If you are looking for a meaningful last-minute gift, please consider making a gift in your loved one's honor to a worthy nonprofit!  This guide from our friends at the California Association of Nonprofits, makes some great suggestions for gifts that reflect your values and also some important cautions about online giving.

Of course, we would be thrilled if you would choose to honor someone with a contribution to the California Council of Churches here, or California Church IMPACT here; but we urge you to support the nonprofit that most reflects your values.

Thank you!

Black Lives Matter Madonna (Copyright: Bromickeymcgrath)

Art by Mickey McGrath, O.S.F.S,: We need images of the Black Madonna now more than ever






​A powerful reimagining of The Magnificat by our dear friend, the Rev. Jim Burklo, Senior Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California.  You can read more in his blog, musings, here.








God in the Belly 
 
Full of God, full to birthing,
Mary howls: head back, hair tossed,
Hands skyward with joy
That wrongs are about to be righted,
Salvation's about to be sighted.
No more groveling for crumbs of charity:
She pronounces justice with crystal clarity.
She's done waiting for the concentrated wealth of the 1%
To trickle down magically to the other 99.
The Santa System is stuck in the chimney;
And she won't be burned by it again!
A new kind of Christmas is coming -
To undo the dogma of domination,
Snap out of blame-the-victim hypnosis,
Chase money-changers out of the temple,
Redistribute the common wealth,
Restore power to the people,
And send the Religious Right empty away.
With one magnificent rhetorical swing,
Mary bats the political center into left field.
Pundits fumble, talk-show hosts mutter,
Super-PAC donors quiver, campaign strategists stutter:
Mary out-Magnificats them all.
So let's get in her line and carry her sign
And holler and act as if we, too,
Have God in our bellies!

Enroll between now and January 31, 2018!

From our friends at Health Access California:
 
Today, Covered California begins open enrollment for around 1.4 million Californians, who will be able to choose among eleven health plans regardless of pre-existing conditions and get financial assistance to afford health coverage. California's open enrollment continues through January 31, 2017, even as President Trump has cut that time in half for many other states. California has taken multiple steps to shield consumers from the sabotage of the federal attacks.  

We know there's been a lot of confusion, but Covered California is open for business!

Despite federal uncertainty, affordability assistance continues to be available to ensure that 86% of those in Covered California will not have to pay more than a percentage of their income for a silver-level plan. Thanks to steps taken by the state, those who qualify for subsidies--which includes families of four who make up to $96,000--will be protected from rate hikes, including the "Trump tax" created from President Trump's decision to defund cost-sharing subsidies. 

Consumers should not be scared off by premiums at the first glance as they may be eligible for financial assistance, or cheaper options. Those who are subsidized should take advantage of the silver plan's cost-sharing reductions; those who are not subsidized can avoid the 12% surcharge caused by the President's actions by choosing from other tiers or even off the exchange.

It's more important than ever that consumers actively shop and compare plans. For those who are renewing individual insurance coverage, the best deal last year is not necessarily the best deal this year. Instead of just renewing your existing coverage, shopping around could limit rate increases to as little as three percent. Over 96% of Covered California consumers will have at least 2 plan choices and 82% of consumers will have more than 3 plans to choose from. If your Anthem or Cigna plan is leaving your area, California has instituted protections through SB 133 (Hernandez), to ensure that you will have continuity of care and can keep seeing your doctor if you're in the middle of treatment.

The federal fight around health care isn't over, but that shouldn't stop any Californian from meeting their critical coverage and care needs. To protect our progress on health care, the best thing we can do is sign up for coverage, and then make it really hard for our Congressmembers to take it away.

Dear Activist,
 
December 1, is #GivingTuesday.  
 
