5019 Keystone Place North, Seattle, WA 98103
January 19: Sunday worship
10:30 a.m. MLK Day weekend
Second Sunday after Epiphany (Second Sunday in Ordinary Time)
There will be birthday cake! We celebrate birthdays and a special chance to worship with Nell for her day!
For any who need to use I-5 travel to church, note the closure around downtown until 10 AM today.
Theme today: called to discipleship Preaching: Rev. Rich Gamble
Our scripture for today from our common assigned lectionary:
Isaiah 49:1-7
Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! GOD called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb God named me.
God made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of God’s hand, God hid me; God made me a polished arrow, in God’s quiver, God hid me away.
And said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with God, and my reward with my God."
And now the Creator says, who formed me in the womb to be the Creator’s servant, to bring Jacob back to God, and that Israel might be gathered to God, for I am honored in the sight of the Creator, and my God has become my strength-
God says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
Thus says the Creator, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, "Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Creator, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
January 19, 2014:
Reader: Dan S.
Usher: Barbara
Greeter: per sign up
Coffee hospitality: per sign up
3-5 year old teacher: Elizabeth
Professional Nursery Care with Anita downstairs
Please find more announcements & news below!
Blessings,
Lauren
Announcements for newsletters: email: lauren dot cannon at keystoneseattle dot com
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Upcoming Events
Today:
Sunday 1/19
Worship:
10:30 am, Keystone
Rev.Gamble, preaching
Friday 1/24
Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies
7pm, Battson Hall
Sunday 1/26
Worship:
10:30 am, Keystone
Rev.Gamble, preaching
SAVE THE DATE:
Saturday 2/1 cooking for Sacred Heart Shelter
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 Keystone United Church of Christ
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Upcoming classes in the Justice Leadership Program at Keystone UCC:
Wednesday nights
February: Biblical & Theological Grounding for Work of Justice
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March: Lenten Study: Theology & Practice of Nonviolence (& some study of history of nv social movements)
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April: ‘Resisting Structural Evil’ book discussion (culminating April 30 with author Cynthia- Moe Lobeda)
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Justice Leadership Program offers classes that connect interns, church members, friends, families, and other service volunteers in study, discussion, and breaking bread together. All welcome- bring a friend! Units are from 2-5 weeks, most Wednesday nights, October to June, at Keystone.
Come for a full unit, but drop-ins for any nights you can attend - always welcome!
7:00-8:30 pm
6:30-7:00: Optional potluck
(come on by just to break bread for supper & community if its that kind of night!)
Keystone Congregational UCC Church
Thanks to all who enriched recent discussions (held on two Tuesdays due to speaker availability)
"Advocacy 101" Workshop
Led by Nancy Amidei*
Tuesday January 7
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Preparing for state legislative session in Olympia
Issue Updates from our UCC justice interns
Tuesday January 14
on advocacy agendas:
Housing & Homelessness
Earth care
Living Wages
Immigration
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Our UCC Justice Interns in action:
Check out Margie Quinn’s blog post over at the Faith and Family Homelessness project (and pasted below):
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Friday, January 24 , 2014, 7:00 - 9:30 PM
Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies
7pm, Battson Hall, Keystone UCC
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February 1- We’ll be making dinner for folks at Sacred Heart Shelter. Cook with friends during the day to prepare, or on your own. Our rotation is first Saturday, every other month- mark your calendars! Email Sandie to sign up: sandreakay135 at yahoo dot com
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February 19-21, we have a small team from Keystone going to a training on faith-based environmental justice. More welcome: check out this registration info:
Pollution warning on Duwamish River Tour of Seattle port and vicinity contact: Meighan Pritchard
Environmental Justice Workshop
at our Pilgrim Firs UCC Camp & conference Center
How can people of faith work for environmental justice for all? How can we create Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Beloved Community—one that is sustainable, healthy, and inclusive? This “train the trainer” workshop will explore these questions with the goal of empowering conversation and actions around environmental justice that will continue far beyond the initial workshop.
