In conjunction with Isaiah MN–a coalition of faith communities fighting for racial and economic justice in Minnesota–our church is taking part in two Democracy Sundays, one this week and one on Oct. 25. These are an opportunity to take action to protect democracy during this election and to put our values at the center of the conversation about voting.

You’re encouraged to make your plan, vote, and help friends and neighbors to do so as well. Isaiah has an online toolkit with things you can do — from talking to your own circle about their voting plans, to disseminating voting messages via social media, to participating in a virtual phone bank this Sunday evening. Find out more here.

This week’s emphasis is on making a voting plan. Here are resources for:

checking one’s registration status 
registering to vote 
how to find your polling place
other ways to vote 

Important dates to know

• Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
• Registration deadlines
  • By mail: Received by Oct. 13
  • In person: By Nov. 3. You can register and vote on Election Day.
• Absentee ballot deadlines
  • Request: By Nov. 2
  • Return by mail: Postmarked by Nov. 3
  • Return in person: By Nov. 3 at 3 p.m.
• Early voting
  • Sept. 18 – Nov. 2, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live.

Voting by absentee ballot

Looking to mail in your vote this year rather than standing in line at a polling place? This page has everything you need to request an absentee ballot.

Become an election judge

Anyone of voting age and up can be trained for the job, but younger people are especially needed to replace older people who’ve stepped up in the past but who are now at greater risk for COVID-19. More information and sign-up links

In the time of COVID-19, giving your volunteer time or sharing tangible goods can be difficult or impossible. However, your community still needs your financial support. Here are some ways to donate that will make a real difference for our church’s mission.

Give to our church

Your generosity matters now more than ever to help Falcon Heights Church fulfill our mission in new ways during this crisis. In addition to checks and electronic funds transfer (EFT), you can also give electronically:

• By text. Text “Give” to 651-240-6681 (without the quotation marks). You will receive a response with a link to set up your donation and payment information. Select the account where you want the donation to go (plate, pledge, food shelf, etc.) and enter either your bank routing information or credit card number. (In case of a mistake, text “Refund” within 15 minutes to reverse the transaction. To modify your giving account information, text “Edit” to the same number, 651-240-6681.
• Via our new eGiving portal. Click the “Donate” button above and follow the directions. You will also find donation buttons at the top of the home page and in the footer area at the bottom of each page on our website.

Once you set up your information, your donations are linked to your annual giving statement.

Give to Every Meal (formerly The Sheridan Story)

We’re no longer able to give cereal and snacks to Falcon Heights Elementary students via this program, but you can give money to help feed kids and families.

Give to Holy Hammers-Habitat for Humanity

Our work on this year’s house-building project is done, but your financial donations are still needed. Text your donation or visit the eGiving portal as described above. You will be able to select Holy Hammers-Habitat for Humanity as the recipient of your gift.

Give to the Department of Indian Work food shelf

DIW is no longer able to accept donations of food during the COVID-19 crisis. But it continues to need money to buy food for the people it serves.

You can use the online giving methods above (specify “food shelf” — your donation will go to DIW), or visit the Interfaith Action website HERE. At that site, click the “DONATE” button at the top and follow the instructions on the donation page. You will be able to specify the Department of Indian Work food shelf as the recipient of your gift.

Updated 10/14/20

By Rev. Rick King
July 30, 2020

As we watch COVID-19 case counts surge in Southern states, we’ve been spared the worst of that here in Minnesota, so far. But that only holds as long as we keep wearing masks, physically distancing, getting tested, and monitoring any symptoms.

This is the dangerous period, when we’re all tired of how long this is going on, and are tempted not to wear a mask, just this once, or hug that person, or venture into indoor spaces we wouldn’t have entered even a month ago. God wants us to continue to care for one another in love.

The battle against community spread will be won with unheroic, consistent measures—and above all, caring for each other enough that we practice safety measures for others and not just ourselves. I’m so glad to hear and see that so many of you continue to practice love in these simple ways.

That said, each community and group is feeling its way toward carefully resuming some activities. At Falcon Heights Church, we’ve had parking lot gatherings, and recently, I polled our two Bible study groups about members’ openness to an outdoor, masked, physically-distanced gathering of 10 people or fewer. On Aug. 2, we’re holding an in-person, physically-distanced, drive-in or lawn chair Communion service in our parking lot (details in this week’s TAB). We’re hosting a concert in the parking lot Aug. 9.

Safety guidelines

We’re emphasizing the following safety guidelines:

• All participants use face coverings. Wear a mask or meet your maker.
• Participants (individuals or family groups) maintain 6-foot social distancing at all times.
• If participants are staying in vehicles, the vehicles need to be parked 6 feet apart.
  If participants wish to sit outside, they must provide their own chairs and maintain distance.
• No materials, food, or beverages will be shared.
• The church building will remain closed, including restrooms (go before you arrive).
• Hand sanitizer will be available for those wishing to use it.

But all of these are experiments done on a one-time basis—to see how we can practice safety procedures and be in healthy community, in person, and gain information that helps us plan for the future amid the remaining uncertainty. We’ll also continue to be a polling place in the Aug. 11 primary and the Nov. 3 general elections, and so our custodial service will resume cleaning our building the first week of August in preparation for the primary.

Not reopening yet

None of this means we’re reopening. Our church continues to do well meeting virtually, and our church’s COVID-19 Response Team and I have gotten no feedback from any of you, pushing us to reopen. So, although we’re doing some more in-person events, it’s not a trend; we don’t have a building-opening or in-person gathering date yet. Until Minnesota gets the spread under control, we can make plans for these things but not implement them.

Remember: We care for each other and our wider communities of which we are a part. We are good neighbors, and we have a responsibility to those whose lives are linked with ours. Our Stillspeaking God says so!