Many of the items for The Fig Tree's Harvest Soirée Auction on Friday, Nov. 6, align with its mission
In line with its mission, many silent and live auction items at The Fig Tree’s Harvest Soirée Auction on Friday, Nov. 6, will connect people for cultural awareness, special dinners and ministry tours, as well as themed baskets, art and more.
The event is from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Cathedral of St. John, 127 E. 12th Ave. It is planned so some can enjoy appetizers and participate in bidding for some silent and live auction items before 7:30 p.m. to accommodate those attending the symphony or other events. Other silent auction tables and live bidding will continue until 8:30 p.m.
Auction donations confirmed before The Fig Tree went to press include dinners with bishops and editors; French, German and Persian dinners; and tickets to Kosher and Japanese dinners, plus gift certificates for various restaurants. The Rev. Happy Watkins will do a ribs-and-chicken barbeque for 50 and is arranging a tour of historic black churches.
There will also be tours of art in cathedrals, Catholic Charities’ programs and Sister Paula Turnbull’s sculpture studio; a golf outing with the dean of the cathedral and a retired journalism professor, weekend get-aways at nearby camps and outdoor outings.
Items include original art, jewelry, prints, photographs and themed baskets featuring Lubeck sister-city memorabilia, items from Japan and China, music, books, coffee, chocolate and teas and German Christmas items. Farmers’ market and fair-trade vendors will also share food and craft items.
“We’re pleased to offer items unique to who we are, items that will help connect people personally for dialogue, relationships and community building,” said editor Mary Stamp.
For information, call 599-1177 or 535-1813.
‘How to Do Advocacy’ event set for Nov. 21
The Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State will offer a forum on why people of faith are called to be advocates and learn “How to Do Advocacy” from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 316 E. 24th Ave.
They will hear from local religious leaders, including Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Bishop Martin Wells, state legislators and community advocates, speaking on “Green Faith, Food and Politics.”
The Rev. Paul Benz, director of LPPO, said the event is being timed in conjunction with the Food and Faith Forum the previous week.
The 2009 LPPO legislative priorities are 1) hunger, poverty and economic justice, 2) housing and health care; criminal justice, 3) environment and sustainable agriculture, 4) civil and human rights, 5) tax reform and economic investment, 6) sustaining health and human services, and 7) quality K-12 education.
For information, call (206) 464-4133 or 747-6677, or email lppooffice@lcsnw.org.
Book Parlor schedules grand re-opening
The Book Parlor has re-opened across the street from a house into its new location at 1425 W. Broadway in the Walnut Corners building. The shop opened there on Sept. 21. Its partners Indaba Coffee, run by The Porch Church, and Katie’s Table, a small deli/grocery run by All Saints Lutheran Church, will open soon.The grand opening of the whole space, known as The Commons, will be at 6 a.m., Monday, Nov. 9, following a time of blessing and celebration for the new venture at 12:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8.
For information, call 328-6527 or visit www.TheBookParlor.com.
Program trains Multifaith AIDS CareTeams
The Spokane AIDS Network, Spokane Regional Health District and Catholic Charities Spokane are holding a volunteer orientation and training for Spokane Multifaith AIDS CareTeams from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7, at The Catholic Charities Family Service Center, 12 E. 5th Ave. CareTeam volunteers express their compassion through practical, emotional and spiritual support for an individual or family living with HIV/AIDS.
For information, call 358-4273.
Spokane sends 12 on Asian Habitat build
After Habitat International allotted 10 positions for Habitat-Spokane volunteers to help build houses Nov. 5 to 20 in Thailand with the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project throughout the Mekong region in Asia, the group grew to 12.
Openings were designated to recognize affiliates’ tithe commitments to international building.
Beyond the primary site at Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, other sites are in China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The project will enable 82 families to move into safe homes with water and sanitation facilities, said Michone Preston, executive director of Habitat-Spokane.
The tithe is part of Habitat for Humanity’s mission of “building housing for all God’s people,” she said. Unless a donor specifies, Habitat-Spokane contributes 10 cents of every donated dollar to building Habitat homes in developing countries. Spokane is the 13th largest tithing affiliate in the world.
There are no administrative fees, so 100 percent of funds are used to purchase materials in the communities where the homes are built, she explained. Through its tithe, Habitat-Spokane has funded more than 300 homes in such developing countries as Romania, Guatemala and Thailand.
Habitat-Spokane, which recently started its 200th house in Spokane, has been building homes in the Inland Northwest and around the world since 1987.
For information, call 534-2552.
Presbytery churches join in building Habitat house
Construction began in October for a Habitat for Humanity Presbyterian Build in Spokane. Since the first Habitat-Spokane house was built in 1988, many Presbyterian churches and individuals have been involved with Habitat, but this is the first multi-church “Presbyterian Build.” Eleven area Presbyterian churches are already project sponsors and more are expected.