When: 5pm Wed., Feb. 19 through lunch Fri., Feb. 21, 2014
Where: Pilgrim Firs Camp and Conference Center, near Port Orchard, WA Cost: $175
In initial sessions, participants will explore five themes of a faith-based approach to environmental justice: gratitude, humility, responsibility, justice, and community. Each theme is anchored with biblical readings, selections from the video Renewal, insights from respected leaders in environmental and social justice, and additional study suggestions.
On Thursday afternoon, the group will tour lower Duwamish River neighborhoods to see firsthand how air and water pollution impact communities and what steps communities are taking.
Remaining time will focus on responses to environmental challenges:
- working through issues of environmental despair to build communities based on hope;
- developing strategies and activities for participants’ local communities;
- creating a plan for participants’ own workshops in their home communities.
Each participant will be given tools to carry out these activities in their own communities.
This workshop is co-sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC) and UCC Justice and Witness Ministries.
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Keystone is hiring for Sunday mornings- please share!
Resumes by January 29: Children’s Ministry- (10 AM- Noon Sundays) Keystone is searching for our Christian Education Coordinator to teach Sunday School with our elementary children (ages 6-10)- ask about our job posting! Includes one hour of prep time: 3 hours/week: $15-$20/ hour.
And become a trained volunteer to assist with our preschoolers (ages 3-5) once per month! Talk to Barb, Lisa, and Lauren.
Part Time Position: Children’s Christian Education Coordinator
Keystone is a small progressive community of faith located in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle, next to the University District. We are an open & affirming justice centered church, affiliated with the United Church of Christ (UCC). Our building is a bit of a community center, hosting justice and faith programs, chorus, dance, and meditation groups, meaningful movies, peace and community forums, providing support to the homeless through the activism of our congregation, and site of the Wallingford Co-op PreSchool. “Come, see how we love!” All ages, races, gender identities & sexual orientations, cultures, and classes are especially welcome.
Our families with children are growing! We seek a part-time Children’s Christian Education Coordinator to engage our school-age children (ages 6-10) along their faith journeys. This position is to teach on Sundays during our 10:30am worship service. The Children’s Christian Education Coordinator will design and provide faith-based activities and lessons for this small group of children.
Job Description:
Sunday mornings: 10am - Noon; plus one weekly hour paid planning time;
$15- $20/ hour DOE.
- Set up classroom at 10:00am.
- Greet families as they drop off before the worship which runs 10:30am - 11:30am.
- Provide 1/2 hour of engaging learning for school age children during the sermon time
- across the seasons of the church year
- using engaging progressive teaching activities & materials
- plan curriculum in consultation with associate minister
- help children rejoin congregation near end of service for communion
- Reconnect with families at coffee hour until 12pm. Converse with parents about the day’s lesson/activity. Encourage faith practices for home.
- Foster faith education for our children and families, as they grow in community.
Below are the personal leadership qualities and expectations we are seeking.
Part Time Children’s Christian Education Coordinator:
- Keen interest in developing a vibrant Sunday School program for a neighborhood church, with supportive pastors and lay leaders.
- Experience teaching Christian Education with children, particularly those ages 6-10.
- Demonstrated skills in leading children’s activities, particularly teaching biblical stories of progressive Christianity and Christian ethics.
- Independent, self-starter who is also able to be a collaborative leader to nurture unpaid volunteer members of the church to assist as needed.
- Heart for outreach to new visiting families who seek a church with a loving and accessible children’s ministry.
- Familiarity and comfort with children of various cultures.
- Experience teaching children to engage the liturgical seasons of the Christian church year.
- Familiarity with commitments of the United Church of Christ.
- CPR, and First Aid certification not required, but given special consideration.
- Experience working with volunteers to maintain “Safe Church” standards and updates.
- Nurture connection between the church and families with children in the wider community.
*possible for this position to be designed toward internship credits, as applicable.
