The Compassionate Service Team at UUCNH works in tandem with the Systemic Change Team to fulfill the Second Principle of Unitarian Universalism – To work toward Justice, Equity, and Compassion in Human Relations. The team works toward this goal by reaching out to our local community and beyond to meet the immediate need of those struggling with poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, illness, and more by partnering with local organizations that focus on this work. Some of our frequent partner organizations include North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO), Northside Common Ministries (NCM), and Repurposed(Living in Liberty).

In 2013, the congregation voted to re-establish our Hunger Garden and to incorporate a Farm Stand. Throughout the summer months, a group of volunteers grows flowers and vegetables in the garden. Items harvested from the garden are combined with donated items from congregants’ gardens and surplus from the CSA collection at the church. These are sold on Sunday mornings after church. Proceeds are split between NHCO and NCM. The garden has also been the site of occasional summer RE projects. If you have a green thumb or enjoy gardening or outdoor projects, please consider volunteering with the Hunger Garden.

Dinners at Pleasant Valley Men’s Shelter
Three times a year, a group of church volunteers provides dinner to 30 men that reside at the Pleasant Valley Men’s Shelter. The Shelter is dependent on volunteer organizations such as ours to provide dinner 365 days a year. If you enjoy cooking or baking, please consider volunteering with the dinners.

UUCNH is the caretaker of a 2-mile stretch of Nicholson Road. Typically once a year we organize a group to go out and pick up trash along our stretch of road. It’s been amazing to see the reduction in trash from our very first cleanup to now. If you want a little exercise and a cleaner world, please consider volunteering to help clean our roadway.

Involving our RE Classes

The Compassionate Service Team has several activities that are done in cooperation with our RE Classes each year – Pumpkins for Unicef, Thanksgiving on Every Table, Christmas Gifts for Kids, and Back to School Collection. We encourage church members to donate items to these collections so that our children can start to see how a community of people can make a difference and that they are part of that difference.

Our youth group also participates in service projects. Some of their recent projects have included making satchels for cancer patients, making blankets for children’s hospital, serving a meal at the Ronald McDonald House, and doing garden work at Fallingwater.