FAN board and staff members deeply grieve the continuing loss of life in the Israel-Hamas war, and we reaffirm FAN’s practice of not issuing statements on international issues, even as we know the pain is felt locally. We encourage our network to listen to varied voices on the conflict and connect to peacemaking efforts appropriate to their faith communities. We pledge to continue to work together in a multifaith way on domestic policy issues that unite us.

Time to Register for FAN Dinner!

Tables are filling up for our Annual Dinner celebration on Sunday evening, November 19! Please go to our event webpage and click on Renton, Spokane, or Online buttons to secure your seat(s). In-person space is limited!

We seek to raise our Hope together and Unite our multi-faith movement. Help support our major fundraiser to keep FAN strong for the year ahead! We will announce special guests soon…

If you would like to be a sponsor of the event to help generate hope, contact Elise at degooyer@fanwa.org. If you would like to volunteer the night of the event, email fan@fanwa.org or call 206-625-9790.

Join a Cluster Meeting Near You!

It’s been energizing to gather in local clusters of advocates in North Seattle, Tri-Cities, Port Townsend, Wenatchee, and Everett! We have enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and meeting new, hearing about local advocacy activities, and strategizing for future collaborations. We are deeply grateful to our hosts who have helped us move plans forward, and want to make sure you don’t miss a cluster meeting near you, especially with FOUR happening this week:

CENTRAL/WEST/SOUTH SEATTLE: Sunday October 22, 2:00-4:00 pm
Hosted by Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle – Register here.

TACOMA/PIERCE COUNTY: Sunday October 22, 5:00-7:00 pm
Hosted by Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Tacoma – Register here

SPOKANE: Tuesday, October 24, 5:30-7:00 pm.
Hosted by St. John’s Cathedral, Spokane – Register here.

EAST KING COUNTY: Wednesday October 25, 6:30-8:00 pm
Hosted by Newport Presbyterian Church, Bellevue – Register here.

EDMONDS/LYNNWOOD: Sunday October 29, 2:00-3:30 pm.
Hosted by Edmonds United Methodist Church, Edmonds – Register here.

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AREA: Sunday October 29, 2:00-3:30 pm.
Hosted by Vancouver United Church of Christ, Vancouver – Register here.

BELLINGHAM AREA: Sunday November 5, 4:00-5:30 pm
Hosted by Christ the Servant Lutheran & First Congregational – Bellingham – Register here.

OLYMPIA/THURSTON COUNTY: Sunday December 3, 3:00-4:30pm, Olympia Unitarian Universalist, Olympia. Registration to come.

Still being planned: Ellensburg, South King County, Yakima. If you would like to host a meeting in your area, please contact us at fan@fanwa.org.

Food Week of Action

Thank you to those who have been participating in Food Week of Action this week. As we spread awareness and take action about hunger and its root causes, this work is essential to FAN year-round. Please continue to use our resources through the year, which will be updated at our Take Action page. You can still distribute our two-page document with your newsletters and bulletins during the month of October. We will share our state anti-hunger legislative priorities with you soon!

FAN at Holden Village this Fall

We are delighted to be part of Holden Village’s excellent programming this Fall. FAN Policy Engagement Director Kristin Ang will be part of a Faith and Public Life workshop October 27-30. She will be joined by Jason DeRose, Religion & Belief Correspondent for NPR News. Fall is a beautiful time to visit Holden, and the other Fall programming looks great too! Register here.

Educational Forum on White Supremacy

FAN is co-sponsoring with a growing list of organizations an educational forum this week on Thursday, October 26, 6:15-8:15pm at the Everett Civic Auditorium, 2415 Colby Avenue, Everett, WA, 98201. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free.

The forum will feature renowned author and award-winning journalist David Neiwert, whose talk is entitled White Christian Nationalism or Cultural Diversity. Local speakers will share their responses. For more details, see the Facebook event, reserve your free ticket at this Eventbrite page. Please share flyer below.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, October 21, 1:00-3:00pm, Health Care for All-WA 2023 Annual Educational Conference & Meeting, online and in person, Horizon House 900 University St, Seattle. Doors open at 12:30 pm. Register here.

Film Screenings: Covenant of the Salmon People. October 24, 6:00-7:30pm at the Everett Public Library; October 26 5:30-7:00pm in Sequim; November 6, 6:00pm at the Compton Union Building Auditorium in Pullman. Watch the story by the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce), the salmon people, showing how to envision and create rivers plentiful with salmon again. Register for Sequim here.

October 25, Wednesday, 7:00-8:30pm, Community Climate Action Discussion, in person, Congregational Church on Mercer Island, 4545 Island Crest Way, Mercer Island. Featuring a presentation by environmentalist David W. Orr discussing his recent work Democracy in a Hotter Time: Climate Change and Democratic Transformation which calls for reforming democratic institutions as a prerequisite for avoiding climate chaos. Find out more here.

Sunday, October 29, 7:00-9:00pm, Disrupting the School-to Prison-Pipeline, online, Join BELONG Partners and community organizations the Multifaith Coalition for Restorative Justice, Center for Children and Youth Justice, The Breakfast Group, The Black Prisoners Caucus Community Group, and AHSHAY of UW Medicine for a discussion that will explore ways for communities to unite and truly breakdown the oppressive systems that lead to youth incarceration. Register here.

Thursday, November 2, 6:00-8:00pm, How to Research and Write in a Pandemic: A Story of Resilience and our Forthcoming Volume, in person, Student Center 160, LeRoux Room, Seattle University, 900 Broadway St, Seattle. Featuring Dr. Shane P. Martin, Al Bertrand, Dr. Patricia O’Connell Killen, Dr. Edward Donalson III. Dr. Michael Reid Trice discussing the most recent publishing release Gratitude, Injury, and Repair in a Pandemic Age. Register here.