If interested, please send your resume and cover letter by January 29 to Associate Pastor Lauren Cannon lauren.cannon@keystoneseattle.org. All people of various racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identities are encouraged to apply.
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Upcoming invitations:
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Happy New Year!
Mindfulness Group for Teens
Happy New Year! This is a reminder about the mindfulness group for teens that begins and is a great way to start the New Year. The Seattle Teen Mindfulness Circle (STMC) will give teens a chance to interact with peers in a casual, safe, and supportive environment while exploring mindfulness practices and their relevance to real life situations. While no meditation experience is necessary to attend the weekly Mindfulness Circle, SIMS sponsors a 4-week Teen Mindfulness Meditation Class that provides a solid foundation of mindfulness that strongly complements the weekly group. Contact kristaharris@comcast.net for more information about the Teen Mindfulness Meditation Class.
We will meet Monday evenings starting January 13, 2014 from 6:30-8pm at Conduit Coffee (2501 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109). Free parking is on the Lake Union side of Westlake North and is on the #40 Metro Bus route. Conduit Coffee is a roasting company with a large meeting room. It is next door to the home of one of the adult group leaders.
Each evening, we will begin with a short guided meditation, some mindfulness instructions, and a check-in to see how things are going. We will do many different activities that invite us to tune in to our bodies and the present moment. Each meeting will be led by two adult mentors who will guide the activities of the evening. Very Important- If you are a teen who would like to come to the group, please bring a signed parental permission slip with you to the group. If you have any questions about the group please contact Sooz Appel or Chris Charles at SeattleTeenMCircle@googlegroups.com
Thank you,
The Seattle Teen Mindfulness Circle – Team
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From our friends at Church Council of Greater Seattle (this is where our UCC justice intern Briana Frenchmore serves):
Friends, want to make sure you know about several upcoming Church Council events... ...Inviting Keystone congregation/networks to join us as we gather, engage, and act on issues affecting our communities.
And, a save-the-date for our Annual Assembly: Tuesday, March 25
Please help us spread the word!
Peace,
Ann Erickson
Church Council of Greater Seattle
206.525.1213 ext. 105
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From our national UCC:
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January 14, 2014
Pick the winner in the UCC Stillspeaking Ministry's video contest. Which young adult answered the question — How does my faith transform, connect, or touch the world? — best to you? One vote per device — choose carefully.
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from our regional UCC conference:
Dear Men Friends in and beyond the Pacific Northwest United Church of Christ,
The 23rd Annual Pacific Northwest Conference Men's Retreat is scheduled for the weekend of January 31 to February 2, 2014 at Pilgrim Firs Conference Center. The optional 24-hour silent retreat is again offered beginning Thursday evening, January 30.
The theme for this year is “Transitions: Finding Meaning in the Changes of Our Lives”, focusing on the endings, fallow times, and new beginnings of our lives. We will have the opportunity to share our stories with one another, to see how our stories and the Christian story come together, to celebrate the ways God comforts us in our losses and confronts us in our complacencies. This year we would like to hold workshops on Saturday afternoon, taking advantage of the gifts and talents so many of you have to offer. If you are interested in leading a workshop, please respond and let us know. The workshop need not be directly related to our theme; anything you would like to share with the group will be welcome. Finally if you would like to be on the planning committee for the retreat or have any ideas about speakers or ways to enhance the retreat experience please let us know.
As in years past, this will be a weekend full of spontaneity, recreation, heartfelt singing, inclusive fellowship, small group sharing, individual reflection, great food, common worship, and spiritual renewal. Our hope is that this will strengthen and develop local church men’s ministry.
A Day of Silence
A special day to meditate, walk, read, write, draw, or simply observe nature while being aware of the presence of God in a beautiful setting. There will be periods of group prayer in which the leader will help us focus on simply being aware of breath and listening to our inner voice without requests or self-criticism. Two meals will be shared in silence. The opening session begins at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday with the silence starting at 10 p.m. We break the silence at 4 p.m. Friday and the Day of Silence portion of the retreat ends at 6 p.m. with some of the weekend registrants joining us for dinner.
This year’s Men’s Retreat begins at 7 p.m. Friday with registration. All information about Pilgrim Firs such as address, directions, accommodations, etc. can be found on their web site www.pilgrimfirs.org You will also receive exhaustive directions in your registration information.
Registration will be conducted using a website designed specifically for camp registration. To register, go to the Pacific NW Conference UCC site www.pncucc.org On the lower left side of the page, underQuick Links choose Register for Camps. Then on that page scroll down and choose either Create a New Account, if you did not register last year, or I Already Have an Account if you did register previously. After you enter your account information then you can choose the tab marked Reservations, where you can select “Make an individual reservation”. You will find two choices for the Pacific NW Men’s Retreat, one for the weekend only and one for the Day of Silence plus the weekend retreat. The cost is $140 for the weekend retreat and $190 for the weekend plus the Day of Silence. Select one of these.
We have a Registrar email box set aside for questions and suggestions: pnwmen@gmail.com
Confirmation, travel directions, and additional info will be sent by January 20, 2013. If you don’t receive confirmation by then, send email to the Registrar. Also, if you are having trouble getting registered for whatever reason, send email to the Registrar.
If you need a scholarship or want to make some other payment arrangement, also contact the Registrar. If you wish to make a scholarship donation, bring it with you to the retreat; it would help us if you drop a note to the Registrar letting us know of your intentions. Thank you for that.
Finally, we send out email notes about the retreat and other information of interest to retreat participants. If you are not receiving these notes that’s because we don’t have a correct email address for you. Please send us an email to correct that. On the other hand, if you would rather not receive information about the retreats, you can send an email telling us that and we will take your email address off the list. We look forward to getting your registration and seeing you at the retreat!
Registering by January 12, 2014 will get you the Early Bird discount rate; after that the full price goes into effect. The rates will be the same as last year, no increase or reduction.
The rates are:
Retreat weekend (Early registration) = $140.00
Retreat + Day of Silence (Early reg.) = $190.00
Retreat weekend (January 12 and after) = $160.00
Retreat + Day of Silence (Jan. 12 and after) = $210.00
The 2014 Retreat Committee
Rick Russell Michael Phipps Steve Guy
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From our friends at Church of Hope in Columbia City:
Spirituality in the Workplace Retreat
Saturday, Jan 25 from 9:00am to 5:00pm
Do you seek a deeper spiritual connection to your work? Where is the intersection between your passions and the needs of the world? How can you find God in the workplace? A lay leader and a staff member from Church of Hope will be leading a retreat to explore these questions and more. There will be a suggested donation of $15. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by January 19 to Philip.
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Interfaith Advocacy Day
Thursday, Jan 30 from 8am to 3pm
United Churches of Olympia
110 11th Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501
Interfaith Advocacy Day brings to our elected leaders the voice of compassion and justice. We partner for the common good with people of all faiths—and with people of no faith at all—who stand up boldly to challenge the powerful. Join workshops that will break down the issues. Get current best practices on how to advocate in today’s legislature. Learn how to prepare for briefings and hearings. Also a appointment will be made for you and others from your district to speak directly with your state legislators. Early bird registration is $15 by January 15, and $20 afterwards. FAN will provide lunch, prepare the materials you need, and set up the meetings with your legislators prior to your arrival. Register now here!
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We celebrate great news with our friends at the Faith Action Network:
FAN announces its new Co-Director, Elise DeGooyer!
The Faith Action Network Governing Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Elise DeGooyer as Co-Director of FAN to serve with Co-Director Paul Benz. The Board also wishes to thank the dozens of candidates who submitted applications for the position for their support of FAN’s mission.
