|
|
|
AFN Cherishing Creation Collaborative, Tuesday, July 14, 10:00 - 11:30 am MST via Zoom -
RSVP
for Zoom information
-
Guest Speaker: Grace Wickerson, Senior Manager of Climate and Health at the Federation of American Scientists, will present the newly released State & Local Heat Policy Agenda and discuss how faith communities can advance practical, evidence-based solutions
to build resilience to extreme heat. All are welcome.
|
|
|
|
Election Protection: Poll Chaplains & Peacekeepers Needed
Arizona Faith Network is recruiting volunteers to serve as Poll Chaplains and
Peacekeepers for both the primary and general election as part of our nonpartisan Election Protection program. These faith-rooted volunteers help create safe, welcoming, and peaceful voting environments where every eligible voter can participate with
dignity and respect.
No prior experience is required. Training and support are provided through partnerships with
Election Protection Arizona and Faiths United to Save Democracy. People of all faith traditions and people of goodwill are welcome. Training sessions via Zoom will be offered on multiple dates/times from June through October. See the registration
form below for additional details.
Join us in protecting democracy, promoting peaceful civic participation, and supporting our communities during the election season.
|
|
|
|
Poll Chaplain/Peacekeeper Training
Monday, July 13, 4:00 - 5:30 MST via Zoom
Faiths United to Save Democracy (FUSD) believes that everyone is created in the image of God and deserves to vote in free, fair, and safe elections. With violence threatened at the polls in many states during elections, our multi-faith, multi-racial, intergenerational
poll chaplains (ordained and lay leaders) and peacekeepers will help provide a calming and moral presence to vulnerable voters, such as the elderly, disabled, youth, and other disenfranchised citizens. Click/tap on the link below for more information and to
register for the next training event in July.
|
|
|
|
Serving Our Neighbors Safely: Understanding Arizona's Housing Crisis Lunch & Learn Series
Part One: July 21, 12 pm - 1:15 pm MST via Zoom
Part Two: July 28, 12 pm - 1:15 pm MST via Zoom
Across Arizona, rising housing costs, increasing rents, behavioral health challenges, substance use, and a growing number of people experiencing homelessness are placing new demands on faith communities and nonprofit organizations. Congregations and community
organizations increasingly find themselves responding to complex situations for which they often have little training or clear organizational policies.
Arizona Faith Network and the Safe Communities Coalition invite you to a two-part Lunch & Learn series designed to equip faith leaders, nonprofit professionals, volunteers, and community organizations with both the knowledge and practical tools needed to serve
neighbors experiencing housing insecurity with compassion, dignity, and wisdom.
Part One explores the realities driving Arizona's housing and homelessness crisis through data, lived experience, and frontline perspectives from organizations serving communities every day.
Part Two focuses on practical strategies for creating safe, welcoming, and sustainable ministries, including organizational policies, de-escalation, safety planning, referrals, and real-world scenarios that many congregations and nonprofits encounter.
Together, these sessions will help participants better understand the challenges facing Arizona communities while developing thoughtful approaches that balance hospitality, safety, accountability, and long-term sustainability.
|
|
|
|
What it Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World
Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 pm MST via Zoom
July 22, 29, August 5, 12 and 19
Join us for our 5-week Summer Book Series on
What
it Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World. We’ll be exploring multi-faith embodiment practices and rituals from local experts and through conversations and practices, this study will help us embrace the principles
of embodiment, understand the beliefs that inform them and how we move towards a future in which healing is done in community.
This book is an invitation to help us explore our bodies, minds, and souls so we can develop the interpersonal skills necessary to break down the doors of disconnection and take the necessary risks to reshape our world toward justice.
Note: this series was originally scheduled for May 27 - June 24.
|
|
|
|
Bags of Hope: Interfaith Heat Relief Bag Packing Events
Tucson Area:
Sunday, July 26, 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Prince Chapel AME Church
602 S Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701
Join Arizona Faith Network for a powerful, hands-on service opportunity as we come together across communities to pack Heat Relief Bags for those most vulnerable to Arizona’s extreme summer temperatures. These interfaith events are open to all who want to help
protect lives and show compassion in action.
Each event will include community-building, light refreshments, and the chance to pack bags that will be distributed through AFN’s network of Heat Relief Sites and outreach partners.
How You Can Help:
🌟 Attend and share the event
🌟 Donate – You can give funds to support supplies by
clicking
here or bring items to one of the events (see RSVP form for a list)
🌟 Ship supplies – Buy and ship directly to us from our
Phoenix
Area Amazon Wish List, our
Tucson
Area Amazon Wish List or contact Katie.Sexton@azfaithnetwork.org for shipping details.
