Welcome to Faith Action Climate Team
Faith Action Team (FACT) came into existence in the spring of 2016 to plan and create a conference that took place Oct 8th, 2016. We have held a series of educational events (see below) and on Oct 28th, 2017 held a second climate conference with 200 people. The central organizing question in our first discussion and throughout the life of the organization has been: How can communities of Faith have a powerful moral impact on climate change. Our group is made up of lay members from different Faith communities who are committed to taking direct action in response to the greatest moral challenge of our time.
From bottom (oldest) to top see our past actions:
During the Covid year we continued to meet by zoom and worked hard on our "Getting off Gas project". See other page- creating a packet of handouts for churches about how to face the moral issue of consuming fossil fuels and how to break free from this.
Oct 25th at Seattle First Baptist church - our second online service Dr. Georgia McDade, writer, teacher and activist from Mount Zion Baptist Church, will preach on "Climate Change Calling." Contributions by Susan Blythe-Goodman, Luke Henkel, Cindy Ervin, the Tollefson-McGhee family, Elizabeth Burton, Abby Brockway, and Donna Ward.
https://www.seattlefirstbaptist.org/last-sunday/sunday-october-25th
May 2020 at Interfaith Community Chapel FACT gave its first covid online Zoom FACT on the Road service. Lynn Fitz-Hugh and Elizabeth Burton presented.
Sunday Sept 2019 at Woodlawn Presbyterian Church
Sunday Aug 11th, 2019 at Saltwater UCC FACT will be giving it's second FACT on the Road by Court Olsen and Keith Ervin
Sunday June 23rd, 2019 We gave our first FACT on the Road service at Seattle Mennonite Church.
Listen here to hear sermons which were given by Abby Brockway, Lynn Fitz-Hugh and Keith Ervin. https://seattlemennonite.org/faith-action-climate-team-reflections/
The bible verse from Luke that we addressed ourselves to, was the one that this Congregational nationally was focusing on. SMC does a lot of singing as a Congregation, so we brought songs we invited them to join us in. We have a collection of songs about earth care, climate change and hope and the power of people for transformation. This Congregation also has in its normal structure the bringing of the children up onto the alter while an adult reads a story to them. This picture is of Judy reading a children’s book about Wingri Maathai, the woman who won a Noble Prize for planting trees across Africa to stop desertification.
Sat Feb 9, 2019 7:00pm at Seattle Mennonite Church, Documentary movie: Unfractured (2017). A behind-the-scenes profile of writer/biologist/activist Sandra Steingraber, as she leads two successful David-versus-Goliath battles against the fracking industry. Inspiration for activists and would-be activists everywhere! Sandra carries on the legacy of Rachel Carson, combining scientific expertise, a deep understanding of our connection to the natural world, beautiful and accessible writing, and the courage to speak truth to power. Sponsored by Faith Action Climate Team; admission is free. 3120 NE 125th Street; on several bus lines; free parking in back. More info: www.unfractured.com or Sandra’s websites: www.steingraber.com, www.facebook.com/ssteingraber
Jan 2019
How We Win training with George Lakey held at University Friends Meeting to look at how we learn effective tactics for non-violent social change.
June 1st 2018
FACT held a worship service at PSE praying for them to have a change of heart - to change their 20 year plant to remove fossil fuels. A letter was delivered during the service to CEO Harris
Today 2/21/2018
FACT members testifying before the WA Utilities and Transportation Commission about what is wrong with PSE's 20 year plan
Oct 28th 2017 our Second annual conference:
Hello Faithful Folks:
This is to update you on the Praying in Chase Bank event that you were invited to last week which took place yesterday at the Capitol Hill branch of Chase bank around 10pm. We are really thrilled by the event. About two dozen FACT members gathered including 5 clergy – some inside the bank some outside. We were able to hold at least an hour long prayer service, including prayers, silence and song, in the bank which was felt by all. We conducted ourselves in a spirit of nonviolent peacefulness and respect for all we encountered which was felt by them. Abby overheard one bank customer saying: “Is this a bank or a church?” Our own participants noted the difference in how the experience felt compared to other events they had attended that included angry chants and hostile confrontations. The bank manager and the police expressed deeply conflicted feelings and made clear that they did not want to arrest us. The officer in charge actually pleading with us to leave so he would not have to arrest us. They outright refused to arrest our 86 year old member saying “I do have a conscience”. Our spokesperson saying to the police: “The earth is in trouble. We have to do something.”
Please go to our sister organization 1 Sustainable Planet’s Facebook page to see pictures and also some short video’s of the beginning and middle of the prayer service and folks being released from jail. The good news is the 4 people arrested were not booked and their cases were simply passed on to the prosecutor’s office. It seems unlikely that any charges will be filed. A special thank you to those of you who came out for this event.
Peace,
Lynn
Dear People of Faith: April 30th, 2017
Some of you who are either on the 350Seattle mailing list or the former Pledge of Resistance mailing list are aware that 350Seattle is organizing a major action for Monday May 8th in which they have affinity groups planning to sit in the major branches of Chase bank to demand that they not fund the XL – Pipeline.
FACT will also be holding a Pledge action to oppose the Pipeline. Both Lynn, Abby and Sally Jo have been working against the XL pipeline for roughly 5 years. This past Dec FACT also opposed pipeline funding by holding a pray-in, in the Lake City Wells Fargo to protest their funding of the DAPL pipeline. Despite Trumps attempts to revive the KXL which President Obama had cancelled, this can only happen if there is $5 billion dollars worth of private funding of the pipeline. So far there is not enough committed funding and Chase is the biggest potential funder of the pipeline. The Pledge of Resistance which began 5 years ago against the KXL and eventually had over 100,000 signers nationally pledging to commit civil disobedience to stop the KXL has also now revived.
We are carrying out this action in coordination with 350Seattle.org, but on a different day and in a different spirit. We are not threatening to “shut down” the bank, but we are coming to negotiate with the bank, “to speak to that of God” in the bank manager, and to the raise the moral issue of profiting from the destruction of the world as we know it. We are coming to pray for the conversion of hearts and the opening of conscience. We are coming with the faith belief that all major religions contained within our interfaith coalition have: that God has the ability to enter the impossible and that which is evil, and where there is suffering and to transform it. There will be a number of clergy joining us and we will be holding prayer services both inside and outside the bank. Even if you have no interest in getting arrested you can join us for the legal prayer service which will be outside of the bank.
We welcome you to join us on Friday at 10:00 am. We are not sending the location out by email but if you are interested in joining us, please email immediately with your phone number and you will be called with the location. If you do not come we encourage you to join us in prayer and to pray for our success.
Faithfully,
Lynn Fitz-Hugh
FACT Coordinator
Community Solar
A forum on community solar power and other ways faith communities can reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Where: Seattle First Baptist Church Parlor, 1111 Harvard Ave., Seattle (Seneca Avenue entrance)
Community solar installations, larger than typical rooftop arrays, can be installed by utilities or nonprofit organizations on churches and other places of worship. Individuals or organizations can buy shares in community solar, receiving monthly payments or various kinds. Learn about the WA state policies regarding solar and interesting ways of financing community solar as well as other ways of reducing your faith communities carbon footprint.
Learn about community solar and other options from a panel of experts:
Patrick Mazza, 350Seattle.org
Jeremy Smithson, Puget Sound Solar
Linda Irvine, Northwest SEED (Sustainable Energy for Economic Development),
Debra Morrison, LIONNES (The Local Investing Opportunity Network of Northeast Seattle)
Duane Jonlin, City of Seattle
Sunday Oct 30th, 7pm
Toward a Living Revolution: How we create non-violent social change
At University Friends Meeting
4001 9th Ave NE Seattle
An event with author George Lakey
For 4 decades now Quaker George Lakey has been a major thinker on the practice of non-violence who also practices what he preaches – first arrested in the 60’s for civil rights and most recently to stop climate change. George will talk to us about the 5 stages of strategically planning for non-violent social change and his climate change work with EQUAT , as well as his vision for a more Scandinavian economic model.
Sat Oct 8th, 2016 8:30 - 5:30
Faith & Climate Action Conference
Action Steps for People of Faith on Climate
What if a bunch of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Unitarians got together to do something about climate change? We will find out 10/8/16!
We will start with an interfaith panel addressing the question of how our faith informs our response to climate. We have 3 sets of amazing workshops about things everyday people can do about climate! We have open space networking time. A keynote speaker who has committed holy obedience in response to leading of the spirit who will share with us during our organic lunch, and we close out with an interfaith service officiated by 5 faith leaders.
Interfaith Panel: Deirdre Gabby: Jewish, Rev Marian Stewart: Unitarian, George Draffan: Buddhist, Imam Jamal Rahman: Muslim, Dr. Joseph Sheldon: Christian, Paul Cheoketen Wagner: Native American, Jessie Dye: CatholicAn amazing line up of workshops: A. Principles of Spiritual Activism |
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