March:April 2017 FCM Newsletter 2

Newsletter - March/April 2017 VOL. 51 NO. 2
chairperson.....tom stricker
As individuals and a community of faith, we need to have a strategy to address individual and systemic injustice. Our FCM
Mission calls us first to be grounded in personal spiritual practice and to welcome people of all spiritual persuasions. We
are called to ministry. What does that mean? Diane Dougherty’s article elsewhere in this issue (“FCM Christian Identity:
From Chaos to Clarity”) explains what our response needs to be in these times. If we are to be a people and a
community of faith we must have a plan and response.
To paraphrase Da Vita McCallister, our role is not to be the voice of people who suffer injustice, presuming we know what
they need. Our role is to use our resources to increase the audience of those often unheard and silenced by person and
systematic injustices in our communities, country and world. This is NOT a partisan issue. When we begin as partisans we
are already living in division and avoid addressing the systematic injustices.
The following outline is an adaptation from the document put out by “Indivisible,” a national citizen action organization. It
is my belief that we as a Faith Community could follow this adapted plan as we seek to live our faith and enlarge the
audience of those who are often unheard and silenced.
1. Grass Roots Advocacy is important. We all have a role in speaking to our representatives.
a. Become part of a local strategy targeting individual Members of Congress (MoC). At the Federal level,
you have three Members of Congress (MoCs) – one representative and two senators. Like it or not they
are your voices in Washington. Your job is to make sure they are in fact speaking for you. Look here for
local groups: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/groups-nav
b. A pro-active approach – asking for what you want – is important (see “Strategic Choice #2” below).
2. Your Member of Congress (MoC) thinks: Re-election, Re-election, Re-election.
a. MoC’s want their constituents to think well of them and they want good local press. They hate surprises,
wasted time, and most of all bad press that makes them look weak, unlikable and vulnerable.
You want to use these interests to make them listen to you and act.
b. Calling your representatives is good but be prepared to realize their office lines are limited and you may
get busy signals. Be persistent. E-mail your MoC. Try a Twitter Account which can be faster.
3. Identify or organize your local groups
a. Is there an existing local group or network you can join? Or do you need to start your own?
4. Four local advocacy tactics that actually work. There are four key opportunity areas that just a
handful of local constituents can use to great effect. Always record encounters on video, prepare questions
ahead of time, coordinate with your group, and report back to the local media.
a. Town Halls MoC’s regularly hold public in-district events to show that they are listening to constituents.
Make them listen to you, and report when they do not. Be aware that with some representatives you
need to be persistent in your requests for town halls.
b. Non-town Hall events. MoC’s love cutting ribbons and kissing babies back home. Don’t let them get
photo-ops without questions about racism, white privilege authoritarianism and corruption.
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