Make a tangible difference this summer. Help pack Bags of Hope and ensure no one is left in the heat. Please RSVP using the link below so that we can keep you updated via email.
|
|
|
|
AFN Monday Meditation
Mondays at noon MST via Zoom
Start your week with meditation led by Bandhu, AFN's Interfaith Manager, and guests.
|
|
|
|
Public Comment Opportunity: Religious Liberty Commission Draft Report
The President's Religious
Liberty Commission has released a
draft
report and is accepting public comments through Monday, July 13. The report includes recommendations on religious liberty, education, healthcare, and the role of religion in public life. It also proposes changes to the
Johnson Amendment, which currently limits partisan political campaign activity by tax-exempt organizations, including houses of worship. While some view these changes as strengthening free speech, others are concerned they could increase partisan political
activity in houses of worship.
This is an opportunity to share your perspective on what religious liberty means and the constitutional principles you believe should guide our nation. We encourage those who are interested to
review
the draft report and submit comments before the July 13 deadline. Instructions for submitting comments are available at the link below.
|
|
|
|
Paper Dolls Campaign to end ICE detention of children and families
Please join Oro Valley Church of the Apostles in reaching out to our elected officials to end ICE detention of children and families. We have adapted the “Paper
Dolls to Free Families” campaign developed by the National Coalition to End Family and Child Detention. We have written the actual words of children in detention onto paper dolls. We are sending these dolls to our state and national elected
officials in a sustained 10-mailing campaign between now and November. The main theme that will be repeated in each mailing is this: “As your constituents and people of faith we are not OK with policies like this that hurt children on our behalf. Children
should not be in ICE detention or forcibly separated from their families and communities.”
Feel free to adapt it for your faith community. Let’s help “see these children into existence.” (John Kitagawa)
|
|
|
|
Book Announcement! Disconnected: Aging and Belonging in the Digital Church
In a rapidly changing digital world, how can the church remain a place of belonging for all generations? During the COVID-19 pandemic, many older adults found themselves cut off from the communities that had long shaped their sense of meaning, identity, and
belonging. As ministry moved into digital spaces, barriers of access and digital literacy made full participation difficult for many.
This book by Geneva Blackmer explores that tension at the intersection of Scripture, aging, and digital ministry. Drawing on biblical texts and theological reflection, it argues that honoring older adults is not optional but a central expression of Christian
faith, shaped by dignity, wisdom, and communal responsibility. Bringing these insights into conversation with contemporary research on the digital divide, this work shows that digital exclusion is not simply a technical issue but a matter of belonging, justice,
and community.
|
|
|
|
Accompaniment Team Training
Friday-Sunday, August 14-16
Flagstaff
Accompanists are individuals or groups who walk alongside and support people, communities, and land directly impacted by systems of oppression. The role is rooted in solidarity and emphasizes horizontal, non-hierarchical relationships built on trust, empathy,
and mutual learning. Our Accompaniment Team follows the guidance of Indigenous leaders in our collaborative work and we show up as good relatives in solidarity to dismantle laws, policies, and systems that uphold inequality and facilitate exploitation of the
living world.
Potential team members receive in-person multi-day training provided by the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery in surfacing core assumptions about justice, engaging in power analysis, enduring discomfort, taking steps toward repair, and non-violent
communication. The application deadline is July 31.
|
|
|
|
9/11 Multi-Faith Food Drive
In an effort to change the 9/11 commemoration narrative from one of sadness to one of service, the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona (ISBA) and our partners organize a multi-faith food drive each year. This event demonstrates that the same spirit that drove
the first responders and others to care for complete strangers on 9/11, is still alive by uniting our communities to provide food for the most needy. Every year this food drive brings together people of all ages, ethnicities, and faiths.
We want to give plenty of time to organize the collection of food in your community. We will be collecting non-perishable food, paper and hygiene items for 3 community food banks/pantries:
-
ICNA Relief Mobile Pantry – Tempe
-
Extended Hands Food Bank – Fountain Hills
-
Sahara Food Pantry - Phoenix
If your community will participate in this year's 9/11 Multi-Faith Food Drive, please respond to this
azra.hussain@isb-az.org with the following information:
-
Name of organization
-
Name of food drive contact/coordinator
-
Email address for contact
-
Phone number for contact
|
|
|
|
5-Day Silent Retreat
October 25-30
Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery
8502 W Pinchot Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85037
Step Away. Be Still. Listen.
In a world filled with noise, busyness, and constant demands, retreat offers something increasingly rare—a place to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with what matters most. Whether you are seeking spiritual renewal, healing after a difficult season,
discernment for an important decision, or simply a quiet place to rest, Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery welcomes you into a tradition of Benedictine hospitality, prayer, and peace.
Click on the link below for details about the 5-Day Silent Retreat in October. Rooms are filling quickly, so please register online soon.
|
|
|
|
|
The coming week (today through next Tuesday) brings the following observances:
-
Martyrdom of the Báb (Bahá'í) - July 9/10
|
|
|
|
|
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to AFN today! Your partnership makes our Arizona community thrive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
