{"id":654,"date":"2015-06-13T04:48:16","date_gmt":"2015-06-13T04:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/?page_id=654"},"modified":"2015-11-02T20:51:11","modified_gmt":"2015-11-02T20:51:11","slug":"october-2015-minutes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/?page_id=654","title":{"rendered":"October 2015 Minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"

EASTSIDE INTERFAITH SOCIAL CONCERNS COUNCIL MINUTES<\/strong>
\nP.O. Box 662, Bellevue, WA 98009-0662<\/strong>
\nOctober 13, 2015<\/strong>
\n\u00a0<\/strong>The meeting was held in Bristol Hall of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church beginning at 12:00 noon<\/span>.<\/p>\n

WELCOME:<\/strong> The meeting was called to order and conducted by EISCC President Diane Richards.<\/p>\n

OPENING REFLECTION: <\/strong>Khizer Sheriff provided the opening prayer from the Koran.<\/p>\n

SELF-INTRODUCTIONS<\/strong> were made by 30 representatives and guests.<\/p>\n

MINUTES<\/strong> of the September 8, 2015, meeting were approved as submitted.<\/p>\n

TREASURER’S REPORT: <\/strong>The Treasurer was not present at the meeting, but reported no significant changes since our last meeting.\u00a0 Although Kimberly’s name is on the ballot for Treasurer this year, she is planning to serve only until a qualified replacement can be found.\u00a0 Due to her other commitments, she has found it difficult to attend our membership and board meetings, and it is desired that officers be present at those meetings.<\/p>\n

NOMINATING COMMITTEE: <\/strong>The Nominating Committee’s slate for the next year was reported at the last meeting and included in the minutes thereof.\u00a0 Nominees for next year’s officers include:
\nPresident\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tony Copes
\nPresident Elect\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Linda Hillesheim
\nPast President\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Diane Richards
\nSecretary\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dick Jacke
\nTreasurer\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kimberly Delcuore<\/p>\n

Nominees for the at-large board positions include:
\nRev. Steve Baber
\nWarren Marquardson
\nRev. J. C. Mitchell
\nSteve Roberts
\nAnne St. Germain<\/p>\n

There were no nominations from the floor.\u00a0 Representatives present voted to elect the slate as proposed.<\/p>\n

REFRESHMENT COORDINATOR: <\/strong>Many thanks to Jean Harris, Warren Marquardson, Elizabeth Maupin, Betty Spohn, and Nina Weaver for providing the day\u2019s refreshments.<\/p>\n

REPORTS:<\/strong>
\nBackpack Meals: <\/strong>Jan Starr reported that approximately 100 kids are being served each week at present.\u00a0 The number is likely to grow.\u00a0 They do need help with the weekly packing of the backpacks at the warehouse.\u00a0 For information on packing or other questions about this program, visit their website at http:\/\/www.backpackmeals.org<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Congregations for Kids:\u00a0 <\/strong>Nancy Jacobs reported that they have helped many more kids this year than \u00a0last year.\u00a0 The exact totals are still being calculated, and the final report is not yet in.\u00a0 They believe that the percentage of kids needing help is likely to have increased again this year.\u00a0 Nancy shared several very appreciative letters of thank you that the project has received from grateful parents.\u00a0 Because of increased expenses (especially for the backpacks) and the participation of fewer congregations this year, they will need to be thinking about how to sustain this program over the long run.<\/p>\n

Legislative Coordinator:\u00a0 <\/strong>The GEO contract to house suspected undocumented immigrants requires that they be assured at least 34,000 beds filled on a nightly basis.\u00a0 It has been suggested that the contract should be modified to reduce or eliminate the minimum requirement and that other, more humane and less costly alternatives be employed.\u00a0 Release into the community while awaiting review of their cases has been an effective and much less expensive alternative that has been tested in some communities.\u00a0 If you would like to weigh in on the matter, contact your congressperson.<\/p>\n

Initiative I-735 to support overturning the Citizens United decision by way of a constitutional amendment is reaching the homestretch in its signature gathering.\u00a0 To date, they have gathered approximately 167,000 toward the approximately 330,000 that they feel they will need to collect by the end of the year to reach the minimum number of signatures required (after allowing for invalid or illegible signature entries).\u00a0 If you are interested in supporting this effort either by gathering signatures or contributing funds, visit their website at wamend.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Emergency Services Fund: <\/strong>Dave Bowlan spoke briefly about the Emergency Services Fund that Hopelink oversees.\u00a0 Sixteen EISCC congregations are currently supporting this fund.\u00a0 They contributed almost $10,000 last year to help provide emergency funding for water\/electric\/gas service, prescriptions, or eviction prevention.\u00a0 40 households were served.\u00a0 In fact, less than $40 was spent on prescriptions, and over two-thirds of the remainder was spent on eviction prevention.\u00a0 Overall, this program distributed approximately $100,000.\u00a0 They are always looking for support from additional groups.<\/p>\n

