Reflect

UUSC's approach to water justice

People's identities impact whether they can equitably access a whole host of rights. UUSC's unique niche is to find out who is denied human rights because of who they are — in terms of race, gender, class, and religion — and work to help them attain those rights. This is true even for the most elemental issues, such as access to water. The human right to water means that everyone should have access to safe, sufficient, and affordable water for daily human use.

Activities to cultivate reflection

• Plan a worship service.
  • Planning guide [PDF]
  • UPDATED sample sermon and suggested hymns and readings [PDF], by Rev. Jim Eller
    About the updated version: The sample sermon incorrectly stated, “U.S. Senator Paul Simon wrote in his 2009 Water for the Poor Act, ‘By 2025, nearly two-thirds of the world’s population will be living under water-stressed conditions.’” Please disregard this sentence, which has been removed from the current version of the sermon. We apologize for this error.
  • Sample announcements [PDF]
  • Small poster (black and white, 8.5" x 11", suitable for personal printers) [PDF]
  • Small poster (full color) [PDF]
  • Order-of-service cover (letter size) [PDF]
  • Order-of-service insert (letter size) [PDF]
  • Order-of-service cover (legal size) [PDF]
  • Order-of-service insert (legal size) [PDF]

• Help youth understand the human right to water.

• Conduct a water communion [PDF] dedicated to human rights.

• Plan a Taizé ritual.

• Use The Right to Water [PDF], a five-session covenant group guide.

• Reflect on the human right to water with a set of guiding questions [PDF].

• Practice a water fast for spiritual connection to the issue and for solidarity with those who lack equitable access to safe, sufficient, affordable water. (The water fast is described on page 3 of the sample sermon [PDF].)

• Incorporate UUA resources for water ceremonies and worship into your activities.

• Share your thoughts! Send your questions and ideas to us at volunteerservices@uusc.org, particularly if you've done an activity that we can share with others.