FAN regional clusters build relationship and conversation towards the 2024 legislative session. Pictured top left clockwise – Vancouver, East King County, Edmonds and Spokane.

Registration for Dinner Closes Monday November 6!

We look forward to welcoming you to our Annual Dinner celebration on Sunday, November 19! If you have thought about attending but haven’t registered yet, please do it this weekend. In-person space is limited!

Go to our event webpage and click on Renton, Spokane, or Online buttons to secure your seat(s).

We’re delighted to welcome travel expert and advocacy supporter Rick Steves, again in person in Renton. We will also hear from 41st District Rep. My-Linh Thai, who champions so many bills that FAN works on and speaks our language of love and hope. We seek to raise our Hope together and Unite our multi-faith movement for social justice. As our major fundraiser of the year, you can help keep FAN strong for the year ahead!

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.

REGISTER HERE

Cluster Meetings Continue!

This Fall, we’ve heard from nearly 250 attendees so far at cluster meetings across the state, and it’s clear that your superpowers include a deep commitment to community, to advocacy, and to changing public policy at the local and state level. With the generous hosting of faith communities over shared soup, baked potato bars, and homemade desserts, we have heard your concerns for your local communities, shared some of our legislative victories, and offered a preview of what is on the horizon for us to work on in the 2024 session. YOU give us hope in showing up and sharing your vision for justice. We have two more gatherings scheduled in the weeks ahead:

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

OLYMPIA/THURSTON COUNTY: Sunday December 3, 3:00-4:30pm. Hosted by Olympia Unitarian Universalist, Olympia

If you would like to host a meeting in your area, please contact us at fan@fanwa.org. Cluster list is updated at our cluster meetings page.

Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign

Once a bill is passed, it’s important to follow its implementation. This week on November 1, all Washington residents, regardless of immigration status, are able to purchase health and dental insurance through Washington Healthplanfinder. We are incredibly grateful for your advocacy and the collaboration of the Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign that made this possible! WA residents have from now until January 15 to enroll, and we need your help getting the word out! Here are some action steps you can take for health equity today:

  • Read this informational flyer to learn about this critical healthcare expansion.
  • Print and post the relevant flyers in your faith community and share with any local groups and organizations who might benefit (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese).
  • Navigators are available free of charge to help people enroll. Visit this search page to find navigators in your area where you can refer community members.
  • Share FAN’s social media posts about expanding health coverage on your faith community’s FB page or create your own post using this social media toolkit.
  • Contact regional organizer, Jess Ingman, if you have questions or would like to discuss what outreach could look like in your community.
  • Join us at Interfaith Advocacy Day in Olympia on February 8, 2024 to advocate for the full funding of this healthcare expansion!

VOTE! Return Your Ballots by Tuesday November 7

We know there are some hotly contested local races across our state that will mean the difference between inclusion and justice, or exclusion and discrimination. How will the candidates’ choices in your area impact homelessness, affordable housing, the wellbeing of immigrants, access to social services, criminal justice reform, response to climate change, and civil and human rights? All the things we care about at the state level have local roots and consequences.

Please vote and make sure your ballot is postmarked by Tuesday!

Criminal Justice Reform Work Group

We are gathering momentum for the 2024 legislative session and are now collecting names of those interested in being part of a FAN Criminal Justice Reform work group. We are working with our coalition partners and will soon have more details about our policy agenda items. Contact Blake and Kristin at fan@fanwa.org if you are interested in being a part of this work.

Opportunities

The Washington State Department of Commerce has opened a Request for Application (RFA) process to fund $500,000 in fiscal year 2024 for the physical security of religious and nonprofit institutions. Applications due 12/19/23. For more information, see this link.

FEMA is hosting webinars about federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), a grant for security upgrades for places of worship. Eligible security improvements include physical barriers, security personnel, trainings, and cameras. Last year’s grant provided organizations up to $150,000.

Danielle Allen: “Bringing Democracy Back from the Brink.” How do we fix our fractured democracy? Watch the entirety of this recent event in Spokane with Harvard’s Danielle Allen. The video is only available from now until Election Day—November 7th. Watch it here.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, November 5, 4:30-5:30pm, Vigil for Community Safety: Against Approved Pipeline Expansion of Gas Transmission North Xpress Pipeline, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 316 E. 24th Ave, Spokane. Gather to mobilize and learn about the risk from this recent expansion.

Monday, November 6, 6:00pm, Film Screening: Covenant of the Salmon People, Compton Union Building Auditorium, 1500 NE Terrell Mall, Pullman. Watch the story by the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce), the salmon people, showing how to envision and create rivers plentiful with salmon again.

Thursday, November 9, 5:30pm, Mass for the Deceased Homeless, St. James Cathedral, 804 9th Avenue, Seattle. Join a Mass in memory of the homeless men, women, and children who died in shelters, hospitals, on the streets or by violence in our community this past year. Contact Patrick Barredo at pbarredo@stjames-cathedral.org for more details.

Saturday, November 18, 4:00-7:00pm, Native American Heritage Celebration, Edmonds Lutheran Church, 23525 84th Ave W, Edmonds. Featuring speaker Cathy Baylor and storyteller Pamela Seamonster followed by an Indian taco and corn soup meal.

Sunday, November 19, 2:00-3:30pm, Resetting Our Sacred Table, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 1515 Harrison Ave NW, Olympia. Join an annual, autumnal celebration of community culture and music centering members of the Nisqually tribe.

Tuesday, November 21, 7:00-8:15pm, Behind the WHEEL: The Power of Homeless Women, The Wyncote NW Forum/Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave, Seattle. Join to celebrate thirty years of homeless women organizing, writing and creating change!