Their annual Hopelink luncheon will be held October 19.\u00a0 On that same date, the gift room and Thanksgiving program registrations begin.\u00a0 For information on donating or volunteering, call 425-943-7555<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHTS:<\/strong>
\nWinter Shelters:\u00a0 <\/strong>Steve Roberts was not able to be present, but Karina O’Malley was able to report on both the Men’s and Women and Family Shelters.\u00a0 On September 17<\/span>, the center at the old Transit Center property opened for men and women.\u00a0 After October 31, that shelter will accommodate men only.\u00a0 They are always in need of blankets and meals.<\/p>\n

The shelter for women and families will open on October 15 at the Redmond United Methodist Church.\u00a0 On January 1<\/span>, it will move to St. Peters United Methodist Church in Bellevue where it will remain open through March.\u00a0 If additional support can be found, the shelter may remain open beyond March.\u00a0 Nominally under the direction of the Sophia Way, they have contracted with Catholic Community Services to provide the daily staffing for the shelter.\u00a0 They expect that they will serve approximately 50 persons each night.<\/p>\n

They always need blankets, hygiene items (shampoo, toothpaste, soap), diapers, and milk.\u00a0 They are not able to accept donations of clothing on-site.\u00a0 They need meals for 30 or more.\u00a0 If you would like to sign up to provide meals, go totinyurl.com\/wintershelter15-16<\/a>.\u00a0 If you have other questions on meals, contact Andrea at andrea@hfkparish.org<\/a> or 425-822-0291<\/a> ext 110 (during the work week).<\/p>\n

PROGRAM: The Future of EISCC. \u00a0<\/strong>Vice President Tony Copes introduced this program with a short history of the organization (visit our website at https:\/\/eiscc.net<\/a> for the history), a reading of our mission (from the bylaws), and a review of goals adopted for the organization in 1985.\u00a0 We were invited to reflect on how the mission and goals reflected our current activity and, more importantly, how we saw the organization moving into the future.\u00a0 The body of representatives was divided into 6 groups and each group charged with discussing the matter and then reporting back to the body at the end of the session.\u00a0 The following items emerged from those discussions.<\/p>\n

Our Name and Geographic and Faith Reach<\/u>:\u00a0 We are named the Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council.\u00a0 Actual attendance and participation centers primarily in Bellevue.\u00a0 Is the broader reach suggested by our name really possible for us?\u00a0 Should we make a more concerted effort to reach out to include groups from the greater Eastside or should we adopt a tighter focus and become the Bellevue Interfaith Social Concerns Council?\u00a0 Whether Bellevue or Eastside, we would also like to do more to expand the participation of a wider variety of faith communities.<\/p>\n

One representative was also concerned that EISCC is a homophone for ICE, used by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n

Our Mission<\/u>:\u00a0 Is it time to update our mission statement to bring it more in line with current practice or with our current aspirations?\u00a0 Several groups believed that the current mission statement is, unfortunately, still all too current. Homelessness, in particular, seems to have gotten worse.<\/p>\n

Membership<\/u>:\u00a0 What can be done to increase membership and active participation?\u00a0 Should we have a packet of materials available for new members?\u00a0 Should we have a covenant for member organizations that invites broader participation and goes beyond the payment of membership dues?\u00a0 Would celebrations and\/or social events help to boost involvement?<\/p>\n

Public Relations and Communications<\/u>:\u00a0 One important aspect of attracting and retaining members is active public relations and communications.\u00a0 We could upgrade our website to be more attractive and usable and make wider use of social media \u2013 probably requiring a paid or volunteer webmaster.\u00a0 We could make handouts available in a DropBox.\u00a0 We could have special PR task forces for those areas which most need focus – such as homelessness, affordable housing, food security, economic stability, fair wages, and others.<\/p>\n

