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September, 2018

September 7 Unitarian Universalist

Friday 1685 W. 13th St.

9-11:15 Housing as a Human Right

September 11 Breakfast at Brails

Tuesday 1983 Willamette St.

7:30 a.m. A Look at our September forum

October 5 St. Jude

Friday 4330 Willamette St.

9-11:15 Policy and Privilege

October 9 Breakfast at Brails

Tuesday 1983 Willamette St.

7:30 a.m. A Look at our October forum

SEPTEMBER FORUM

Join us on September 7th. Our topic is “Housing as a

Human Right.” Our speaker, Heather Sielicki, has a

long history of grass roots actions, neighborhood lead-

ership, and respect by our elected officials. Let us

learn how the faith community can be more effective

in securing housing for all our families.

LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER Are there policies taken by local, state, and national

government agencies that work to give privilege to a

few and economic stress to many? Come and hear

some new ideas that can effect more compassionate

communities.

Inside: Word from our President

Page 2

Actions we Support

Page 2

Civility

Page 3

Summer Fun Fund

Page 3

A Look at Upcoming Measures

Page 4

NW Regional Application

Page 5

That’s My Farmer

Page 6

UPCOMING EVENTS

Editor: Phyllis Hockley Phyllish@efn.org

CHURCH WOMEN UNITED NW Regional Event

Reaching for Wholeness Our Passion is moving us Forward

Friday, Sept 14, 2018 Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018

All women are invited to attend.

Our CWU National President, Patti

Polk, will be joining us and will give a

keynote address on Saturday morning.

Registration form is on page 5.

For information on hotels, contact

Katharine Hunt,

NW Regional Coordinator

keehhunt@gmail.com

or call 541-607-0106.

cwulanecounty.org

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A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT Anne O’Brien

Our program for September 7 at the Uni-

tarian Church will be on the topic of

“Housing as a Human Right.” I think we are

all touched by the sight of our homeless

sisters and brothers sleeping on the

street. I for one feel helpless and frus-

trated when I see these folks and realize

they are all children of God and we seem

unable to solve the problem of homeless-

ness in our community and throughout the

country. We had a British visitor who was

surprised to see apparently homeless

women and children on our downtown

streets. He said “In our country we take

care of our women and children. You would

only see men living on the streets.” Not

perfect but our British friends do seem to

at least see that women and children don’t

belong on the street. Interesting that men

are not always protected.

Janis Leslie Evans, a homeless advocate in

Washington DC, suggests that the next

time you pass a homeless person on the

street, try to remove all assumptions, val-

ues, beliefs and stereotypes from your

mind and just “see the person as one who

was born a child of God with humanity and

dignity. “

Pope Francis, speaking to Catholic Chari-

ties in Washington DC when he visited the

USA in 2015 said, “We can find no social

or moral justification, no justification

whatever, for lack of housing.” More rea-

sons for us to quickly find a solution to

this problem that many of us are old

enough to remember, did not exist, for

the most part, when we were youngsters.

We pray that we will find a solution or so-

lutions, to the problem and we work to

change systems so that this does not hap-

pen again.

Please join us on September 7 and become

inspired to change the situation on our

streets.

UPDATES ON ACTIONS WE SUPPORT

Cindy Kokis

Bread for the World: Thanks to you, Global Nutrition

Gets a Big Boost. Keep up the calls to Congress: urge

them to pass a bipartisan farm bill that keeps SNAP

(food stamps) available to those who need it.

350.org: Be there Saturday, September 8th, 1-3 pm,

Campbell Center, 155 High Street. Choose your event:

1:00 rally, 1:30 teach ins, 2:30 break, 2:40 march 2

blocks. Message? Clean energy solutions, off fossil

fuels.

Oregon CareWorks: Change the way we care, get public

investment. Annual caregiver wages $20,580,below the

poverty level. Turnover at group homes - 90%. Annual

cost for a toddler $12,600, more than college tuition. Be

ready to stand together when asked.

MORE UPDATES

Majeska Seese-Green

Have you been wondering what’s happening with Eugene

city officials and the possibility of a Construction Excise

Tax (CET)? State law now allows a municipality to enact a

CET. Other cities, including Portland and Bend, are al-

ready using a CET to raise funds for building affordable/

low-income housing.

