Faith In Action News Archive
Town Hall Meeting Will Discuss Pending and Future Resolutions
All church members and friends are invited to the sanctuary at 12:30on Sunday, February 12, for our annual winter Town Hall meetingon UUA Statements of Conscience, Study/Action Issues and Issues of ImmediateWitness.
AGENDA
1. Discuss and conduct a non-binding vote about commemorating the threeyear anniversary of War in Iraq on Sunday, March 19.
2. Discuss the proposed 2006 UUA Statement of Conscience entitled "GlobalWarming."
3. Discuss and vote on whether to participate in the current Study/ActionIssue entitled "Moral Values for a Pluralistic Society."
4. Prioritize new Study/Action Issues for a vote by our delegates at GeneralAssembly in June.
5. Decide whether or not we want to undertake one of the current Issues ofImmediate Witness.
Complete information on these issues may be found on the web site of the UUACommission on Social Witness
- Charles Haskell Chair, FIA Commission
Visit the Faith in Action Corner Now Set Up in Forbes Hall
The table on the southeast corner of Forbes Hall has been the physical homebase for social justice work in our church for many years. Over the years, thetable and its bulletin board fell on hard times. The table was frequently litteredwith fliers, pamphlets, program announcements and trash that had nothing todo with Faith in Action. The table was hard to move and it diminished floorspace in Forbes Hall when the area was used for functions unrelated to socialaction.
Consequently,the Faith in Action Commission, with concurrence from the Board of Directors,removed the table and bulletin board from Forbes Hall on November 12. The bulletinboard has been replaced with a small, portable bulletin board, and a portabletable will be used and stored away after use each Sunday.
The new look for the Faith in Action corner of Forbes Hall is shown in thephotograph. We look forward to letting you know about our social justice work,to give you opportunities for expressing your opinions about social justicematters by signing petitions, and to attract volunteers to provide food forour monthly dinners at Step Up on Second and thrice yearly dinners at TurningPoint.
We invite you to stop by the table, meet our Faith in Action volunteers, andfind out more about our work. Most of the time Lyn Armondo,Cathie Gentile or Marge Zifferblatt will beat the table, but other volunteers will serve as well. We hope you like thesechanges and that you'll give us feedback about how we can further improve howwe function.
- Charles Haskell, Chair, Faith in Action Commission
Health Care Insurance Wins the Vote
Durig the fifth annual Faith in Action issues election held September 25, wereviewed the current spectrum of FIA programs and reaffirmed our commitmentto fighting hunger in our community and the promotion of peace and civil liberties.Because of the success of our economic justice initiative in supporting hotelworkers over the last year, this program was disestablished to make room forone or more new initiatives.
Three new initiatives were nominated: healthcare insurance reform, nominatedby the FIA Commission; election- and election-finance reform, nominated by JanetGrillo; and working to improve race relations, nominated by Deborah Hermann.
These three worthy issues were discussed. Of particular note was the fact thathealthcare insurance reform is currently one of the highest priorities of theUnitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry in California, so we would be workingat the cusp of religion and legislative action by choosing this topic for emphasis.After casting our votes, healthcare insurance reform emerged as the clear preferenceof those in attendance.
Cathie Gentile, Phyllis Gabriel, and Marge Zifferblatt will be taking the leadin promoting healthcare insurance reform. Congregants interested in workingon this issue may contact any one of the three leaders of this program or godirectly to the UULM website, uulmca.org.
- Charles Haskell, Chair, FIA Commission
UUs March for Peace
Marching for peace on September 24 were 19 UUCCSM adults (members and friends)and two church youths (Conner Nannini and Baxter Hamilton) who participatedin some or all of the 1.5 mile Los Angeles Peace March.Here, from left, areMelanie Sharp, S. J.Guidotti, Kathy Roth, Sue Bickford, Peggy Kharraz,YacoubKharraz, Rob Briner (behind the banner holding a red, white and blue sign),Melinda Ewen, Christine Haskell, Keith Greenhouse, and Ren Renshaw.
