Giving Spotlight

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Pursuing Equality

The 2005 Washington State legislative session will face the question of marriage equality and legislation to prohibit discrimination based upon sexual orientation. Critical decisions will be made about marriage in our state. We must join together to demonstrate to legislators that there are people of faith and religious leaders who support marriage equality, who support passage of legislation which will prohibit discrimination based upon sexual orientation, and who support the repeal of Washington’s Defense of Marriage Act. Organizations and individuals alike will combine to deliver this message. Please join us as we ask the Legislature to support marriage for all loving couples.

Please contact the RCE to let us know how you, your congregation, or organization can contribute to this event. Thank you! Please contact Stan Kehl at 206-930-6253 or stankehl@religiouscoalition-wa.org. Website: www.religiouscoalition-wa.org.

To love and to be loved

is to feel the sun

from both sides.

David Viscott, MD
psychiatris & author

Pursuing Equality
by Dr. Stephen Jones, Seattle First Baptist Church

We are going to Olympia as Religious Leaders and Members of Congregations to support marriage equality for all couples and to support legislation to prohibit discrimination in Washington State based on sexual orientation.

• This is a justice issue, plain and simple. It compares most obviously to anti-miscegenation laws that once outlawed inter-racial marriage. Many felt that allowing couples of different races to marry would challenge the foundation of marriage. It hasn’t.

•  There are over 1300 federal benefits and over 300 state benefits automatically granted to heterosexual couples that are automatically withheld from homosexual couples. No legal agreement could be broad enough to bring all those rights up to the same standards. This places an unnecessary and unconstitutional burden on same sex couples.

•  Same sex couples are not a threat to opposite sex couples. We do not have to live in different worlds. Much can be gained by our attempting to strengthen others’ relationships, regardless of orientation. Many of the issues, joys and challenges faced by couples are the same, regardless of whether they are a same-sex or opposite-sex couple. Homosexual couples don’t wish to be a cause; they don’t desire any harm to heterosexual couples. They just want equal rights.

• As [organized religions], we have railed against promiscuity and casual sexual relationships. The paramount issue here is monogamy. We have couples who want to make life-long vows of love and support. Will we as a society encourage them or discourage them? That is the real question.

• Every effort to maintain “separate but equal” rights in our country has failed miserably. We could advocate for “civil unions” for homosexual couples and “marriage” for heterosexual couples, but the rights would never be equal. No one is trying to force congregations to accept homosexual couples. That isn’t the issue. The issue is whether our government will discriminate against some couples and offer preferential treatment to others. This is un-American. Marriage offers many legal and civil rights, and it must be made available on the same basis to all adult couples who seek it.

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A Transition
by Mark Johnson, Casa Luis House Manager

In October, I was hired as the Multifaith Works Casa Luis House Manager. Born and raised in Yakima, Washington, and I have now moved to Seattle to live in Casa Luis. I initially began working in the HIV/AIDS community in Yakima about nine years ago. This started when one of my best friends was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. During this time, I went through the lows and highs with him, helping him to cope with all the issues that he faced. I became a volunteer with Care Bears and the New Hope Clinic, and delivered food to clients, took them to doctors’ appointments, and generally made sure they had what they needed. I also became a care provider for HIV positive people who needed someone to cook and clean for them.

In the winter of 1999, my friend started going downhill. His health was declining, and he needed a live-in care provider. He had several caregivers at the time, but I did not feel that he was receiving the support that he deserved. I stepped in to take care of him. This was a real eye-opening experience for me as I watched him in the final stages of his life.

After his death, I continued to work with other clients over the next few years as a care provider. Then, in 2001, I took a job with the Yakima County Coalition for the Homeless managing their HIV/AIDS housing program (New Hope House), and worked there until I joined the Multifaith Works staff. My time managing the New Hope House offered me many new experiences with a wide variety of people. I worked closely with my co-workers and performed a variety of other duties in the office, working with governmental grant programs such as Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS, Ryan White, and the Reach program. As time went on, I was assigned other duties such as managing our family homeless shelter.

Over the years, I have found that working in the AIDS community is something I truly have a passion for, and I am grateful to Multifaith Works for this
opportunity.

The first duty of love is to listen.

Paul Tillich

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Supporting Multifaith Works

Multifaith Merchandise

Ahura Peace Necklaces 
"Ahura" is derived from the Zoroastrianism meaning, "Good Spirit" or "Angel." 16" pewter chain with 4" extension, 11 pewter faith symbol charms. $25 each. Click on image for a larger photo.

Hozho Peace Necklaces 
Hozho is the Navajo work for "A way of life." Eleven pewter faith symbol charms dangle from a black waxed cotton cord that adjusts from 16" to 14." $25 each. Click on image for a larger photo.

Multifaith Works mugs, Tshirts, hats, Jewish & Christian AIDS Pins, and more... Please click for further information about other multifaith merchandise.

To order any of these items, please mail a check made payable to Multifaith Works at 1801 - 12th Ave. Suite A, Seattle, WA  98122. Please write the item and quantity in the memo line. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are also accepted. For more information, call 206.324.1520 x221 or email info@multifaith.org

Got a Car to Donate?

