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Newsletter OSLC Faith & Justice

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Happy Father’s Day AND First (official) Day of Summer, too! From Pride and Juneteenth celebrations to World Refugee Day, June is a month to celebrate our diversity and recommit to a future where all are welcome and valued. Today will be the last newsletter until July 12. Your editor is escaping to Europe until after this much-publicized 4th of July. That wasn’t on purpose, and we DO plan to return! Happy 250th to our beloved and beleaguered country.

EVENTS THIS WEEK AND NEXT:

  • TODAY Sunday, June 21: Bread for the World Offering of Letters: Last chance to help! Look for the letter-signing table in the narthex  Many of our food-insecure neighbors are seeing their food benefits cut. This is a critical moment to speak up for the needs of children and families who experience hunger, both in the U.S. and in every corner of the world. Congress must act to fully fund and strengthen SNAP, WIC, and global nutrition and health programs. They need to hear from us! 
  • Wednesday, June 24, 11 am: A Christian Response to America’s 250th Birthday live webinar presented by Sojourners. Register HERE OR if you would like to view this with a small group at OSLC, bring a brown bag lunch and join us in the North Meeting Room!
  • Friday, June 26, 5-8 pm: Hope Shines Brighter, A Celebration of World Refugee Day at the Lincoln Center Magnolia Theater. Proceeds support Church World Service refugee programs. Tickets and information HERE

FUTURE EVENTS:  (save the date)

  • Saturday, July 11, 4-6 pm: Faith 250 Civic Celebration at Fort Collins Museum of Discovery.  Mark your calendar, RSVP today
  • July 17-19: Good Trouble Lives On Weekend, a three-day national mobilization to honor the legacy of Congressman John Lewis by doing what he loved most – organizing, acting, and registering voters. Pledge to participate HERE. Stay tuned for local activities.
  • Monday, July 20, 6:30-8 pm: ISAAC Reads & Views:  Zoom discussion on “The Truth About Immigration. Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers” by  Zeke Hernandez. Register HERE. Mention you are part of ISAAC Reads for a 20% discount at Old Firehouse Bookstore.
  • Thursday, September 17, 6:30 pm at Harmony Library East Room: Can the President Do That? on Constitution Day join FRCC faculty Jeff Borg to learn about historical and present-day checks and balances. Registration in August.
  • Saturday, September 19, 10-11:30 am Postcard Party at OSLC in the Fellowship Hall, sponsored by The League of Women Voters of Larimer County with Beth DeHaven as your hostess! Write a get-out-the-vote message to our young registered voters who voted in 2022 but did NOT vote in 2024. Turnout this year is key to saving our democracy!  RSVP HERE
  • Sunday, November 8, 2-3 pm: Fort Collins Reads hosts Omar El Akkad, author of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. at the Hilton in Fort Collins. Buy a ticket for the event here and purchase his book from Old Firehouse Books with a 20% discount here. Pastor Leta notes that she bought a ticket and plans to go. She is also offering to hold a discussion before or after if there is interest. Stay tuned!

ADVOCACY ACTION:

  • ELCA Action Alert: Since January 2025, tens of thousands of screened, vetted and conditionally approved refugees remain stranded overseas. In honor of World Refugee Day on June 20 Speak Out to Defend Refuge  Ask Congress to reaffirm America’s longstanding commitment to protecting people fleeing persecution through a refugee program that is adequately funded and prioritizes the most vulnerable.
  • LWVUS Action Alert:  Oppose Proposed Mail-In and Absentee Ballot Regulations  Everyone agrees that election mail should be secure. But these new federal requirements will create barriers that could prevent eligible voters from receiving and returning their mail-in and absentee ballots in time to be counted.
  • National Immigration Law Center Alert: 14 years ago undocumented youth won DACA after years of courageous organizing and nationwide mobilizations. June 15 was more than a milestone – it’s an urgent wake-up call. Because of the Trump administration’s ever-expanding mass deportation agenda, DACA recipients are facing the most dangerous moment in the program’s history. Tell your senators to  Pass the Dream Act NOW 

WORTH SHARING:

  • A Poem for World Refugee Day thanks to Melanie Reed for sharing
  • Books to Celebrate America at 250  From bookshop.org.Through these nuanced reads, discover the voices, conflicts, and unsung heroes defining our democracy, showcasing how far we’ve come—and how far we must go. Use promo code AMERICA250 for 15% off through 7/6
  • Democratic Primary Election Guide-Cathy Kipp editor’s note: I do not agree with all of Cathy’s endorsements! Including this here because there are links to check out the candidates for yourself before voting.   

Let us  not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9