For information, email Belmore41@comcast.net
KYRS shifts from low-power to full-power
Thin Air Community Radio which owns and operates KYRS-LP at 92.3 & 89.9 FM and streaming at www.kyrs.org, has received a construction grant of $188,395 from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration to build a full power, 6,500-watt, non-commercial community radio station.
The new station at 88.1FM will replace KYRS’ low-power, 100-watt FM station, providing non-commercial radio service to more than 225,000 people in the region.
Having a full-power station will protect its broadcasting frequency.
For 2008, the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) awarded $19 million nationwide. These matching grants assist with planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities.
Lupito Flores, station manager, said the grant covers many but not all costs. Additional funding will be needed to build and operate the station, targeted to be on the air by November 2010.
KYRS receives 70 percent of its income from individual donors.
It offers local voices often overlooked by other media, he said. It seeks to involve many sectors of the community in solving community problems, while educating people on different cultures and perspectives.
For information, call 747-3012 or visit kyrs.org.
Fig Tree editor to speak at international Religion Communication Congress
Fig Tree editor Mary Stamp is among 54 national and world speakers for the once-in-a-decade, multi-faith Religion Communication Congress April 7 to 10 in Chicago.
The event is expected to draw 1,200 communication professionals to learn about advancing tools, power shifts and unique communication ventures like The Fig Tree.
Mary will speak on The Fig Tree as a model of solutions-oriented-peace journalism. For information, visit rccongress2010.org.
She and other members of The Fig Tree staff are also available to give mission moments, sermons and programs on The Fig Tree.
For information, call 535-1813.
NAACP in Spokane marks national group’s 100th
To celebrate it’s 100th anniversary, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will feature Judge John Charles Thomas, a Supreme Court Justice from Virginia who authored more than 200 decisions, speaking on “Bold Dreams and Victories” at the Spokane Branch’s Freedom Fund Banquet, beginning at 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7 at Northern Quest Casino, 100 N. Hayford Rd. in Airway Heights.
For information, call 467-9793.
NEWSLINKS
• Ecumenical News International
• World Council of Churches
• National Council of Churches
• National Assn of Evangelicals
• Religious News Service
• World Assn of Christian Communicators |
United Nations Association meets Nov. 1
Rather than holding its traditional United Nations Day Dinner on Oct. 24, the Spokane Chapter of the United Nations Association is planning a panel discussion for members and friends at 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 1, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 316 E. 24th Ave.
Panelists will review concerns the United Nations addresses, including nuclear proliferation, global warming, human rights, land mines and issues of women and children.
Over the summer, the board of the United Nations Association had proposed disbanding the chapter, but Jo Stowell and Chuck Kerkering have gathered interested people to reorganize and carry on the chapter charter.
Those who attend will also discuss future program ideas and scheduling issues to continue a witness that the organization has brought to Spokane.
“We want to hear from those interested in how a UNA chapter can better serve their needs for education and action on critical issues,” said Jo, a past president. “In these times, it is more critical than ever that the United States take an active role in the United Nations and the international community.
“We hope to renew the vision for and re-energize the UNA-Spokane Chapter,” she said. “ We have done important work in the past and we can do it again. We can be our chapter motto: ‘a local voice for global cooperation.’”
For information, call 624-3608 or email jkk2@cdc.gov.
Spokane recalls 1909 workers' Free Speech Fight
Five organizations are celebrating the centennial of the International Workers of the World (IWW) Spokane Free Speech Fight, a significant action of civil disobedience in American history, said Liz Moore, director of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane (PJALS).
Speaking to the Need to Know group at All Saints Lutheran Church, Malcolm Haworth, a local historian who has a master’s degree in history, said it “counters defeatism sometimes evident among progressives in a assumed-to-be conservative area.”
“In 1908, 19 employment agencies on Stevens St. charged transient workers $1 each for jobs,” said Liz. “Workers were fired in two days and had to repeat the process.
“The city council refused to revoke the agencies’ licenses and banned the IWW from speaking in the streets. In response, IWW—also known as the Wobblies—began a public-speaking campaign.
“The right of free speech is a critical tool for workers or community members to organize for social change,” she said.
Workers came from around the nation to speak about the abuses. On Nov. 2, 1909, they began a street-corner speak-out.
“From 500 to 1,600 speakers were arrested. Many were beaten and injured. They overcrowded the jails, burdening the city’s infrastructure,” said Malcolm.
In December, 19-year-old organizer Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), joined the fight for social justice. She was also arrested.
After her release, she wrote of the police brutality men and women suffered in jail. Publicity when the news went national led Spokane to drop charges against workers and revoke the employment agencies’ licenses, Malcolm said.
PJALS, the Spokane Regional Labor Council, the Museum of Arts and Culture and KYRS planned other events.
• The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture held an Oct. 24 workshop, with labor historian James Foster.
• The “Crosswoods Bob Show” at 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 1, on KYRS Radio (89.9 and 92.3 FM) will play music of the movement.
• PJALS will re-enact the speak-out and arrests at noon, Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Stevens St. and Spokane Falls Blvd. People may sign up to speak on historic and current issues will wear period costumes.
For information, call 742-0938.
More than 50 religious leaders oppose initiative
More than 50 state religious leaders are concerned that with Washington’s economic crisis Initiative 1033 would have a “devastating impact” and “make the state’s recession permanent,” compounding cuts in public services in the last legislative session. They believe it would undermine the ability of state and local governments to respond to “needs of the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
They believe the tax system “should bridge the gap between rich and poor, promote economic security and protect vulnerable residents.” A similar initiative in Colorado, they said led to “deep cuts” in public education, highways and children’s health care. In 2005, voters there suspended the law.
“Public life-line services such as public health, child care, health care for children and adults, housing, care for seniors and public education are more important than ever when families lose jobs, lose health care and are economically stressed,” they said.
While understanding the impulse to minimize taxes when personal budgets are strained, they point out that “our religions call us to act out of the abundance we’ve been given, not out of scarcity. Saving a few tax dollars while needs across our state go unmet is not in keeping with our beliefs.”
While faith communities help people through hard times, they said, “our religious institutions are not equipped to maintain the critical social safety net programs and investments of state government. Maintaining services is critical to helping families recover from an economic downturn.
“We are called to live faithfully and obediently to a God who loves all creation and all people,” they explained. “We are called to live out our faith in response to God whom we believe desires an equitable sustainable world,” they said.
Signers include American Baptist, Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist, United Church of Christ and Unitarian Universalist bishops and regional executives, the senior rabbi at Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue, and leaders at Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry, the Washington Association of Churches, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, the Lutheran Public Policy Office and Associated Ministries of Tacoma-Pierce County.
For information, call 206-625-9790 or email wac@thewac.org.
Food and Farm Forum will be on Nov. 14
Connecting the faith community’s commitment to feeding the hungry and mobilization around caring for the environment, Wanda Daehlin, of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church’s Creation Care Committee, wondered why organic, local food is often not available to people on food stamps or other free food programs.
Seeking to ensure both that no one goes hungry and that the earth is sustained for future generations led her to organize the Food and Faith Forum, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 316 E. 24th Ave.
“Everyone is concerned about these issues,” said Wanda. “No one wants to see people go without safe, healthy food or for the earth to be destroyed, but there are some obstacles to addressing the issues simultaneously.”
With the help of the Creation Care Committee and the Faith and Environment Network, she is bringing together pastors, local food proponents, farmers and producers to discuss hunger and environmental sustainability.
Keynote speakers for the forum are Peter Illyn of Restoring Eden and the Rev. Craig Goodwin of Millwood Presbyterian Church and Year of Plenty, plus a panel of local farmers and producers.
“We hope participants can bring questions about issues and leave with solutions—avenues for further action,” Wanda said.
For information, call 294-3944 or email faithandenvironment@gmail.com.
Interfaith Service planned Thanksgiving Day
The annual Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 26, at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John, 127 E. 12th Ave. The Interfaith Council of the Inland Northwest is sponsoring the event on the theme, “Compassion: Voices of Thanksgiving.” Venerable Thubten Chonyi of the Sravasti Abbey near Newport will be the keynote speaker. There will be music, prayers and reflections by the Baha’i, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Native American and New Thought faith communities.
Nasreen Shah will speak for the Islamic community, the Rev. Joe Niemiec for the Center for Spiritual Living and Quin YinLin will offer a Sufi blessing. The annual event raises funds to support Second Harvest of the Inland Northwest, a network of more than 300 Eastern Washington and North Idaho neighborhood food banks and meal centers, which provide donated food and funding to help feed hungry people in the region.
Those coming to the worship may bring food items or financial gifts.
For information, call 667-0462.
Food-for-Thought meal opens conversation
The third annual “Food-for-Thought” Dinner and Conversation to break barriers in the society will serve up to 400 people at 5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 19, at Central United Methodist Church, 518 W. Third. The church is the site for the regular Shalom Ministries “Dining with Dignity” program, headed by Holly Chilinki.
“It’s an opportunity for people in homes to converse with people who are homeless to increase their understanding,” said Holly, who reported that Shalom Ministries is seeing larger and larger crowds and more new people, particularly at the end of each month.
For information, call 445-9019.
Jubilee spreads $500,000 globally
Now in its 21st year, the Jubilee International Marketplace has sent more than $500,000 to places where the wages are $1 a day, bringing fair wages for the products craftspeople create.
The event is from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14, at First Presbyterian, 318 S. Cedar.
Through this alternative Christmas gift event, the church has developed relationships with people from South Africa to Peru, Uganda to Thailand. Gifts include sweaters, jewelry, t-bag art, pottery and Holy Land woodcarvings.
For information, call 323-6702.
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