From Mayor Lucy Vinis’s blog on July 27: “I provided

[Council] an update from staff about their ongoing work

to address housing tools and strategies. This discussion

emerged out of the Construction Excise Tax deliberation.

Last spring, Council was unprepared to enact a CET with-

out knowing how this tax to support housing projects

might impact developers and builders of housing. Staff is

preparing for a series of stakeholder conversations in the

fall, engaging an economist to analyze impacts; and under-

taking a code audit. This work will come back to council in

December.”

Watch for the housing “Tools and Strategies” discussions

this Fall. This will be complicated, but it will include op-

portunities for community input supporting more afforda-

ble/low-income housing, including a CET.

Anne O’Brien has contacted each city councilor about

CWU’s support for a CET ASAP. Councilors seem gener-

ally supportive of enacting a CET, but they are under

great pressure from developers and builders who oppose

it. Meanwhile we see the growing crisis in this area, with

the lack of affordable housing for all.

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CIVILITY: INCONVENIENT,

BUT ASKED OF US NONETHELESS

Mary Sharon Moore

In any of those “prickly” conversations, which can

crop up at any moment, I easily vacillate between

defending a space for the other and desiring to free

them from the error of their views.

I might even silently dismiss their views as “mere

opinions,” to which they are entitled, of course, but

which I regard as void of truthy substance. Dismiss-

ing people who do not think like me is much easier

than actually respecting their humanity, listening to

what they are saying, and risking having my heart

changed.

So I am grateful for an article in the July 9, 2018,

issue of America magazine (a Jesuit publication)

titled “Nine Rules to Promote Civility,” by David A.

Zubik (Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh).

He draws from the wisdom of Catholic social tradi-

tion.

I will share here only the lead lines of his nine points.

(I have added a few notes.) Email me (see below) if

you would like a pdf of the three-page article.

Rule 1: In a healthy, civil dialogue, we listen to one an-

other. Listening is more than hearing.

Rule 2: Civil conversation presumes that we are each

working for the common good. (My note: And even if I

think you aren’t, I must.)

Rule 3: Any civil public discussion recognizes the va-

lidity of contending groups in society. (My note: This

is still a democracy.)

Rule 4: Civility shows respect for the person with

whom I differ.

Rule 5: Civility works for the inclusion of all members

of society, especially minorities and marginalized per-

sons.

Rule 6: Civility distinguishes between facts and opin-

ions. (Note: You and I are entitled to our own opinions,

but not entitled to our own facts.)

Rule 7: Facts can take us only so far.

Rule 8: We should not assume or impugn the other’s

motives.

Rule 9: We must be willing to be self-critical.

These nine rules sound like a lot to remember.

But they are all of a piece. They are both the

guidelines for, and the fruit of, a disciplined

heart, the heart of a disciple—one who has

learned well from the Master, and, conversa-

tion by conversation, is taking the midterm

exam.

How you and I do on our midterm exams pre-

pares us—or not—for our final test.

Jesus loved his opponents, his persecutors,

and his executioners up to his final breath.

Terribly inconvenient, but he shows us what’s

asked of us in our time.

Mary Sharon Moore (marysharonmoore.com),

an active member of St. Thomas More Univer-

sity Church, is a writer and speaker on mat-

ters of Christian faith in public life. To re-

quest a copy of the full article, email her at

marysharonmoore@gmail.com.

SUMMER FUN FUND

Phyllis Hockley Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You helped us give $600 to 8 different

organizations that organized lots of creative

fun for our homeless and at-risk kids.

Many lives were touched.

Much happiness given.

You made a difference!

Many thanks!

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A LOOK AT OUR UPCOMING MEASURES. GET THE FACTS. VOTE!

Measure 103 would prohibit the state or any local government from taxing the sale, purchase, distribution

or transfer of groceries. Though proponents claim Constitutional Amendment 103 would block taxes on

“groceries,” (which we don’t tax) Legal analysis shows that it’s misleading and that the measure would apply

to far more than just conventional grocery retailers — it would include food processors, slaughterhouses,

trucking companies, restaurants and fast food chains.

The constitutional amendment is also retroactive in nature, so the measure would repeal parts of two provid-

er assessments approved in early 2018 to fund Medicaid for low-income families, children, and seniors. De-

spite how broadly the measure was written, proponents have also acknowledged that Constitutional Amend-

ment 103 fails to exempt many of the basic necessities that Oregon families rely on, including medicine, dia-

pers, and feminine hygiene products. No other state has a constitutional amendment like this.