Multifaith Works is now able to accept donations of cars, whether running or not. Simply call Andrea at 206.324.1520 x225 or email info@multifaith.org. Once we obtain the necessary information about your car or truck, an auction/towing company will arise for pickup, title transfer, and voila: you get a tax credit and Multifaith Works gets a cash donation.

As a housing provider, Multifaith Works is always seeking houses to develop into supportive homes for people living with AIDS and other illnesses. Receiving a house in donation, or rent-free for a number of years cuts our development costs significantly, which in turn means we are able to put a new home "on line" in much shorter time. So, if you have a house to spare, running or not, please consider donating it to Multifaith Works.

Workplace Giving
There are many easy ways to show your support of Multifaith Works. Workplace Giving Campaigns offer you the chance to give to Multifaith Works through payroll deductions. For campaigns at public sector workplaces, Multifaith Works is found under Local Independent Charities (LIC). For the most benefit to our agency, please direct your contribution specifically to our agency.

In addition, Multifaith Works is a United Way partner agency and you can support us by contributing to the Community Safety net or more directly by writing our name in the donor choice section of the pledge form.

If your employer matches gifts, please be sure to participate in its matching gift program because doubles your contribution to us. SAFECO, Microsoft, Washington Mutual, Boeing, and many others have corporate matching gift programs.

For information about giving opportunities with Multifaith Works, please contact Gary Southerton at 206.324.1520 x229 or gary@multifaith.org.

THANK YOU!

We are grateful for the following sponsors of our World AIDS Day Luncheon: HomeStreet Bank, Bailey-Boushay House, Regence BlueShield, Johnson-Haefling Foundation, Adams Insurance Agency, Human Rights Campaign, The Glosten Associates, Vulcan Inc., Pride Foundation (endorsing sponsor).

Thanks to the following faith communities for their recent financial contributions: Central Lutheran Of Holy Trinity, Dignity/Seattle, Fauntleroy Church UCC, First United Methodist of Auburn, Immaculate Conception, Inglewood Presbyterian Church, Newport Presbyterian, Plymouth Congregational UCC, Queen Anne Christian Church, Seattle First Baptist Church, Southminster Presbyterian Church, St. Andrew's Lutheran, Temple B'nai Torah, United Church in University Place, University Congregational UCC, University Temple United Methodist, Woodland Park Presbyterian Church.

We are also grateful for the recent support of Bank of America, Paul Allen Charitable Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Pride Foundation.

Thank you to The Boeing Company and Seattle Works for recent service projects at our houses. And thanks to AAA Pest Control and Nacho, service technician, for free monthly service to Hillman House. A huge caffeinated thank you to the donor of our ongoing supply of Fonte Coffee.

AIDS Walk 2004: Thank you to everyone who supported us for this September’s AIDS Walk, whether through contributioning financially or by walking. You have demonstrated your commitment to helping people living with AIDS, and gave us a “leg up” with our fundraising efforts. We hope to see you on the trail next year.

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On the Road
by Rabbi Anson Laytner, Executive Director

The siddur, the Jewish prayerbook, is a text that sometimes addresses God with words of prayer, and sometimes is directed to the reader, with words of instruction. The words of instruction come either as quotes from the Tanakh (also known as the Old Testament) or from rabbinic teachings.

One of my favorite instructive rabbinic passages, which is quoted in the liturgy of the morning worship service, is the following:

“These are the things without measure: a person benefits from them in this world and ‘capital’ is built up in the world to come: to honor father and mother; to perform acts of lovingkindness; to attend the house of study daily; to welcome the stranger; to visit the sick; to help make weddings happen (for poor brides); to console the bereaved; to pray with sincerity; to make peace between people. But the study of Torah is equal to them all (because it leads to them all).”

I like the apparent simplicity of the tasks given, even though in reality, many of them are quite complex - consider “honoring parents” or “praying with sincerity” or “making peace.” But most of all, I like the dual concepts of “benefiting now” and “building up capital” later.

I think the “benefiting now” aspect is pretty obvious. Observing these sorts of behaviors are essential to maintaining a decent, compassionate society. But “building up capital” may require some interpretation. In the traditional way of thinking, doing these good deeds in one’s lifetime also meant that one was accumulating points to offset one’s accumulated sins on the Day of Judgment.

I prefer to think of it as building up social capital. Not only are we maintaining a civil society in our own lifetimes, we also are adding to its future reserves, helping to ensure its continuity. Think of the last time you did a mitzvah, a good deed. Didn’t it improve your sense of your self? Couldn’t you see how it affected the recipient? Perhaps you had a moment of hope that the positive energy created would radiate out to others?

Each good deed we do produces a ripple effect. Obviously, it touches the recipient. In turn, it improves us. Hopefully, it inspires the recipient to act in a similar manner. Out and out the ripple goes until, in some infinitesimal way, the world is also changed for the better. That is what we Jews call “tikkun olam,” the repair of the world. And this is what Multifaith Works is all about.

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