Faith In Action
Each month we ask UCC advocates to help us unpack the complex justice issues that we’re working on. This month, as we prepare to hear the President’s State of the Union address, International Policy Advocate, Rev. Michael Neuroth (with some input from the D.C. team) has offered a helpful list of what to listen for on February 7.
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As a justice-seeking people, we must remain committed to preserving and protecting access to the full range of reproductive health care for all – including legal abortion – as an imperative rooted in our deeply-held faith beliefs in social justice, moral agency, and religious liberty for all. Please contact your member of Congress to ask them to introduce and support legislation protecting an individual’s right to access abortion and the full range of reproductive healthcare access.
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Tuesday, February 7, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
1700 W. Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85007
In the morning, we will be meeting in small groups to meet with legislators, and then at noon will meet as a larger group in Wesley Bolin Plaza and hear from speakers, including some legislators. We will also have tables with information on various groups and actions. RSVP using the link below.
Last week, the United Church of Christ and other faith and human rights groups sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to fulfill his campaign promise and close the prison at Guantánamo. After 21 years, it is past time for the U.S. to close this symbol of illegal detention and state sponsored torture. Call on President Biden today to close Guantánamo and reaffirm our nation’s commitment to international law and human rights.
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The Land Back Movement has been succinctly described as the generations long struggle to put “Indigenous lands back into Indigenous hands.” In this webinar, organizers and practitioners within the movement will place the struggle within the context of dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery and the ongoing work of reparatory justice.
Speakers will include Katerina Gea from the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, Angie Comeaux from Hummingbird Springs Farm, and Sarah Augustine who authored “The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery.”
Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time on February 8th at 1 pm ET, still sign up, and we will send a link to the recording. Register now!
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Sunday, February 5, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Franciscan Renewal Center
5802 E Lincoln Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85253
(this is a hybrid event, so a Zoom option is available)
Across the spectrum of faiths and non-faiths, simplicity has been interpreted, prayed about, and meditated on for generations. As we approach the Lenten season, join the Arizona Faith Network and Faith In Action Ministries at the Franciscan Renewal Center in discussing how our brothers and sisters of different faiths and belief systems have seen simplicity play out in their own faith lives, and how you might apply simple living in your own faith life.
This event has been organized by Arizona Faith Network's Interfaith Youth and Young Adult team and is AFN's contribution for World Interfaith Harmony Week. Limited opportunities for exhibit tables will be available and light snacks and beverages will be provided. If you have questions or are interested in reserving an exhibit table, contact Vasu Bandhu, AFN Faith Community Cooridinator, using the link on the AFN Staff page.
“Each month we ask UCC advocates to help us unpack the complex justice issues that we’re working on. January started off with much drama here on Capitol Hill as we watched the historic vote (or should we say votes) for Speaker of the House. The best voice to help talk about this new Congress, and what we might expect this year, is UCC Domestic Policy Advocate, Katie Adams.”
Read this article and more in the January JPANet newsletter.
Read MoreImages courtesy of Brian Kelly and Rev. Susan Valiquette at First Church Phoenix.
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Our present economic system is a train barreling toward increasing environmental disaster, but what would a sustainable economy look like? To answer this question from a place of faith and values entails prioritizing matters of equity, justice, and the common good. To help us cast an alternative vision for our economy, this webinar will feature Edith Rasell who recently authored the book, “The Way of Abundance: Economic Justice in Scripture and Society.”
The webinar will be on Wednesday, January 11th at 1 pm ET/12 pm CT/11 am MT/10 am PT/8 am HT. Register for this webinar to learn more!
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Please join this critical discussion as we learn how electric vehicles can help us save money, protect public health, and safeguard our Sacred Earth. Hear from leading EV consumer advocate Rosa Mitsumasu Scotti as well as IPL staff members about the countless benefits of EVs!
