Join us!

How do solar panels support low-income housing, food ministries, and community resource hubs? Come find out! This Sunday (May 31st, 2:30-3:30, Zoom) Rev. AC Churchill will be joined by Joey Agar, Pastor Anna Czarnik-Neimeyer, and Rev. Christie Love to talk about how faith communities physical properties are a vital tool that can be used in our collective work for just, compassionate, and sustainable communities. 

You’ll learn about the process Design for Peace, an initiative of the SWWA Synod of the ELCA, uses to accompany congregations through discernment processes regarding how buildings are sacred resources and hear stories from Rev. Love how her congregation uses their church building as an extension of their mission.

Register Here.

Webinar Part Two: (Date/Time coming soon)

Join the Faith Action Network (FAN) and Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) for a webinar that will explore how to unlock clean energy tax credits via elective pay. This session is designed to help the FAN community better understand opportunities available to churches, religious organizations, schools, hospitals, nonprofits, businesses, and other institutions seeking to invest in clean energy solutions.

We’ll explore the process for maximizing federal credits while they remain available, with topics including the elective pay framework, strategies for combining multiple funding streams, and an honest look at the current landscape and challenges facing clean energy incentives.

We’ll also share information about free services available through the Washington Clean Energy Tax Assistance (WA CETCAP) program, including a real-world case study from a guest speaker who has utilized CETCAP services firsthand.

This webinar is offered as part of FAN’s collaboration with L4GG and the Washington Department of Commerce.

Washington CETCAP is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs,

Please Join FAN and Climate Solutions in Signing This Petition to Update and Improve our Building Energy Codes

"Our homes and buildings are an enormous source of often unseen pollution; not only from constructing them, but then using and maintaining them. Powering appliances, heating water, running HVAC systems – all of this takes energy, and produces emissions. We deserve clean-powered, high-efficiency buildings that keep us comfortable without burning toxic fossil fuel gas.

"Strong energy codes are one of the best ways to build thriving, climate-friendly cities from the bottom up. We’ve already done incredible work to make Washington’s buildings some of the healthiest, most climate-friendly in the country. It’s time to build on that work, make improvements, and keep Washington leading on the path to a clean, affordable, energy-efficient future." (from Climate Solutions one-pager)

This opportunity to update and improve our building energy codes comes up only once every three years. Please sign here.

Climate Solutions is also looking for folks to testify at the WA State Building Codes Council hearings:

• July 14: hybrid zoom/in-person in Olympia
• July 17: hybrid zoom/in-person in Spokane area – would really like as many folks as possible from the Spokane area in person

Please let Elizabeth know if you are interested in testifying. dickinson@fanwa.org

Want to learn more? Check out this article by Deepa Sivarajan at Climate Solutions.

In honor of Juneteenth, PSARA (Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action) and the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church will be hosting the national award-winning Unspoken Truths travelling history exhibit on June 20 in Seattle. Please plan to attend! Learn more here. 

We are also looking for volunteers to help unload the exhibit at 11 am and reload at 3 pm on that day. Please contact Elizabeth at dickinson@fanwa.org if you can help out.

June is Pride Month! At a time when our queer and trans siblings are being targeted for who they are, it’s more important than ever to show up in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA community. Faith Action Network, and many of our Spokane area partner faith communities, will be at the Spokane Pride Festival on Saturday, June 13, from 12-6 pm, at Riverfront Park, 507 N Howard St., Spokane, WA 99201. We invite you to join us and celebrate the diversity in our community and show a welcoming faith presence for our queer and trans community! Stop by our booth and say hi and enjoy the food, entertainment, and vendors at the Festival! If you’re interested in volunteering at our booth, email our Eastern WA Organizer, Brianna at dilts@fanwa.org. For more information on the event, visit Spokanepride.org.

Thank you to all of the FAN Advocates who called Congress on May 14 and 15 to urge our lawmakers to "Invest in our communities, not Mass Deportations!" The Reconciliation bill to provide an additional $70 billion for ICE/CBP stalled in the Senate last week, and we know our ongoing advocacy against this funding will be critical in the days ahead. 

We especially want to lift up groups who organized legislative meetings to bring voices of faith together to fight this funding: Central WA faith leaders from Shalom UCC Richland, Cascade Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, First United Methodist Church, and the Sunnyslope Church met with Rep. Newhouse's staff, and Rev. Jessie Connor from Orchards United Methodist Church and Southwest WA clergy organized a meeting with Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez! 

Thank you for your persistence in this struggle. When Congress returns next week, let's continue putting pressure on our lawmakers to "Invest in our communities, not Mass Deportations!"  

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