Economic Resources
Below you will find a list of websites and articles, compiled by Bishop Rickel, which address various aspects of our current troubled economy.Faith Advocacy Day: Help make the state's religious voices heard in Olympia
You can do this in two ways:
- Participate in Faith Advocacy Day March 17 in Olympia, joining many other people of faith from throughout the state. To get details about the day and to register (required), go to www.faithadvocacyday.webs.com. Two buses will be going to Olympia. Catch the bus at one of the following locations: Bellingham (Faith Lutheran Church, 2750 McLeod Rd.),Mount Vernon (Park and Ride, I-5 and Kincaid St.), Everett (Prince of Peace Lutheran, 9320 Meadow Way), Seattle (St. John Lutheran, 5515 Phinney Ave. N.), Federal Way (Calvary Lutheran, 2415 S. 320th St.) and Lakewood (Presbytery Offices, 15508 Portland Ave. SW). Please indicate the location where you would like to catch the bus when you register. If the bus is not convenient, people can carpool. Please contact the Rev. Canon Dick Gillett ( or 206-789-1354) for more information.
- If you're unable to attend, let your representative and state senator hear from you. Call the legislative hotline at 800-562-6000. Tell them you want no cuts in human services areas such as housing, aid to the unemployed or health care. Specifically mention the Transitional Housing and Rental appropriation: keep it restored to the budget. If you need the names of your representatives, go to the Washington Association of Churches web site, www.thewac.org, and follow their simple procedure for finding them
Resources
- Interfaith Worker Justice website, where you will find a downloadable congregational toolkit entitled Unemployment and the Economic Crisis
- ABC News' Layoff Survival Kit is available at www.abcnews.go.com. Search for "layoff survival."
- State of Alaska's Surviving a Layoff Survival Kit
- Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, www.lssmn.org, has great resources. Look for "Credit Counseling" in particular
- The National Foundation for Credit Counseling is online at www.nfcc.org. Click on "Find a Counselor Now" in the left-hand navigation bar
- This article by Tom Sine of St. Alban's, Edmonds and Mustard Seed Associates.
Need an idea of what to do in your church? Here are two examples:
St. Thomas', Medina sponsors a support group for the recently unemployed from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, facilitated by parish nurse Aileen Loranger. Topics of discussion include health insurance, COBRA, etc. It is open to anyone; the public is made aware by a sandwich-board sign in front of the church. Participants are invited to bring a brown bag lunch; the church supplies drinks and coffee.
Holy Cross, Redmond has offered Financial Peace University three years in a row. The course costs $100 and is a 13-week commitment. It's easy because it's DVDs, workbooks, small groups and facilitators. For more information, visit http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home.
Article excerpts on raising money in difficult times
Don't Give Up When the Economy is Down Successful Fund Raising
You Can't Afford to NOT Raise Funds in a Down Economy
The Second Wave of Giving Will Roll On Successful Fund Raising
