Day 2 at One Voice of Faith: reflections from Andrew Plambeck

Day 2 of the One Voice of Faith conference was a distinct step forward from Day 1. Put succinctly by Bread for the World organizer David Gist, "Yesterday, we learned. Today, we roll up our sleeves and get to work."

In the day's opening session, Mr. Gist was joined by organizers from the One Campaign, the UN Millennium Campaign and more. The discussion built on the faith-based framework for activism and legislative process discussed during Day 1, providing insight on how to educate, mobilize and otherwise create links between the principles of faith and legislative decision-making.

Appropriately, the panel was followed by the final session of the full conference, a sort of open-source strategy session inviting attendees to ask questions, present ideas and obtain clarification on issues discussed over the last two days. The accessible format of this piece of the program allowed for a terrific discussion of ways to move ahead from this conference in a productive, effective and unified manner. Comments and questions touched on the role of technology in education and organizing, the importance of inter-generational coalitions, building bridges to secular groups and businesses, shifting behavior within communities and too many other excellent comments to list.

The strategy session was a perfect cap-off for the conference, allowing everyone involved to debrief and engage before heading home. As the official end of the conference passed, the FaithsAct delegates gathered at a youth luncheon to discuss the event and have a training on the importance of effective storytelling.

Storytelling is truly a valuable tool in faith, organizing and education, providing a way for individuals to relate important and monumental challenges to the experiences of others. As I tell the story of this conference again and again in the future, I will remember the training's discussion of developing a compelling narrative and tying that to communal experiences that can help foster understanding. These blog posts are a small step toward sharing this experience, but I hope they have helped share my perspective and the knowledge I gained in San Francisco this week.

At the end of the luncheon, we parted ways and I took the short flight back to Portland, the vibrant red setting sun flanking us to the West the entire trip. Arriving home, I feel uplifted and inspired to set to work making a difference on poverty here and around the world.

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Andrew Plambeck

FaithsAct Portland Delegate
Healthy Kids Outreach Project Coordinator
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon