Dear Friends,

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, I find myself reflecting on the incredible strength of our community. In a world that often feels divided, your commitment to showing up for one another—across different traditions, beliefs, and backgrounds—is a powerful testament to what is possible when we lead with compassion.

Locally, our faith in action this year looked like:

• Showing up in solidarity with our Muslim neighbors at the Spokane Valley City Council when a Councilmember made Islamophobic remarks, and continuing to hold the Council accountable.
• Meeting with our federal lawmakers to urge them to protect health care and food access in the 4th and 5th districts.
• Standing up for immigrant rights in the streets and in the halls of power at both the city and state levels.
• Sending over 2,676 letters to state lawmakers during the state legislative session, and over 200 of you traveling to Olympia to advocate for a moral budget.
• Learning about each other's faith traditions and building and sustaining multi-faith relationships.

I would also like to express gratitude to everyone who attended our Annual Dinner in Spokane. You helped make it the largest dinner we have had on this side of the mountains so far!

Let’s keep showing up, keep listening, and keep building a community that leaves no one behind. We have a busy January full of opportunities to continue putting faith into action. I hope you can join us!

In community and solidarity,

Brianna Dilts

FAN Eastern Washington Regional Organizer

Whether you’re new to FAN or a long-time advocate, we invite you to join us for our Spokane Area Winter Meeting as we connect across faith communities locally to build and renew relationships and imagine what action we would like to take together this season.

Join us next Thursday, January 8, from 5:30 - 7 pm at Westminster UCC, 411 S Washington St. Pizza and beverages will be provided. Please RSVP by January 7

During this time, we will: 

• Connect across faith communities to deepen our local relationships.
• Hear an update about the upcoming legislative session and ways to advocate.
• Begin to plan for how we can act and build power together for justice, compassion, and sustainability in the months ahead as we prepare for the legislative session and the many challenges facing our communities.

For years, we have cosponsored the Eastern Washington Legislative Conference with the Fig Tree, Catholic Charities & the Washington State Catholic Conference, the Spokane NAACP, and many other amazing organizations. We are excited to again be a part of this event. This year's theme is "We Shall Overcome: Building the Beloved Community Today."

This isn't just a meeting; it’s a strategy session for the world we want to build. We’ll dive into briefings on housing, voting rights, climate justice, and more, while learning how to use "people power" and faithful advocacy to move the needle in Olympia and elsewhere. 

• When: Saturday, Jan. 31 | 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

• Where: In-person at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, 115 N. Raymond Spokane Valley, WA 99206

• What: Faith leader and youth actvisit & organizer panels, legislative briefings, lunch, and workshops on community organizing, refugee rights, and more.

Register here for individuals and groups (Scholarships are available—we want everyone at the table!)

Learning opportunities

• Advocacy as a Spiritual Practice Workshop Tuesday, January 6, 6:00 - 7:00 pm on Zoom. Register Here

  Join us for a workshop on how to connect our faith traditions and moral compasses to our acts of advocacy. We will spend time reflecting on our own faith traditions and moral scripts and how they get articulated in advocacy work.
  
  

• Housing and Homelessness Working Group Kick Off, Tuesday, January 14, 6:00 - 7:30 pm on Zoom. Register Here
  
  Join us in the new year for our first Housing & Homelessness Working Group meeting. Together, we will discuss housing bills in the state legislature --including HB 1859, which supports the development of affordable housing on land owned by faith communities -- how they impact our communities, and how we can support them! 
  
  
• Advocacy 101 Workshop, Wednesday, January 14, 6:00 - 7:30 pm on Zoom. Register Here
  
  Join us for this virtual training to learn how to advocate during the legislative session. Both new advocates and returning ones seeking to refresh their knowledge are welcome. FAN staff will present some of the tools we use throughout the session, with a chance for Q&A. FAN’s legislative agenda and policies will not be discussed in depth, though we will share with you how to find more information.

Opportunities to take action

• Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day March, Monday, January 19. We are putting together a multi-faith presence for the MLK Day March. Join us at the Spokane Convention Center for the rally and march. More details to come!
• Housing & Homelessness Advocacy Day, Monday, January 26. Our friends at Washington Low Income Housing Alliance are hosting their annual Housing & Homelessness Advocacy Day in Olympia and have two buses that will be traveling from Spokane to Olympia and back (this will be an all-day trip). We would love to get together a multi-faith group of folks to advocate for housing justice. If you are interested in joining, please email Brianna at dilts@fanwa.org
• Interfaith Advocacy Day, Thursday, February 12. Join us for FAN's annual advocacy day in Olympia. We will gather together to be grounded in song and prayer before learning about the legislative session and meeting with lawmakers. Register here

Thank you so much for your support of Faith Action Network in 2025. Whether you've volunteered, donated, or advocated with us, your support helps power and sustain our multi-faith movement. We look forward to continuing to organize and strengthen our state-wide network in 2026. Every gift empowers us to bridge divides and amplify the voices of our communities where they are needed most. Please consider a year-end donation to ensure we enter 2026 with the resources to organize, advocate, and lead. Together, we can build a future rooted in compassion and collective action.

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