership on the Team requires a one year commitment and anti-racism/anti oppression/multicultural training.