Annual Dinner Update
We are still feeling such gratitude for our Annual Dinner celebration that has energized us for the work ahead. We are happy to report that we have received more than $147,000 toward our $150,000 goal, thanks to many, many generous donors! If you missed the celebration, you can read the recap on our webpage and watch it on our YouTube page (program begins at the 30 minute mark). We are grateful!
Getting Ready for the Legislative Session
Our attention now turns to preparations for the 2023 Legislative Session, and our legislative agenda is being finalized for approval by FAN’s Governing Board this month. We will release it to you very soon! There will be some continuation of bills we’ve worked on previously, and some new initiatives. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, we are planning for pre-legislative-session trainings that will take place before the legislative session begins Monday, January 9. Please share in your communities:
Thursday, January 5, 6-7pm, online, FAN 2023 Legislative Preview, an overview of what to expect this session and FAN’s legislative agenda. Register for Zoom link here.
Sunday, January 8, 2-3pm, online, FAN Advocacy 101, presenting advocacy tools to use during the session. Register for Zoom link here.
We hope you will also plan to join us for advocacy days, first in Eastern Washington on Saturday, January 21 (see below), and then on Thursday, February 9, 9am-3pm, in Olympia. We will share details and registration soon.
Eastern Washington Legislative Conference: Caring for Our Common Earth
FAN is grateful to collaborate again with our Eastern Washington partners as we prepare for the 2023 Eastern Washington Legislative Conference on Saturday, January 21, 8:30am to 3pm, at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, 115 N Raymond, and online. The day will feature a keynote by Rev. Gen Heywood, pastor of Veradale United Church of Christ and convener of Faith Leaders and Leaders of Conscience. Rev. Heywood will address the theme Caring for Our Common Earth Now and Forever.
Plenary sessions will include legislative briefings by FAN, Earth Ministry, and the Washington State Catholic Conference, and also focus on Housing Is a Human Right and Indigenous Voices on Environmental Justice. Workshops will address welcoming refugees at Thrive International, racial justice issues with Spokane Community Against Racism and the NAACP Spokane, food security with Food Lifeline, and Faithful Advocacy with Earth Ministry.
Registration costs are $32/person to attend in person, including lunch, or $25/person for a group of five or more. Online registrations are $20/person or $15/person for a group of five or more. There are scholarships available. For information, call 509-535-4112 or email event@thefigtree.org. Register here.
Learning from Each Other: The Church of Steadfast Love Advocates with FAN
We find solidarity in the work and witness of The Church of Steadfast Love, which provides worship and care within the Compass Housing Alliance. Led by Pastor Kristy Daniels, this church is a member of both the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the Faith Action Network. They meet for weekly worship in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, welcoming any adult seeking a faith community, including those residing in Compass Housing, living without homes, or struggling to make ends meet.
Members of the Church of Steadfast Love join FAN in advocating during the State legislative session. As people impacted by the lack of affordable housing and access to stable health care, they are experts in how life could be improved in Washington State. Their priority issues include access to fresh, healthy food, especially through Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program, tenants’ rights, bus access and affordability, and jail/prison reform.
The Compass Housing Alliance hosts The Church of Steadfast Love and operates 23 programs related to homelessness, providing 222 shelter beds as well as transitional and supportive housing. Using a multi-service model, they offer mail services, hygiene and day centers, and resources to help people find employment, education, financial stability, and more. Their philosophy of care is to “work for and alongside people experiencing poverty and homelessness in our society to improve their circumstances, while simultaneously advocating for societal changes toward equity and justice.” If you’d like to learn more about the Compass Housing Alliance and The Church of Steadfast Love, Pastor Kristy is available to speak.
The online invitation to The Church of Steadfast Love reads, “God has created us to be in community… Come, meet, know, and love your neighbors.” Yes, let’s!
Please reach out to FAN Partnership Coordinator Elizabeth Dickinson with your ideas about how our network can continue to learn from each other.
Opportunity
Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation in West Seattle is seeking a half-time contract minister to start in Spring 2023. You can read the job description here, or visit their listing on the UUA’s Job Board.
Events
Saturday, December 10, in-person film viewing at Plymouth Church, Seattle, at 2pm; panel discussion also in-person and online at 4:30pm. WA Poor Peoples’ Campaign presents Since I Been Down, a film by Gilda Sheppard about incarceration of youth and defining justice within an unjust system. Panel will include the filmmaker and Kimonti Carter, who is featured in the film and was released this year after 25 years in prison. Register to attend in-person here and virtual here (virtual participants will receive a link to watch the film prior to the panel discussion).
2023 Lobby Days (that we know so far):
January 16, 9am, on Zoom. Statewide Poverty Action’s MLK Lobby Day, register here.
January 21, 8:30am-3:00pm, in Spokane & online, Eastern WA Legislative Conference, register here.
February 9, 9am-3pm, in Olympia, Interfaith Advocacy Day. More information and registration soon.
February 16, 9am-5pm, in Olympia, WAISN Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Day, register here.
We always post the E-News to our website each week at fanwa.org/news/.
Faith Action Network 3720 Airport Way S Seattle, WA 98134 United States