Today, join others around the globe in playing a major role in coming together and make a gift to support the important work of the California Council of Churches.  The spirit of giving is the pulse of who we are and what we do.  Your gift will support our ongoing role of educating ALL communities to pursue justice, equity and fairness in the treatment of all people, in particular those most often get excluded.  Your gift today sums up this quote by Teddy Kennedy: “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”
 
Gifts can vary in size, and every dollar will go toward our mission working for equality and justice for all.  After mourning the materialism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, please join in the generosity of #GivingTuesday and give a gift that will help make things better for your sisters and brothers throughout California.
 
Please click here to make your tax-deductible gift today

Please click here to watch a short video by the President of our Board of Directors, the Rev. Dr. Alan Jones.
 
Thank you for your unwavering support.  We still have work to do.
 
With deepest gratitude,

The Rev. Dr Rick Schlosser
Executive Director
 
P.S.  Another way you can support our work is to help us build our activist list.  Please forward this email to others you know who might support the work we do and invite them to join our activist list at http://www.churchimpact.org/take-action.html

Our #GivingTuesday team:  Board President, the Rev. Dr. Alan Jones, Administrative Assistant Robert “Stefan” White, videographer Cameron Lewis, and Director of Development Kendra Lewis.  Not pictured: Director of Public Policy Elizabeth “Libby” Sholes” and Executive Director Rev. Dr. Rick Schlosser.

Health Care Enrollments 2015 – CA Council of Churches Invites You to Help.

Dear Friends:

As most of you know, we have been engaged in Outreach and Education to help members of your congregations, neighborhoods, communities find out what is available in health care coverage via Covered CA health plans.

Now CCC is embarking on a new aspect of this work, applying for a Covered CA Navigator grant.

Navigators are trained certified enrollers who work with the health care Exchanges – the ‘marketplace’ where health care policies are available – to help people walk through health care options. Navigators help find what subsidies are available, help people understand who is eligible in their households and who is not (such as those on Medicare), what subsidies are offered, etc. Then the Navigator will help those applicants complete their applications.

Since congregations are the most trusted partners in any community, we are looking for those congregations that can:

- Provide people willing to be trained as Navigators who understand the complexities of the health care options in their areas;
- Have people who can help those with insurance re-apply for the next year;
- Offer space in recurring, regular NON-working hour periods such as weeknights and weekend times;
- Work closely with their communities and have outreach to underserved populations who may be employed in low-wage work’
- Have populations that qualify for Covered CA and not just Medi-Cal.

While Navigators may enroll people in Medi-Cal, our project statewide is to complete 1200 applications for insurance obtained through the Exchanges. We will have 8 months in which to do that. We need your congregation’s help achieving that goal. ONLY Covered CA completed enrollments are counted for our grant although Medi-Cal counts toward the Common Good.

Are you interested in becoming a partner with CCC to help this occur?

- CCC will make sure one or more of your congregational members or trusted allies is trained.
- CCC will be able to secure the background checks and fingerprinting at no cost to the Navigator.
- CCC will assure your Navigators or your congregations are eligible for reimbursement.

For each completed and enrolled application (what Covered CA terms an ‘effectuated application’) the Navigator or congregation will receive $58 whether the application is for an Exchange coverage or for Medi-Cal. This payment will continue as long as funds are available from the federal government.

It is critical that part of this work is reaching out to those eligible for the health care plans offered through the Exchange. That means anyone making $16,000 as an individual, or roughly $32,000 as a family would be Exchange eligible. This is a critical link in the sustainability of the whole health care provision.

We will be sending our application to Covered CA on or before July 28. We have a few congregational allies now, but we need YOU.

Please let us know as soon as possible if you are interested. There is no commitment, but it helps us see where our work needs to be. The largest pocket of those eligible for Covered CA health plans remains in Los Angeles, but everyone can participate – there are tens of thousands who still do not have any health insurance or who need new options due to life changes (births, deaths, marriage, divorce, job or income change).

This is a service you can offer your congregation, your neighbors, your community and receive income at the same time.

Please respond before the middle of the month to healthcare@calchurches.org to let us know if this is of interest to you and your congregations.

Thank you!