- Charles Haskell, Photo
The Faith in Action Bulletin is Now Available Online
The Spring 2005 issue of the FIA Bulletinis now available online. Printed copies may be found on the FIA table in ForbesHall. This issue includes a poem, personal opinion essays, and commentary fromchurch members, national organizations, and friends of our church. Most of theissue is devoted to two topics - peace and health care.
Peace. Myra Wald starts us off with a poem about the horrorsof war. Next, Tom Hamilton provides an analysis of the genocide in Darfur. Hefeels that the genocide will probably continue until one side or the other prevailsmilitarily and that the UN is basically powerless to alter the outcome. An alternateperspective comes from Senate bill 495, which is under current review. The essenceof this bill, which is published as a "Sense of the Congress," calls for UNsanctions and possible military action. Tom's article is followed by a proposednew Study/Action issue from the UUA entitled Peacemaking (S3). This proposalcalls for us to carefully consider just what it means to be a Unitarian Universalistwhen it comes to issues of peace and war.
Health Care. Phyllis Gabriel reports on efforts to reformhealth care access in California. Cathie Gentile reports on the activities ofthe UU Legislative Ministry- California, including the support of same-sex marriage,health care access reform, and water rights. Liz Fuller provides an essay onher experiences with health insurance coverage as a new mother.
The next issue of the FIA Bulletin is planned for publication during the summer.Wouldn't you like to contribute an essay, photograph, or poem of your own forpossible publication? Questions, comments, suggestions, and creative work forpublication are welcome. The deadline for the next issue is August 1. Submissionsmay be placed in the FIA box in the church office or sent to m
- Charles Haskell
Editor, FIA Bulletin Chair, Faith in Action Commission
Personal Stories from the Marriage Equality Express
Interweave, our church's group for bisexuals, gays, lesbians, and transgenders(including their friends and allies) presented a wonderful program on marriageequality in our sanctuary on Sunday afternoon, March 13. It featured two participants(see photo) from a cross-country bus tour last October that brought the storiesof same-sex couples and their struggle for civil rights to 10 American cities.
Among the riders on this marriage equality express were two UU ministers, manysame-sex couples whose marriages were voided, parents supporting their childrenhaving the right to marry, a woman who lost her home to taxes after her partnerdied, and a member of the armed forces who was willing to forfeit her pensionby coming out.
Iam proud that our welcoming congregation presents Terri Fabris and Roberta Conroyspoke on March 13 of their participation in October's Marriage Equality Express.The program was sponsored by Interweave. Details are in the FIA column. programsof such high caliber and importance. Church members and friends interested inworking to support same-sex marriage are encouraged to contact Judy Federick,the leader of our Interweave group. In addition, the UU Legislative MinistryCalifornia website providesa wealth of information for possible action in support of this important religiousissue, especially through the promotion of AB19, California's Religious Freedomand Civil Marriage Protection Act.
The continuing importance of this issue is reflected in the headline news onMarch 15. A Superior Court judge has ruled that laws prohibiting same sex marriageare unconstitutional in the state of California. This decision is still subjectto review by the California Supreme Court and it will undoubtedly stimulateefforts at the national level to promote a constitutional amendment banningsame-sex marriage. It is up to each of us to study and act on this religiousissue.
-Charles Haskell Chair, Faith in Action Commission
Peace Prevails at Our Town Hall Meeting
In addition to our annual issues election each September, Faith in Action (FIA)sponsors a town hall meeting each winter to review witness and advocacy materialsprovided on the web site of the Commissionon Social Witness of the Unitarian Universalist Association ). We also considerpossible mid-church-year corrections of our own social action priorities. Thisyear's town hall meeting was held February 13, with 25 people attending.