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Rev. Randy Mayer finds parallels between the Christmas story and the reality facing migrants at U.S. border, in this commentary published on the UCC national website.
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The possibility that we will face violence for our stances on social justice issues, our embrace of LGBTQIA+ individuals as beloved ones of the Holy One, and our antiracism and decolonial work feels real and present. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that as we face these realities and come to terms with a culture of violence and fear, we turn toward the institutions and structures that our culture forms us to associate with safety. In the midst of our very real fears, we find ourselves turning to police to keep us safe.
The reality is, however, that the very people we are seeking to protect when we turn to police to keep us safe from white nationalist violence are actually further endangered by the presence of policing…So where do we turn when the rise of white Christian nationalism and hate-based violence are on the rise?
Read MoreThe Tempe Human Relations Commission will honor Holly Herman (former SWC office staffer and writer of our weekly Jottings!) at the MLK Diversity Awards breakfast at 7:30 am on Monday, January 9 at The Buttes.
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Read Global H.O.P.E.'s December newsletter. Highlights include a reflection from Refugee Ministries, updates from Disaster Ministries, mission sites currently recruiting volunteers, a celebration of 2022 volunteer leaders, and links to support neighbors in Ukraine, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Florida, and more.
Read MoreSFB-CRC welcomed nearly 300 people on a beautiful chilly November day to view our 14,300 square feet of new space. They were greeted by our volunteers who provided information on our programs. All visitors took self-guided tours and were able to watch video highlights of SFB-CRC services in action.
Community members, children, partners, and donors who generously gave—from a $25 offering to an $802,000 check—were among those who enjoyed the activities, music, fun and food at the informal event on the 18th. Some remarked that it was like attending a local fair.
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Call on Congress to finish its end of the year budget negotiations, and put a value on peace and justice. Urge your Congressional representatives to align U.S. spending priorities with the values of a child born to become the Prince of Peace, one who was forcibly displaced from his homeland.
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The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is long-awaited legislation that would provide greater clarity around guidelines for employers on the accommodations that can and should be made on behalf of pregnant workers. It will empower workers to receive those accommodations to ensure they can stay safe and healthy- as is any worker’s right. The legislation emphasizes that it is unlawful to discriminate against pregnant workers by forcing them out of their jobs unnecessarily or by denying them reasonable accommodations.
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News from Global H.O.P.E. - a Ministry Team of the United Church of Christ's Wider Church Ministries. Click here to read their latest newsletter.
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Urgent from Arizona Faith Network:
The shelters in the greater Phoenix area who assist people seeking asylum urgently needs your help with donations of winter clothing items. Refugee arrivals at Phoenix shelters often arrive with only the clothes they are wearing. The Phoenix shelters may receive up to 300 people per day and they typically stay one to two days before they leave to join their sponsors in other parts of the country. While at our shelters they are offered showers, a change of clothing, meals, and a place to sleep.
Many asylum seekers will be traveling to sponsors who live in cold climates. As a result, the shelters need donations of men’s, women’s, and children’s used winter jackets. Adult men’s and women’s jackets are needed most. Finding these items through our drives in the greater Phoenix area has been very difficult and we have been forced to send people to their destinations without adequate clothing. The need is urgent.
To make arrangements for pickup/delivery or if you have any questions, contact Anna Keating at 602-499-1953 (call or text) or annakeating3@cox.net.
In this webinar, we will discuss the results of the midterms with an eye to what is possible for climate justice in 2023 and beyond. A full discussion of the midterms entails more than looking at a final scorecard of congressional contests. It entails assessing the power of young voters and voters who care about the climate crisis. It entails tracking the successes of state ballot initiatives. It entails bringing a lens of justice to the issues faced today. This webinar will equip faith-rooted advocates for advancing climate justice in the coming year. The webinar will be on Wednesday, December 14th at 1 pm ET/12 pm CT/11 am MT/10 am PT/8 am HT. Register for this webinar to learn more!
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