I've been a little hard on ministers lately but here's a chance to support UU values in action. The "abandoned place" featured in this month's UU World has received a challenge grant for much-needed capital improvements.
I have driven through this area and it's pretty grim. (My wife grew up in Tulsa, and her mother still lives there.) The census data for this area shows a median household income of $20,000 to $25,000 per year. Per household. Think about it. Where I live that wouldn't even make the payments on a Lexus SUV. Although like many UU churches, this church is located in the "well-off" area -- the census tracts just south of them have a median household income of only $11,000 to $15,000 per year, down a whopping 45% since 2000. As Rev. Robinson says, this is an abandoned place. Payday loan shops instead of Starbucks. Abandoned places, and abandoned people, need a lot of things -- not least among them hope. I may not be able to fix Turley or the social and economic forces that are sharpening the income divide across our country (although I'll try). But I can send hope in the form of money for a roof. I can tell this small church they may have been left behind but they are not abandoned and they are not forgotten.
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