(425) 392-6570 | Worship every Sunday @ 9:30 a.m.
(425) 392-6570 | Worship every Sunday @ 9:30 a.m.
We affirm every person as a unique individual made in God’s image.
We, the members of Spirit of Peace UCC Social Justice Team of Issaquah, WA, are believers
of the teaching of Jesus Christ, which calls us to speak out using the language of our faith,
justice, compassion, and love. We affirm with The United Church of Christ’s General Synod
“that all people living in Palestine and Israel are created in the image of God and that this
bestows ultimate dignity and sacredness to all.”
We are appalled by Hamas’ attacks against Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, the murder of 1,200 Israelis, the sexual violence against women, and the taking of 252 hostages including women, children, and the elderly. And we are horrified by Israel’s brutal attacks on Palestinian civilians, two-thirds of which are women and children, as the death toll rises each day, exceeding 35,000 Palestinians at this time. Those who are still alive in Gaza face repeated displacement, a collapsed healthcare system, dehydration, starvation, and disease.
We assert that this violence, both in Israel and in the State of Palestine, the mass displacement, and starvation inflicted in the State of Palestine violates the core tenets of our Christian faith that call us to love our neighbors and seek justice and peace for all. To that end, we call on our government, world leaders and citizens of the globe to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. We call for an end to the supplying of military weapons to Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah. We affirm that moving forward to a durable peace will require great diplomacy, and depend on addressing the root causes of this war. We strongly support immediate humanitarian and medical aid to the Palestinians in Gaza who are starving to death, especially young children. Hamas must release the 133 remaining hostages and Israel must free the captive prisoners.
The Social Justice Team commits to taking nonviolent action, consistent with our First
Amendment rights, individually and collectively for equality for Palestinians, Israelis, and all people. We will remain grounded in our faith as we use our voices and our life’s energy to build together a world that honors and respects the dignity of all, and we will do this with humility, servanthood, action, the power of prayer, and above all love.
Faith Action Network is a multi-faith, non-profit organization that brings together powerful voices of faith and conscience to advocate for a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world. Spirit of Peace UCC is proud to be one of over 160 advocating faith communities. We regularly participate in FAN’s cluster gatherings, educational events, and invite the congregation to participate in advocacy throughout the legislative session and beyond.
Pictured are clergy (including Pastor Jenn) and other leaders from a FAN-organized press conference regarding newly-introduced reproductive justice legislation.
To learn more about Faith Action Network’s current legislative work, visit:
We pause and acknowledge the systemic racism which was a key factor behind the death of George Floyd and countless others who have been unjustly killed because of their skin color. We stand against all hate and institutionalized racism. We commit to learning from the past and seeking out the perspectives of those who are currently oppressed so that we can better understand their needs and work together to bring about real change. We commit to taking action individually and collectively as a church to eradicate racism and other forms of oppression. We long for the world we can build together with humility, servanthood, the power of prayer and above all love.
– Spirit of Peace Social Justice Team
We, the members of Spirit of Peace, United Church of Christ, believe in God, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and in particular his demonstrated commitment to radical inclusiveness of all people. We affirm and celebrate every person as a unique individual made in God’s image and we enthusiastically embrace those differences. Therefore, we joyfully and unconditionally welcome people of any age, gender identity and expression, race, culture, national origin, sexual orientation, ability, marital status, and economic condition into our community of faith in membership, leadership and employment. We invite all persons to the sacraments of Baptism and Communion, and open to our community of faith the holy rites of Confirmation and Marriage. We acknowledge the silence and discrimination that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, plus (LGBTQIA+) community has experienced and commit ourselves to continue exploring what it means to be faithfully and enthusiastically Open and Affirming in a changing world. In celebrating the sacred value and special gifts of every life, we covenant to be an Open and Affirming congregation seeking to live in accordance with Christ’s principles of love, respect, forgiveness, justice, mercy, grace, and acceptance.
To learn more about the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition, please visit:
