San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (SMUUF) recently took up a collection to donate to PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) San Marcos. Jeannie Lewis, SMUUF Social Justice Chair, said, "Even though we are not having in-person Worship Services where we can pass the collection plate for donations to a community non-profit, we encourage our congregation to donate online during our Zoom Worship Services. Recently, our congregation donated $660 to PFLAG San Marcos. We select a non-profit whose work aligns with our religious values to donate to each month."
SMUUF has a close association with PFLAG, having supported the organization from their beginning in SMUUF's church building several years ago. The idea of PFLAG San Marcos came together about seven years ago when two mothers of gay sons, Patrice Werner and Mary Pendergast, were searching for a way to support their sons and other gay, lesbian, trans, non-binary gender people and those who are questioning, and their families and allies in the San Marcos community.
Mary Pendergast, President of PFLAG, said, "PFLAG envisions a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed inclusive of their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. PFLAG is a national organization with more than 400 chapters nationwide."
Pendergast continued, "Our goal this year, with the aid of SMUUF donations, is to provide gender-related reading materials to the children of CASA of Central Texas. CASA is a national program that supports and promotes court appointed volunteer advocacy so every child who has experienced abuse or neglect can be safe, have a permanent home and the opportunity to thrive."
Like SMUUF, PFLAG has had to adapt to the pandemic. Pendergast said, "Prior to COVID, PFLAG San Marcos met monthly for a two hour meeting comprised of an hour of an educational presentation and an hour of sharing, support and questioning by attendees. As of now, we continue to meet monthly on Zoom."
Pendergast expressed her gratitude to SMUUF saying, "The generous donations from SMUUF over the years have allowed our budding San Marcos chapter to build and expand our lending library of gender-related materials that are available to all in the San Marcos community, whether they are PFLAG members or not. We are deeply grateful to SMUUF, not only for their financial support, but also for their community support. Thank you SMUUF for being an ally of PFLAG San Marcos. Your gift will enable us to extend our support to the community of San Marcos."
For more information about the San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, visit their website at www.smuuf.org or contact Jeannie Lewis at [email protected] or 512-353-2872.
Submitted by San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
