November is FIA Month for the Gallery Wall

Faith in Action is responsible for the gallery wall each November. Last year,we emphasized peace andanti-war activities. This year the art wall emphasizes the pictures of peoplewho have led and/or participated in a wide range of FIA activities over theyear.

S. J. Guidotti and members of the Peace Committee have worked valiantly insupport of our church’s statement of conscience against unilateral, preemptivewar in Iraq. Dan Kegel and others initiated study/action related to civil liberties.This work meshes nicely with the thrust of work by the Unitarian UniversalistService Committee (UUSC). For manyyears our representative to the UUSC was Betty McDonald. During the past year,she has passed the mantle of UUSC coordination to Rachel Donaldson and SimonHuss. Max Epstein and a small subcommittee of the Peace Committee have workedhard to bring interesting speakers to our church. The gallery wall providespictures of some of these speakers, as well as a poster promoting FIA speakerseries lectures for November and December.

Charles Haskell and an editorial board of five have published three issuesof the FIA Bulletin. Last year, Julie Hill, Kathy Layton and Marguerite Spearscoordinated food sorts by church members at the Westside Food Bank. This comingyear, Paula Bernstein will coordinate this activity. Our next food sort is scheduledfor Wednesday, December 10. Cathie Gentile, Lyn Armondo, and Janet Goodwin haveled our effort to provide food for the hungry, homeless and mentally ill. Wedo this by donating food to the Westside Food Bank each week and by preparingfood periodically for Turning Point and monthlyfor Step Up on Second.

Judy Federick, Kris Langabeer and Ron Crane of Interweave have led our congregationaleffort to become a Welcoming Congregation. We are reaching out to the greaterwestside community as members of the Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition.Some of our work with the coalition is illustrated on the gallery wall. We expectto expand this connection over the coming year.

— Charles Haskell, Chair, FIA Commission