Elise joins the FAN staff team as a lifelong resident of Washington State, having been born and raised in Yakima in a fruit-industry family, completing undergraduate education in Spokane at Gonzaga University, and making Seattle home since the 1980s. She brings three decades of experience in mission-driven work in human services, anti-poverty, and social justice. During the past six years at Northwest Harvest, she helped shape advocacy initiatives on hunger and poverty issues in collaboration with constituencies statewide. As Administrative & Development Director for Church of Mary Magdalene from 2004 to 2007, she proposed and implemented a collaborative leadership model for this organization that serves homeless women.
Elise is excited to help amplify the voices of interfaith communities to promote the common good. Her commitment to FAN's work is rooted in compassion and solidarity, especially for those on the margins of society. Her graduate studies at Maryknoll School of Theology in New York, studying liberation movements with students from over 20 countries, broadened her interfaith understandings. She keeps her multicultural and global vision alive as a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, and lives in south Seattle with her teenage son and teacher husband.
She will officially begin work on February 3, and will look forward to meeting FAN members at Interfaith Advocacy Day on January 30. As Co-Director of FAN, Elise will have primary responsibilities in the areas of administration and finance while sharing organizational leadership with Paul Benz and the FAN Board.
[We celebrate the wider commitments in community of Keystone UCC’s Rev. Rich Gamble, who serves as Co-Chair of FAN Board.]
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Nell Townley welcomes cards and visits, and has appreciated thoughts and prayers very much.
Nell (Mildred) Townley
Kline Galland Home
Room 119
7500 Seward Park Ave S.
Seattle, WA 98118
206-725-8800
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Great news from Justice Leadership Program (that Keystone helped found, and supports):
We celebrate a new partnership for 2014- 2015. One of our new agency placements will be:
Justice Leadership Program - Pacific Northwest
Justice Leadership Program: Pacific Northwest
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Seeking Young Adults (ages 21-35) for the Justice Leadership Program!
We still have a few more spots left in the Justice Leadership Program for next year! Apply soon to meet the February 15 deadline.
Work for social change through the United Church of Christ Justice Leadership Program in Seattle from September 2, 2014 – August 2, 2015. The Justice Leadership Program is part of the United Church of Christ (UCC) Young Adult Service Communities, and is supported by both the UCC nationally and the Pacific Northwest Conference.
Apply now for the 2014-2015 program year through the
UCC Young Adult Service Communities:
Application deadline: February 15, 2014
For Justice Leadership Program, specify Seattle as your first choice
The Justice Leadership Program engages young adults (ages 21‐35) in eleven months of faith‐based service, justice advocacy, and leadership development.
- Intern with a non‐profit dedicated to social, economic, and/or environmental justice* (32 hours/week)
- Serve within a United Church of Christ congregation (5 hours/week)
- Live in a simple intentional community in Seattle’s lively Capitol Hill neighborhood
- Grow through mentoring, vocational exploration, and reflection on faith and justice in the context of progressive Christianity
- Receive a monthly living stipend of $440, health insurance, and housing
* 2013‐2014 partner agencies include: Church Council of Greater Seattle, Earth Ministry, and the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance.
For more information on the Justice Leadership Program, please contact:
Blessings,
Kathryn Murdock
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Kathryn Murdock
Outreach Organizer
(206) 406-9215
Justice Leadership Program - Pacific NW
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." -Martin Luther King Jr.
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Current UCC justice intern:
Margie Quinn’s blog post over at:
The Power of Interruption: A Call for Advocacy
By: Margie Quinn
Margie Quinn is a native of Nashville, Tennessee and recent graduate of the University of Georgia. After graduating in May with a Women’s Studies/French degree, Margie moved to Seattle to begin a one-year “Justice Leadership Program” through the UCC church. As part of the program, Margie is paired with All Pilgrims Christian Church and works for the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance during the week. The Housing Alliance, a statewide champion for housing and homelessness issues, is a powerful coalition of diverse organizations and individuals working together to build and protect safe, healthy, and affordable homes for everyone across Washington State.
Thomas Street P-Patch, a community garden in Capitol Hill
A funny thing happened on the way to the church.
