The Social Concerns Committee is the oldest committee at Bradford Community Church, and a significant part of our congregation’s identity in the local community. For information on how the Social Concerns Committee played an important role in our history, see our History page.

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The mission of the Social Concerns Committee at Bradford Community Church UU is to take action on timely local, national, and global social concerns, as well as to inform and invite the congregation to participate in these actions. The committee strives to raise congregational and community awareness of its actions in addition to those of other advocate agencies and charities that address these same issues.

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Bradford volunteers have a regular shift at the Shalom Center Soup Kitchen located at 4314 39th Avenue. They prepare and serve food every 4th Sunday of the month, as part of the rotation of faith communities and other local groups that serve to supplement Shalom Center staff. In addition, there are several food drives each year for the Shalom Center Food Pantry, when members and friends of Bradford Church donate nonperishable foods, personal care items, and cleaning supplies.

 

Each year the “Red Sleigh” Fundraiser, originally organized by Bea Lundgren, begins the second half of November and ends on January 1st. The money collected in church is generously matched by Barth Storage before being donated to the Shalom Center.

Bradford's Social Concerns Committee is the primary group that represents the church on C.U.S.H. (Congregations United to Serve Humanity), an interfaith organization advocating for social justice in Kenosha. Action issues include immigration reform, public transportation, environmental concerns, LGBTQ+ equality, public education, housing, and local services for the mentally ill. CUSH is part of state and national networks, which includes training for organizing, effective advocacy, and voter engagement.

The Social Concerns Committee has ongoing relationships with the local racial justice groups the Coalition for Dismantling Racism and the Kenosha Chapter of the NAACP, and members participate in and promote their work.

Every year the Guest at Your Table campaign raises funds for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) which supports grassroots groups around the world. Initiatives include migration justice, climate justice and disasters, and international justice and accountability.

Other Social Concerns Committee activities include providing information about voting and elections, as well as local government meetings, hearings, and issues of concern for the community. The committee has also worked with partners in the community to support Afghan evacuees placed in the Kenosha area.