This has been one of MLUC’s most active years yet for living out our values in the world. The newly formed Justice Team coordinated months of sustained outreach—from No Kings rallies where the Justice Choir made its public debut, to Saturday protests outside Citizens Bank, to voter registration with new graduates. And in July, we welcome Rev. Lisa Schilansky as our new Social Justice Director, ready to carry this momentum forward.
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Housing Justice & Human Needs Ministry | Welcoming Congregation Team | Justice Team | Family Promise | Postcards for Democracy | Offering Outreach | UUJusticePA | Green Conshy Collaborative
Housing Justice & Human Needs Ministry
Housing justice has been at the heart of MLUC’s outreach for years—and this year, it grew into a sustained fixture. The Housing Justice project spent 2025 helping the congregation develop a much deeper understanding of housing affordability and homelessness: two well-attended group discussions, a successful conversation around the All-Congregation Read They Just Need to Get a Job, speakers at Lecture Lunch and Women’s Lunch, and a dedicated section of the MLUC website with video resources and book recommendations. Through individual and group volunteering, the team provided direct services to over 100 unhoused people from the Norristown area, ran a multi-generational project at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in West Norriton, and built strong new relationships with Access Services, TLC for the People, and Pottstown Beacon of Hope.
In December, the Housing Justice team transitioned into something broader: the Human Needs Ministry, designed to support neighbors’ basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter through ongoing partnerships with community agencies. Since January, the ministry has staffed Code Blue Shelters, provided breakfast food service at TLC for the People, and conducted clothing drives for the Hospitality Center and TLC. The foundation has been built. The work ahead is to bring many more people into it.
Welcoming Congregation Team
This was a year of firsts. The Welcoming Congregation Team helped plan MLUC’s first-ever National Coming Out Day Sunday service in October—which was very well received—and organized the congregation’s first Transgender Day of Remembrance observance in November. The team also offered input to the board on bathroom signage for the main floor, participated in the Right Relations Covenant Team’s appreciative inquiry process, and submitted the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project as the June Offering Outreach recipient.
In May, the team again invited the congregation to paint Pride rocks and staff tables at Pride events in Chester and Delaware Counties. The work of welcome is ongoing—and this year, MLUC showed up for it in new ways.
Justice Team
The Justice Team formed in 2025 as MLUC’s rapid-response network for civic action—coordinated through a Signal chat and led by David Brown and Lloyd Cole. When the moment calls, the team moves.
This year that meant joining the No Kings rallies, where the Justice Choir made its public debut leading crowds in song. It meant organizing Saturday protests outside Citizens Bank in Wayne, calling on the bank to stop financing CoreCivic and GEO Group—the two largest builders and operators of ICE detention centers in the United States. And in May, it meant partnering with New Voters to bring young and older generations together for a voter registration and community organizing event—because this spring’s graduates are this fall’s new voters.
The Justice Team is open to anyone ready to act. If that’s you, there’s a place for you here.
Family Promise
For 17 years, MLUC has been opening its doors to unhoused families through Family Promise. This year, the program did something no other participating congregation has done: it hosted two consecutive weeks in the spring. Back-to-back hosting required nearly twice the usual number of volunteers for bedroom setup and breakdown, meal preparation and serving, and overnight security. More than 50 people signed on—serving approximately 22 mothers and children over the course of the year.
The year also saw Family Promise deepen its connections with the broader Justice Team, helping recruit volunteers for outreach events with the Norristown Hospitality Network and TLC for the People. Thank you to new volunteers who manage the meal planning, setup, and supply coordination. Several congregation members also provided overnight Code Blue support during a particularly brutal winter.
As the Housing Justice project evolved into the Human Needs Ministry, Family Promise moved with it—part of a growing ecosystem of care that MLUC is building for neighbors living on the edge.
Postcards for Democracy
In an ongoing effort to inspire voter turnout, MLUC has a team that gathers after Sunday services to write postcards encouraging voters in competitive swing states to vote in all state races, up and down the ballot. This year, the group’s impactful work also included a targeted get-out-the-vote postcarding campaign focused on registered voters across Pennsylvania. Look for our table and join us!
Offering Outreach
Through the Offering Outreach program, MLUC contributes half of each month’s Sunday collection to organizations whose missions align with our values. The Offering Outreach team uses established policies to guide the selection of these recipients, while the Worship Committee, technical crew, music staff, and church office collaborate weekly to integrate outreach information into each service. A nomination form is available online to anyone who is interested in recommending a local nonprofit organization as a recipient of this program.
UUJusticePA
MLUC’s connection to UUJusticePA, the statewide UU advocacy organization, helps ensure that our congregation remains informed on local, state, and national policy initiatives. Through consistent updates on the MLUC Community Matters site, members can easily track current lobbying priorities and discover opportunities to participate directly with UUJusticePA’s justice teams. In a demonstration of ongoing support for UUJusticePA, MLUC increased its annual financial contribution this past year.
Green Conshy Collaborative
This year, MLUC’s Innovation Fund helped launch the Green Conshy Collaborative—a program started by MLUC members who live in Conshohocken to support local sustainability and build environmental community. The group meets monthly on a weeknight at a local pub, where residents gather to hear speakers and talk through topics such as solar energy, watershed health, Community Supported Agriculture memberships, composting, and more.
Since October 2025, the group has drawn 20 or more residents each month, grown by word of mouth, social media, and a partnership with the Conshohocken Environmental Advisory Council. Meetings and speakers are already scheduled through the end of 2026.