We briefly reviewed thedraft of the upcoming UUA Statement of Conscience on Criminal Justice and PenalReform. Next we discussed the 2004-2006 Study/Action Issue entitled Global Warming.We then reviewed five Actions of Immediate Witness that are available from theUUA:
1. The Alien Tort Claims Act and Accountability for Multinational Corporations
2. Electronic Voting
3. Iraq: Sovereignty, the UN, and Human Rights
4. Oppose Federal Marriage Amendment
5. Renew the Assault Weapons Ban
The meeting concluded with a straw vote to prioritize a list of "Big Issues"for FIA in the coming months. The number one issue related to peace and warin Iraq, with 64% of participants choosing this as one of their two most importantconcerns. This choice builds on our church's Statement of Conscience of November2002, as well as two of the current Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW#1 andAIW#3), and plans being developed by the UU Service Committee to highlight ourcountry's use of torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. Based on this vote,the Peace Committee will resume meeting in March to develop a new peace agendafor our church.
Health care access reform was a close second to war in Iraq in this straw vote,with 56% of participants naming this as one of their top two issues. We planto use study and action materials on this topic from the UU Legislative MinistryCalifornia. Cathie Gentile will serve as our liaison to the UULM-Californiaand will be our local leader on this issue. An upcoming issue of the FIA Bulletinwill feature essays on health care reform written by members of our congregation.
- Charles Haskell Chair, Faith in Action Commission
Biggest Food Sort Ever Held on December 2
About 40 UUCCSM volunteers and friends (including many young people) sortingcans and packages of food on December 2 at the Westside Food Bank in Santa Monica,and breaking the all-time record. "This year you sorted a record 14,660 poundsof food in one evening," Bruce Rankin, Food Bank director, told them. "Thanksagain for the fabulous job you did, sorting the food that came in during thestart of our Holiday Food Drives. Over the past year our 65 member agencieshave seen a growing need for food assistance among the working poor familiesand individuals they serve. We greatly appreciate your efforts to help ensurethat those in need receive the food that is so vital to their existence." TheFood Bank distributed nearly four million pounds of food last year. Over 100,000people on the Westside, including 50,000 children, live in poverty, accordingto the Food Bank. Our church's Faith in Action Committee sponsors Food Sortsin December and June.
This month, instead of the usual Faith in Action column, Charles Haskell hasprovided photos of some of the congregation's community activities.
Our annual Halloween carnival is a fundraiser to support UNICEF.
The other picture shows Forbes Hall, dressed up for November 2. It was usedas a polling place on Election Day. In addition, many of our church memberswere active advocates for fair elections.
Once again, it's time for our December Food Sort at the Westside Food Bank.Here's our chance to respond to a real need to help hungry people by sortingthe cans and boxes of food collected by the Food Bank, and putting them intoboxes for the agencies that distribute groceries. Please plan to join us onThursday, December 2, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the Westside Food Bank, 1710 22ndStreet, Santa Monica. Last December, we sorted 11,250 pounds of food. It's afun and worthwhile project for the entire family. For more information, callPaula Bernstein
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On September 26, we'll have our 4th Annual Faith in Action (FIA) issues election.This is when our congregation votes on our priorities for social action forthe coming year. This column is dedicated to a brief review of our expectedagenda for the election.
First, we'll review our ongoing programs. Of particular concern is our workon economic justice, peace, and civil liberties. In addition to reviewing ouraccomplishments to date, we'll discuss how to proceed with these issues duringthe coming year. Regretfully, S.J. Guidotti has resigned as chair of the Peaceand Civil Liberties Committee, so these topics will require particular attention.
Second, we'll review the proposed actions of immediate witness and the newStudy/Action Issue on Global Warming chosen at General Assembly in June of thisyear.
Third, we'll consider any proposals made earlier that day by our visiting minister,the Rev. Lindi Ramsden of the California UU Legislative Ministry. She will tellus about this program and review some of their work. This may well serve asa catalyst for new social action work.
Finally, we'll review and prioritize social action projects proposed by thecongregants present at the meeting. Faith in Action is dedicated to the democraticprocess and we are totally committed to pursuing those social action issuesof greatest interest to the congregation.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank S. J. Guidotti for his two-yeartenure as chair of the Peace and Civil Liberties Committee. We will miss hispassion and energy in this important leadership position.
I'm excited by the prospect of reviewing our programs and recommitting ourselvesto our important work. Please place this date on your calendars.
- Charles Haskell Chair, Faith in Action Commission