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Newsletter OSLC Faith & Justice

Members of OSLC are actively working to support and protect our upcoming election. Here are a few examples (I am sure that there are many others I am not aware of!):

  • Pastor Leta will be a Poll Chaplain, trained by Interfaith Alliance of Colorado
  • Steve Eulberg and Connie Winter-Eulberg will be Larimer County Election Judges 
  • Chuck Hubbard is working with Together Colorado, emceeing a Q&A with Larimer County Clerk Tina Harris and knocking his neighborhood doors to get out the vote.
  • Vicky Decker has completed and mailed 300 postcards to get out the vote (and many other OSLC members have been “postcarders”, including helping to complete 1,000 postcards for LWVLC at a postcard party at OSLC last month)
  • Cindy Roper attended TWO No Kings: Vote Early events yesterday! Windsor in the morning and Fort Collins in the afternoon. Several other OSLC members participated, too, with signs and smiles, with ballots in hand OR ready to “bang the gong”, add to the early voter tally sheet, and march in solidarity. See attached photos for a few of these smiling faces!

There will be no newsletter next Sunday due to your editor being on vacation out of town. The final pre-election day newsletter will be 11/1. During the next two weeks, let me know what you are doing to bring your faith to the public square.

 

EVENTS THIS WEEK AND NEXT: (10-18 thru 10-31)

  • Wednesday, October 21st, 6 pm: Groundswell, a Golden Globe winning documentary film, shows how farmers, ranchers, scientists, change-makers and Indigenous leaders are using regenerative agriculture management practices to restore the planet one acre at a time. Grab some food with fellow activists at  Avogadro’s Number, 605 S. Mason Street, Fort Collins to watch this wonderful film!  REGISTER HERE
  • Thursdays (October 22, and October 29), 6 to 7:30pm: “Is Christian Zionism Lutheran?” 3-session online workshop continues; hosted by United Lutheran Seminary Kindling Faith program. See attached flyer for more information and registration link.

 FUTURE EVENTS:  (save the date)     

  • Saturday, November 7:
    • 9:30–12:30 pm: Voter Girl Project–Empowering Girls Through Civics and Voting at FRCC, Fort Collins. Please spread the word to K–12th grade girls and young women in your life! No need to be a Girl Scout to participate! REGISTER HERE (see attached flyer for more info)
    • 10:30 am: Preventing Firearm Suicides 101 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (see attached flyer)
    • 3:00 pm:  The Spirituals Project Choir free concert at Loveland High School. Performance of “spirituals” created and first sung by African Americans in slavery (see attached photo). Sponsored by Interfaith Council.
  • 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!
  • November 10, 6-8 pm: Equipping the Church to Dismantle White Supremacy, Part 4 of 5, webinar from the ELCA REGISTER HERE to attend and/or receive access to recordings of current and previous webinars in the series.
  • Saturday, November 14, 3-5 pm: Moms Demand Action Fort Collins meets at The Neighbor (144 S Mason St, Fort Collins). More information about our local Gun Violence Prevention group and their current supply drive for Crossroads Safehouse HERE

THIS WEEK’S ADVOCACY ACTIONS:

WORTH SHARING:

  • From Pastor Leta:   Resources for Prayer around Election Anxiety
  • A Public Witness Substack: Reflecting on ‘Pastor Spies’ in Minnesota -relatively old news, but shared because this substack mentions the ELCA many times!
  • Sign up with Ballottrax from the CO Secretary of State Office so that you are notified when your ballot is accepted and ready to be counted. Also be notified if there are any issues that you need to correct.
  • Blessing for Poll Workers:  “May God bless you in your service to the public. May you be a faithful steward of the trust placed in you, helping to uphold the dignity of every voter and the flourishing of our democratic life. May your service be marked by a spirit of hospitality and respect toward every person who enters your polling place and ensuring that every process is carried out with integrity. May God grant you wisdom for every decision, patience for every encounter, and strength for every task. And may you leave this service with the deep assurance that your efforts have contributed to the common good, strengthening your community through faithful civic engagement. Go in peace, with courage and hope, to serve your neighbors and the nation. Amen”  From the ELCA Election Engagement Toolkit