Inland Northwest faith groups unite for social justice, community support

By Emma Ledbetter | FāVS News Reporter

Uniting diverse faiths for a common purpose in the Inland Northwest

Two groups in the Inland Northwest are bringing together people of various faiths to find common ground and unite around social justice projects despite their different beliefs. 

Housing the homeless, providing food and other basic necessities and ensuring all people are afforded human rights are key priorities for Faith Leaders and Leaders of Conscience of Eastern Washington and North Idaho (FLLC) and Moscow’s Interfaith Council. 

The groups comprise multiple faith traditions, including Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Baha’i and Unitarian Universalist congregations, and several Christian denominations.

“The variety of faiths in this area is really extraordinary,” said the Rev. Gen Heywood, pastor of Veradale United Church of Christ and convener of FLLC. 

Faith Leaders and Leaders of Conscience

FLLC organizes vigils to collectively overcome racism, poverty and ecological violence, Heywood said. The group is organized around the agenda of the Poor People’s Campaign, which advocates for policy changes to meet the needs of poor and low-income people. In addition to vigils, participants sign letters to the editor and letters of condolence to draw awareness to these issues.

Crucially, FLLC’s vigils are not protests, and the spiritual and non-spiritual leaders who attend are not there to yell or shame others. They are there to grieve. Recent vigils have centered around the golden rule, the ethical principle of treating others how you would want to be treated. 

“I want people to see our shared common humanity,” Heywood said. “And it becomes a problem when some people don’t believe other people have the rights that come with being fully human.”

FLLC participants gathered at Rep. Michael Baumgartner’s Spokane office on July 8 to discuss his vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed into law on July 4.

Heywood said FLLC will exist as long as it fills a need in the community. 

Interfaith Council

Pastors and representatives from congregations in Moscow meet monthly to discuss issues related to faith and social justice, such as how religious institutions can house and support people in need who pass through town, said Annette Bay Pimentel, communications director for the Moscow, Idaho, Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

The council connects people in need with one of the religious institutions or local nonprofits, such as Sojourners Alliance or the Latah County Human Rights Task Force, said Walter Hesford, an Interfaith Council member representing Emmanuel Lutheran Church.

The Interfaith Council also distributes information to its respective congregations about community programs like food drives, Pimentel said.

“As people of faith, we are concerned about the needy and people in crisis,” she said. “No single person or congregation or faith tradition has all of the answers. So it’s valuable for us to be part of community-wide solutions and remember the work we’re doing isn’t limited to our congregation.”

Family Promise partnerships spur other projects

The Palouse River Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wanted to participate in Family Promise of the Palouse, a nonprofit organization that supports homeless families — but the congregation could not host families in their building. 

The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse had a building and some volunteers, but needed more hands for every week they hosted Family Promise, up to six times a year.

“It was like night and day when they started helping us,” said Nancy Nelson, a volunteer organizer and UUCP member. “They’ve made it so much easier, and they’ve been a delight to work with.”

Wards in the Moscow Stake have been paired with other congregations for Family Promise for around 10 years, Pimentel said. Many of those congregational partnerships have expanded to take on other community service projects, including building a new family library at the Russell School Community Hub.

The library will be a space for children to relax and read while their siblings shop for clothes at the Community Hub. Then, they can take books home with them for free. 

The Palouse River Ward and UUCP both value education, reading and access to books for children in need, said Ken Faunce, chair of the UUCP social justice committee. 

“Even though our faith is not exactly the same, we share an immense amount in common,” Faunce said. “That’s [a desire] to help people, help the community, make people’s lives better. We may disagree on details, but we have that as the core.”

Year-round collaborations

UUCP also partners with St. Mark’s Episcopal Church for Weekend Food for Kids, a program that provides free meals every Friday during the summer, he said. In conjunction with Moscow School District’s free summer lunches served Monday through Friday, this ensures children have meals every day of the week. 

The wards in the Moscow Stake join with other congregations for an interfaith choir that performs concerts around Christmas and Easter, said Ricki Martin, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I just think there’s so much good in the world and so many negative things going on, I just love to be able to focus on the things that are good,” Martin said.