Measure 104 would expand, beyond just taxes, the legislature’s three-fifths supermajority requirement,

making it nearly impossible to rein in runaway tax breaks and creating unnecessary gridlock in Salem. This

constitutional amendment would require a three-fifths supermajority to cut wasteful government spending

and perks for politicians, and even to modify simple fees like state park and state board of nursing fees.

Expanding the supermajority requirement would also put funding for essential social services in jeopardy. If

this amendment had been in place earlier this year, Oregon would have faced $1 billion in cuts to services like

public schools and Medicaid, which means hundreds of thousands of people would have lost their health

care. If Measure 104 passes, reforming the mortgage interest deduction to benefit affordable housing will

be much more difficult.

Measure 105 would throw out Oregon’s “sanctuary” law, which passed more than 30 years ago with broad

support from Republicans and Democrats. The law gives clear guidance to local police on how to handle com-

plex immigration issues. The law has helped reduce racial profiling while keeping local police focused on pro-

tecting local communities. If Measure 105 passes, Oregon will be left without any of these important protec-

tions and this guidance.

CWU has joined Oregonians United Against Profiling to defeat anti-immigrant ballot measure 105 in Novem-

ber. Hundreds of faith, business, labor, civil rights groups, and law enforcement leaders are working togeth-

er in the inclusive, grassroots, statewide campaign.

A No vote on Measure 105 will keep the law in place, ensuring that:

Local police personnel, funds, equipment and facilities are not used to pursue and detain people suspected

only of violating federal immigration law.

Oregonians cannot be stopped, detained or interrogated just because someone thinks they might be an

undocumented immigrant.

Local police can continue to hold people accountable, including both immigrants and non-immigrants, if

they commit crimes and harm our community.

Oregon taxpayer money will be kept in our communities and won’t be diverted to do the job of federal law

enforcement.

In July, anti-immigrant groups turned in enough valid signatures to qualify initiative petition 22 for the No-

vember ballot. The ballot measure is backed by Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFIR) and the national

group Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Both groups have been designated “extremist

hate groups” by the Southern Poverty Law Center with ties to white supremacist funders.

The campaign website is at www.ORUnited.org.

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A gathering of NW Church Women United

Send your completed registration form made out to CWU with NW Region Event in memo line to: Address: Roz Collins, Eastmont Church Women United

P.O. Box 336

Gresham, OR 97030-1730

Email: eastmont.cwu@gmail.com

Registration ($50) Due Date: Friday, September 1, 2018

Questions on what to bring, accommodations, etc., Call or email: Katharine Hunt 541-607-0106 keehhunt@gmail.com

Roz Collins 503-618-9999 eastmont.cwu@gmail.com

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NAME_________________________________________UNIT___________________ UNIT ROLE________________

ADDRESS__________________________________CITY, STATE, ZIP_______________________________________ PHONE/CELL____________________________________EMAIL___________________________________________ EMERGENCY CONTACT INFO: NAME________________________________PHONE_________________________ DIETARY RESTRICTIONS (specify) Gluten Free_____ Vegetarian_____ (Dinner Friday Night and a light breakfast, snacks and lunch will be served on Saturday)

“Reaching for Wholeness” Our Passion is Moving Us Forward

CWU NORTHWEST REGION EVENT

Friday, September 14 – Saturday, September 15, 2018

Gresham United Methodist Church

620 NE 8th St., Gresham OR 97030

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THAT’S MY FARMER—A Delicious Dinner Fund Raiser for the Low-Income Fund

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 @ 6:00pm—PARTY DOWNTOWN 64 W 8th Alley, Eugene

St. Paul’s Catholic Women’s Group

St. Paul’s Catholic Church Hall, 1201 Satre Street

Eugene, Oregon 97401

Wednesday, September 19, 2018 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Join us September 19th at 7:00 pm as we enjoy a faith-filled evening with New York Times best selling

author, Jane Kirkpatrick. What makes pioneering women stand out is their abiding faith. Jane will present

“Frontier Faith and Courage” talking about faith and courage in today’s world with her humorous and

thought provoking manner. Light refreshments will be served. Purchase your tickets at the door for only

$10.