I was walking to church one afternoon a few months ago. I had just moved to Seattle, actually, and was exploring what would be my new neighborhood on Capitol Hill. As I strolled past a community garden, I noticed a woman sprawled out in a community vegetable patch. At first, I thought she was meditating or performing some sort of yoga pose with the veggies. I mean, I had just moved from Nashville and had heard some pretty interesting stories about Seattle. But, as I looked closer I noticed that her breathing was slow and irregular and that her face appeared almost bluish. Something was definitely wrong with this woman.
Instead of immediately rushing to her aid, though, I cautiously kept walking, hoping that maybe she was fine after all, and that I could ignore my gut feeling about her.
God has a great sense of humor. As soon as I turned away from the garden, a couple of men pointed her out to each other and asked me if I had seen her. “Oh yes,” I replied nervously.” “She doesn’t look well,” said one of the men. “Something is wrong with her.” And he went to her.
The Good Samaritan by Ferdinand Holder (1885)
Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? A man was on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho when he ran into some robbers. They stripped him, beat him and left him for dead. The story goes that a Priest and a Levite passed the half-dead man without helping him. Then came a Samaritan. The Bible says that the Samaritan saw the man and was moved with such pity at the sight of him that he went to him. The Samaritan didn’t throw a couple of dollars at the beaten man or shuffle past him in hopes that the next person would see to his situation. He went to him.
I didn’t want to be interrupted the day I strolled through my new neighborhood. In fact, when I was interrupted, I chose to ignore it. I was a modern-day Priest or Levite who passed by a woman in serious need. Luckily, I witnessed the arrival of true Samaritans who went to her, who lifted her head up and checked her pulse, who told me to call 911 and who saved this woman’s life through their immediate action. They allowed for interruption in their day and by doing so, they took action and saved a life.
Join other advocates at the Housing and Homelessness Day in Olympia on Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day is just around the corner. As a person of faith, I could try and guilt you into coming with verses about how “faith without works is dead”[1] and so on. Instead, though, I shared a story with you about interruption in which I failed to act. Failure, it seems, has moved me to act many more times than success has.
You have plenty of reasons not to attend our Advocacy Day on January 28th. You need to work. You have class that day. You don’t want to make the drive. You don’t think your presence is that important. These are good reasons not to go. But I ask you, what would it take for you to come to Olympia and advocate? Would it take an interruption?
I will be in Olympia in a few weeks with hundreds of housing and homelessness advocates. I want you there not because you will make me look good for helping plan a great event or because you will increase our turnout. I want you there because something happens when we go to people. Something truly powerful happens when we allow ourselves to be interrupted by the gospel. We find ourselves living out the parables that Jesus so boldly told. We find ourselves face-to-face with legislators and advocates who, like us, want safe, healthy and affordable homes for everyone.
Advocacy Day: An opportunity to make your voice heard.
When we go, when we gather as a body of people as part of a larger movement, when we allow interruptions like Advocacy Day to occur in our daily lives, what we find is an opportunity to act. We find a living, breathing force of advocates who go to people, driven by the passion for the well-being of people in their hearts. It is essential that we speak up and stay active in advocacy as people of faith because without us, the movement does not go forward.
Will you make your voice heard with me? Will you take a day to advocate for housing and homelessness issues?
Luckily for me, my failure to be open to interruption on the way to church was righted by another Samaritan’s call to action. Next time, though, I may not be as lucky. Christ calls us to “go and do likewise” – to live out the Samaritan’s actions in our own lives. Will you?
P.S. Don’t miss our “Interfaith Panel on Advocacy” at Advocacy Day this year! We will hear from faith leaders around the state on how their faith informs their advocacy.
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 Keystone United Church of Christ
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Keystone Church proclaims the good news
that God's realm is in our midst.
Come see how we love. Sundays, 10:30 a.m.
5019 Keystone Place N., Seattle, WA 98103
Whether you’re a seeker, doubter, believer, wherever you are on life’s journey, you’ll find hospitality here.
Keystone is an open and affirming community. All are welcome.
206-632-6021
