Faith leaders and community activists are coming together this weekend to discuss the economy, peace and military spending with Diane Randall, executive secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation.
She’ll be the keynote speaker at the Fall Advocacy Forum, co-hosted by Washington State’s Faith Action Network.
Randall, who has been engaged in the peace movement since the 1980s, will deliver “Turning the Tide on Military Spending: Learn to be an Effective Advocate for Peace” on Saturday at a public breakfast at Salem Lutheran Church.
On Friday evening, to community leaders, she’ll present, “Change is All in the Timing: Why This is the Best Opportunity We’ve Seen in Decades to Cut Military Spending.”
Pastor Nick Block, of Spokane Friends Church, said anyone interested in economic issues is invited to attend the Saturday breakfast, which begins at 7:30 a.m. A $15 donation is suggested.
“It is a faith issue, but it’s also an issue of common sense and common good in terms of how do we use the resources that have been put into our hands as a nation. How do we deploy the treasure and lifeblood of our citizens?,” he said.
Following the keynote address, which begins at 8:30 a.m., attendees can disperse into one of four breakout sessions.
Members of the Faith Action Network will lead “Wage Theft,” a workshop on vulnerable populations and deprived earnings. The Peace and Action Justice League will lead “Bring Our Billions Home,” which will address pressuring congress to stop spending money on foreign wars. The Oak Tree will lead “Creating an Alternate Economy,” a discussion about the local economy, and Randall will lead a workshop on what the priorities are for the Friends Committee on National Legislation (which is based in Washington D.C.).
Block added that members of Occupy Spokane, the Protest Chaplains and various churches will also be at the event.
“Spokane is so blessed with the broad spectrum of really capable people,” Block said, adding that the above-mentioned organizations are what made Spokane an appealing location to host the forum.
