Recent studies on voters and non-voters have pointed to the potential power of churches around election time. In the past, researchers mistakenly thought that whether or not one voted had to do with one’s income or education level. As it turns out, these are not the underlying determinants. Of particular significance is how voting is a social phenomenon. It has to do with what your friends, family members, coworkers, and parishioners are talking about and doing. Are they talking about the election? Are they voting themselves? Are they asking if you are voting? Notably, churches can play a powerful role in high voter turnout areas.

Join us as we gather, online and in person, to stand with children asylum seekers and their families who will march in protest of the inhumane and unlawful dismantling of the U.S. asylum system and the subsequent consequences it has had on children. The event will begin with children migrants and their families marching from downtown Nogales, Sonora to the port of entry for a moment of prayer and then to the border wall where supporters on the U.S. side of the wall will receive them and hear the children’s testimonies.

The tragic events we have witnessed in 2020 have magnified awareness of the disparities in our church and society based on race. The Council of Conference Ministers affirms the commitment of the national setting to racial equality and inclusion and recognizes the need to engage in our own process of critical self-reflection

Taos Medical Debt Relief Project is now raising money to purchase and forgive uncollectible medical debt owed to Holy Cross hospital by Taosenos. Last year nine spiritual communities raised enough money to purchase and forgive over $240,000 of Taos medical debt. This year we are hoping to at least double that.

If you would like to donate to Taos Medical Debt Relief Project this year please send contributions to: Taos UCC, PO Box 1084, Taos, NM 87571, Memo: Medical Debt. Donations need to arrive by the end of October. Debt cancellation letters are sent out early in December. Thank you!

Thanks to Patty Nordahl of Desert Garden UCC for making us aware of this upcoming workshop. Hasan Davis shares his inspirational journey from his childhood filled with love but also many challenges navigating education, justice, and social service systems. Hasan will also share the simple strategies his personal champions employed to help him complete the “JD shuffle” and go from Hasan Davis Juvenile Delinquent to Hasan Davis Juris Doctor.

Read the October issue of The Pollinator: An environmental justice forum for the sharing of ideas and inspiration.

Join racial justice and interfaith leaders for a video and discussion series on the civil rights movement and how it moves us today. Each week we will watch an episode of the award-winning Eyes on the Prize documentary series together and hold a community conversation led by African American faith and community leaders. Leaders from the Civil Rights era to today's Black Lives Matter Movement will join us for conversation and panels. The conversation host for the session is Khalil Rushdan of ACLU of Arizona, along with conversation partner David Sheppard. All are welcome!

The recently introduced Philippine Human Rights Act (H.R. 8313) blocks US funds for police or military assistance to the Philippines, including equipment and training, until such time as human rights conditions are met. Some of those conditions include investigating and prosecuting members of the military and police forces who are found to have violated human rights, withdrawing the military from domestic policing, and establishing protections for the rights of trade unionists, journalists, human rights defenders, indigenous people, small farmers, LGBTI activists, and critics of the government.

The Anti-Racism in Public Health Act would create a “Center on Anti-Racism in Health” at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to deepen the federal government’s commitment to ensuring that policies are anti-racist and take systemic racism into account. The bill would also establish a “Law Enforcement Violence Prevention Program” at the CDC. Introduced by Representatives Pressley and Lee and Senator Warren this bill is a crucial step toward addressing systemic racism and violence toward Black and Brown communities. Please join with us in urging Congress to move forward with swift consideration of this legislation.

The RIP Medical Debt campaign ended in July. As a result of YOUR generous donations, $1.1 million of Medical Debt is being retired in Phoenix. The 128 beneficiaries will be notified by mail within the next week.

Arizona Faith Network is excited to kick-off its #FaithfulAZVoter effort with a Virtual Voter Registration Party this next Wednesday evening.

This week, Shoulder to Shoulder marks a decade as an organized interfaith coalition dedicated to addressing anti-Muslim discrimination and violence in the United States. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ are founding members of this coalition.

As Shoulder to Shoulder's leadership reflected together on the past decade and the current state of affairs, it decided to call for a recommitment to the work. In that spirit, a number of Shoulder to Shoulder's original founding member institutions - including Disciples and UCC leaders - in addition others who have joined Shoulder to Shoulder over the past decade, have signed a statement of renewed commitment. You are invited to join.