2023 Impact President and UUCville member Kelsey Cowger at the 2023 IMPACT Nehemiah Action

 

Susan Karlson — the UUCville Chair
Susan Karlson — the UUCville Chair


Our UU Congregation of Charlottesville (UUCville) has been a part of the inter-denominational organization IMPACT from its’ beginning in 2006.

The name “IMPACT” stands for “Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together.”

Consisting of over 30 congregations in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, IMPACT members identify important community problems and pursue solutions based on analysis of problems and solutions, to promote justice for all members of our community, particularly the underserved.

The group believes that tackling problems that have become rooted at the systemic level still requires bringing large numbers of people together, so that we can engage those in local positions of power to make changes. They call their events “Nehemiah Assemblies” because in the Book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to help rebuild the ruined city walls, and he finds that the people are being taken advantage of by lenders who are charging heavy interest and who are making them sell their sons and daughters into slavery to make debt payments. In response, Nehemiah calls together a large public assembly to call the moneylenders to account and to demand that they change their ways. In response to Nehemiah’s challenge, the moneylenders do change their ways.

Consisting of over 30 congregations in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, IMPACT members identify important community problems and pursue solutions based on analysis of problems and solutions, to promote justice for all members of our community, particularly the underserved.

The 2025 social justice priorities are affordable housing and public transportation.

 

IMPACT Nehemiah April 8, 2025, 6:30

at MLK, Jr. Performing Arts Center @ Charlottesville High School

 


 

SOCIAL ACTION COLLECTIONS 2025 – 2026

The Social Action Collection (SAC) is our congregation’s outreach to the larger community, both with monetary donations each month but also with engagement in the mission of organizations whose work reflects our values.  This year we decided to choose the organizations not through a general call and then a voting...

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IMPACT Nehemiah Action March 18 2024

The Nehemiah Action is the largest interfaith gathering in Charlottesville, organized by the group IMPACT that UUCville helped to establish.  This year’s social justice priorities are affordable housing and public transportation.  Local politicians will attend and will be amazed at how many of us gather. At UUCville, Kelsey Cowger is...

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Join IMPACT for 2023!

Come join in on a small group conversation to connect with others and share about important community issues impacting each of us like housing, childcare and climate change. These conversations are the foundation of IMPACT’s work by building relationships and shaping how we will advocate for justice in our beloved...

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Will You Help to Make an IMPACT?

Several members of the UU Congregation of Charlottesville met recently to plan actions to address problems in our community – specifically the needs for affordable housing, preschool childcare, and healthier, more convenient mass transit. These three problem areas are the focus for this years’ UU Charlottesville Network Members who are...

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IMPACT Nehemiah Action Meeting March 21

The name “IMPACT” stands for “Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together.” Consisting of 26 congregations in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, including ours, IMPACT members identify important community problems and pursue solutions to promote justice for all members of our community.  In October, Network Members met to decide which problems to...

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IMPACT is tackling community problems!

Our UU Congregation of Charlottesville (UUCville) has been a part of the inter-denominal organization IMPACT from its’ beginning in 2006. The name “IMPACT” stands for “Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together”. Consisting of 26 congregations in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, IMPACT members identify important community problems and pursue solutions...

Continue reading

IMPACT house meetings for 2025!

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville’s interfaith justice  ministry, IMPACT, begins its annual cycle with House meetings starting in September. House meetings are ways that we build relationships in our congregation and uncover personal stories that move us to work for justice. This culminates in our large Nehemiah Action on March 24,...

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