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An Update on FCCSR Relationship with Marin Organizing Committee
"I WANT TO BE A CITIZEN!! . . . "
This closing chant by Rabbi Lavey Derby of Kol Shofar will live on in the memories of all those who attended the MOC May 8, 2008 Action Assembly. It summed up all the stories about issues and the real purpose of participating in local organizing here in Marin. Rabbi Derby agreed to do the Closing of the May 8th MOC Action Assembly, even though he is on sabbatical. He demonstrated a level of passion and commitment many people feel about the value and potential of MOC in Marin.
Video of the Action Assembly has been posted to YouTube. Click on the thumbnails below to view it
On May 8th, we heard more than 30 people from across the county introduce our institutions, tell personal stories about the Redwood landfill, the need for a real emergency shelter, needs for greater coverage in mental health, the problems at Contempo Marin housing complex, immigration, teens, and more. Our own Alan Miller spoke clearly to the need for better monitoring of the Redwood Landfill,
Our FCCSR delegation was eleven strong, led by Floor Leader Milagro Ramirez, Lynn Grant and Carol Saysette. Milagro organized attendees on site and helped them to understand the issues. Others attending included Pastor Julianne, Jackie Dema, Cathi and Megan Fuller, David Knopf, Alan Miller, of course, and Sue Spofford. I was a member of the Press Team, organized the guest list of attendees, and introduced our church. I encourage you to watch some of the clips to get a real idea of how the evening went.
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At the FCCSR-MOC Assembly Follow-up Meeting on June 29th, attending FCCSR delegates commented on the May Action Assembly as "exciting, unbelievable, well-organized, on time, inspiring, even unexpectedly quiet for a crowd of over 600 people - because everyone was really listening to the stories of the many participants." Some people have never seen such positive connections between organizations in the county. Marin Organizer David Gardner worshiped with us on the 29th and led the part of the meeting on evaluating the Assembly.
With the passing of the church Bylaws and Operating Procedures on June 1st, FCCSR's link with MOC can now be more clearly defined in our community. It was agreed that the FCCSR-MOC membership relationship will now be clarified and formalized in the months ahead. To begin, there was unanimous agreement to affiliate with the Board of Mission. In addition, Board Chair and FCCSR-MOC team member Lynn Grant suggested some ways of approaching the need for an annual dues payment to MOC, which will be discussed further in the Board of Mission. There was agreement on a $1000 pledge amount for 2008. Diana also passed out information sheets on "What does it mean to be a member of Marin Organizing Committee" and a draft description of objectives for the FCCSR-MOC Leadership team. There was also agreement to schedule a number of house meetings of 8-10 people on a selected topic or question in the fall.
Next steps that MOC members are doing include follow-up meetings with public officials, ongoing research action groups on mental health, shelter, and the landfill. In addition, new research groups are forming to supportthe needs of teens and seniors. Others are learning to become experts on the County (and State) budgets. The next leadership training will be on Monday, July 28th from 7-9pm at St. Vincent's on B Street. If you wish to participate in any of the research groups, talk with Diana and she can link you with the group.
There was one very sad part of the Assembly follow-up. Our beloved Carol Saysette announced to the church that she is returning to her original church home of Community Congregational Church of Belvedere-Tiburon (CCC). She has missed worshipping with her husband and being in the church community which means so much to her. After consulting their new pastor and speaking with Julianne, she attended her last worship with us and the FCCSR-MOC Leadership Team. The good news is that Carol will carry on the banner for MOC at CCC which is just organizing their MOC Team. We thank Carol for her dedicated and varied service at FCCSR, and I thank her for her far-reaching support in the MOC development process.
Diana Sanborn, FCCSR-MOC Leadership Team Leader
First Congregational Church of San Rafael