A Seat at the Table<\/u>:\u00a0 Many of the issues that we hope to address are affected by decisions of governmental bodies at different levels.\u00a0 Policies that are being made now that we should be aware of and could help to shape.\u00a0 Should we be more active participants in government by showing up at council and other meetings?\u00a0 What else can be done to get greater recognition for our group and its work?<\/p>\n

Services Being\/Not Being Provided<\/u>:\u00a0 We are not aware of a current listing of organizations providing social services within the various communities that we profess to serve.\u00a0 Do we need to do an inventory of the groups and services they provide so that we are more prepared to refer for services as well as understand what services are inadequately provided?\u00a0 Could we do a better job matching congregations, groups, neighborhoods, and individuals to programs that are addressing human needs?<\/p>\n

Issues of Interest for Increased Focus and Involvement<\/u>:
\nHomelessness and related issues
\nImmigration
\nIncome inequality, a growing problem aggravated further by the rising costs of living in our area
\nYear-round emergency center
\nMental illness, especially how it intersects with some of the other issues<\/p>\n

Revisit Our Mission and Goals on a More Regular Basis<\/u>:\u00a0 We might wish to consider doing a regular review of our mission and activities, perhaps on an annual basis.<\/p>\n

ANNOUNCEMENTS:<\/strong>
\nDiane announced the new policy for inclusion of announcements<\/strong> in our monthly minutes.\u00a0 As many announcements deal with events that will happen even before representatives receive a copy of the minutes of the meeting at which they were announced, we will not plan to include every announcement in the minutes.\u00a0 It is also true that the announcements are often rushed at the end of the meeting, and the secretary often finds it difficult to capture all of the pertinent information.\u00a0 Therefore, the board has approved a new policy that those wishing to have their event or notice included in the minutes should provide the secretary with text (a flyer would be great) from which the notice may be made.\u00a0 It is best if the text be provided at the time of the meeting, but an electronic copy of the text can be provided to the secretary up to two days following the meeting.\u00a0 Announcements which do not meet these criteria may not be included in our minutes.<\/p>\n

Susan Morrisson reported that the Faith Action Network<\/strong> would be offering a program on October 21 at 6:30 pm to learn about and discuss Washington State’s regressive tax structure and what might be done about correcting that situation.\u00a0 The event will be held at East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd Street in Bellevue.\u00a0 For more information, visit the FAN website at fanwa.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Allen Bolen of Camp Unity<\/strong> was pleased to report that their search for a new site for their encampment had been fruitful, and they are relocating to Bear Creek United Methodist Church.\u00a0 Although their immediate situation has been secured, there is still a long term problem with siting tent encampments and providing them adequate support.\u00a0 They urged that congregations seriously consider making a commitment to help in addressing this situation.\u00a0 In addition to new sites, Camp Unity is always in need of meals support.\u00a0 Visit their website at campunityeastside.com<\/a> to see how you might volunteer.<\/p>\n

Sandy Lewis reported that on Friday, October 16, Temple B’nai Torah<\/strong> would be installing its new rabbi.\u00a0 Sandy will be coordinating food for their Thanksgiving Eve service at 7 pm<\/span>.\u00a0 If you would like to participate, be sure to provide her with your contact information.<\/p>\n

Karina O’Malley reported that there will be a special Community Action-Plan Gathering<\/strong> to address the needs of the homeless and, especially, those in tent encampments on the Eastside.\u00a0 This event will be held at the Peter Kirk Community Center in Kirkland on Thursday, November 12<\/span>, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm<\/span>.\u00a0 An event page will be available for registrations on October 15.\u00a0 Please RSVP to linda@nourishingnetworks.net<\/a> if you would like to help make this happen.<\/p>\n

CLOSING REFLECTION:<\/strong>\u00a0 Jean Harris provided a closing prayer.<\/p>\n

THE NEXT EISCC MEETING will take place on Tuesday, November 10, 2015, 12:00 \u2013 1:30 pm<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>
\nPROGRAM: Congregations for the Homeless<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EASTSIDE INTERFAITH SOCIAL CONCERNS COUNCIL MINUTES P.O. Box 662, Bellevue, WA 98009-0662 October 13, 2015 \u00a0The meeting was held in Bristol Hall of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church beginning at 12:00 noon. WELCOME: The meeting was called to order and conducted by EISCC President Diane Richards. OPENING REFLECTION: Khizer Sheriff provided the opening prayer from the … Continue reading October 2015 Minutes<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":575,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-654","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P4dwA2-ay","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=654"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":705,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/654\/revisions\/705"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eiscc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}