The Fig Tree demonstrates the power of words formed into stories of people’s lives, caring and action to empower other people to make a difference in the lives of more people.
It is more than ink on paper.  Editors craft words and images to remind readers that they are to live in relationships, in solidarity, in compassion and in advocacy for each other.
Divided by denominations and faiths, people become lost, searching for institutional identities that are but part of understanding faith and life.

The Fig Tree explores nuances of real and assumed differences, guiding people to awareness that “every encounter with another human being is an encounter with the Source of all being;  every encounter with another seeker of truth is an encounter with the Source of all truth.”  These were the words of BBC journalist and Anglican leader Pauline Webb at the sixth assembly of the World Council of Churches in Vancouver, B.C.

As a monthly publication, The Fig Tree provides content for reflection.  To keep up with the ever-changing dynamics of the local-to-global conflicts of life would be difficult and diverting.
The Fig Tree begins with the recognition and acknowledgement that there are conflicts in the world, in relationships, in communities, in nations and in churches/faith communities.  So this publication wonders about and investigates what people do about those conflicts—one-by-one, in groups, in congregations, in nonprofits and in regions.
“Who cares?” The Fig Tree finds that many people care and have unique ideas, fed by their faith journeys as individuals and parts of institutions, to respond in creative ways that make a difference in the lives of individuals, families, neighborhoods, communities, regions, states, the nation and the world.

Local people experience life-changing insights when they participate in tutoring refugees at local churches, in resettling refugees, in hosting international students, in joining two-week local or global house-building missions, in youth urban involvements, in camp and retreat settings, in visiting the elderly or homebound with or without meals, in cooking for street teens, in sorting food in a food bank, in helping shelter homeless families, in leading music for worship, in challenging bigotry, in marching for peace and justice or in walking or rocking or fasting to raise money for hungry people.
These are but some of the many themes of articles in the past 20 years.
Because of The Fig Tree, many who once claimed to be in congregations or programs that were “the best kept secret” in their communities have had to drop that claim.

As people have connected with people, picking up the phone to contact someone who shared his or her story, ideas have spread, relationships have formed, programs have found volunteers and funds, new initiatives have taken root faster.
The Fig Tree is about words becoming translated into direct services, acts of caring.

Communication is key in all forms of outreach, ministry, social service and social justice action.  It’s key in social, religious, economic, environmental and political movements.  
New communications technologies have made The Fig Tree more effective and opened the door to the vision of connecting faith and nonprofit organizations in the Northwest through an interactive website infrastructure.

Divisions keep people suspicious of each other, isolated, vulnerable to propaganda, lies and power games that alienate them and lead to hopelessness.  Some political, religious, economic, social entities—individuals and institutions—manipulate divisions and fears so that people mistrust each other and avoid associations that could make a difference in their lives.

Communication breaks through barriers, opening windows and doors, so people see each other as inter-related human beings, brothers and sisters, partners, created and loved by God.  They learn to open doors to talk, to engage in discussions and to enter into dialogue for expanded understanding.

When words become roadblocks, the basis for fear or hatred, people need to learn the stories behind those words, translating them into their own language of comfort, their own cultural viewpoints, they may find common ground.

For years, religion news was not “in.”  It was shirked by many in media either as too controversial or too petty. Some media could not understand the quarrels within and among churches, quarrels contrary to the faith itself.  Church attendance began to decline for some and grow for others.  While sports reporters have continued to cover winning and losing teams, religion became touchy and questionable. For many in the faith community, it became clear why they needed to be respectful of each other in their diversity and to find common action and mutual accountability beyond their varied flavors and emphases. From years of non-coverage, the impression was that religion was not important in daily life.  Yet recent articles now are “rediscovering” the value of religion in people’s lives.  A recent report from the Washington Post said that “it may seem crazy,” but despite TV, toys, team sports and technologies to educate and engage today’s children and youth, the most assured way to  improve the quality of life for children and youth is for them to be involved in a faith community. Dartmouth Medical School found “People who are religious are better off in significant ways than their secular peers” in that they are less likely to smoke, drink, commit crimes and be depressed than their peers. A University of Virginia sociologist found that low-income religious teens fared better than non-religious middle-class peers. Fig Tree readers learn about the many opportunities for teens to do community service, build houses and participate in mission trips.  Children and youth active in their faith communities see their lives as part of more than their own needs and wants. With that the case, it would seem that religion news coverage would increase, and there would be daily commitment to cover the positive, as well as the negative aspects of religion. With more than enough stories to cover, The Fig Tree continues its coverage, modeling what is possible. Recently a major daily newspaper reporter advised church editors that the trendy themes to cover are sex abuse in the Catholic Church, “The Passion of the Christ” and same-sex marriages.   When media of the faith and nonprofit community simply follow “trends” set by the “popular” media, they may lose the many other stories there are to cover and uplift from the faith perspective. At The Fig Tree, we avoid mimicking mass media stories and set our own pace and news definitions, serving as a supplement. Media do play a crucial and necessary role in investigating what happens and why, in finding the problems and corruption in governments, businesses, schools, churches, neighborhoods, families, police reports and more. As an alternative, niche or trade publication, The Fig Tree challenges other media to think beyond their usual “news” definitions.   It also challenges media of religious institutions to think outside the boxes of corporate communications and of pursuit of media attention on their terms alone. At a recent gathering of church journalists, it became clear that The Fig Tree provides a unique model in its regional, independent coverage of faith and nonprofit communities.   As trends come and go, The Fig Tree persists in its commitment to connect people involved with congregations, judicatories, nonprofits, agencies, ministries and communities, and to nurture awareness and action by reporting stories learned through faith community channels. Mary Stamp - Editor