As winter finally arrives, not officially but with snow to prove it, we are mindful once again of those exposed to the cold.

So it was with regret to learn that the Overflow Emergency Night Shelter, scheduled to open at Knights of Columbus on November 1st, had to be delayed pending the issuance of a permit by the City of Fort Collins. Now the earliest date for providing that service will be December 1.

When it comes to addressing the matter of homelessness and human services on a systemic basis, the forthcoming 9:00 am meeting of IFC this Thursday, November 3rd at Foothills Unitarian Universalist Church is most timely. The program on forthcoming Legislative Issues will include as panelists State Representatives Randy Fischer and John Kefalas and Fort Collins City Council Mayor Pro-Tem Kelly Olsen.

Certainly our program meeting last week on Affordable Housing sharpened our perception of the growing need in that regard. That urgency was evident just in terms of the 3,000 persons on the wait list for the 1,754 units of Fort Collins Housing Authority

Finally, before the end of October, another look backward and forward is in order. At the business meeting earlier this month grants totaling $1,000 were distributed to the Women's Resource Center, to Elderhaus, McBackPack, Care-a-Van SAINT and Catholic Charities. So this comes as a reminder that with covenants for IFC membership renewal having been e-mailed to the faith communities, the opportunity to make pledges for 2012 is at hand.

Looking ahead, please note that there are only two IFC meetings remaining this year - the program meeting this Thursday and the business meeting on December 1 at Heart of the Rockies Christian Church.  

In the meantime, this comes with the hope for warm hearts near and far.

Rich Thompson

Northern Front Range Continuum of Care

Work toward providing affordable housing for all homeless and at-risk community members; work towards empowering homeless and low-income community members to become self-sufficient as possible; and work toward the elimination of homelessness by promoting systemic change locally, statewide, and nationally through education and advocacy.

Members meet bi-monthly on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 9-10:30am. The next meeting is scheduled for December 15, 2011. For more information, contact John Tuchscherer at 416-2920 or jtuchscherer@fcgov.com.  

Whether you are concerned about global climate change, conserving earth's resources, saving money or all these issues, you will benefit from attending a presentation at Trinity Lutheran Church, 301 E. Stuart St. on Saturday, November 5th.  

Betty Goebel, Executive Director of Colorado Interfaith Power & Light (CoIPL), will present a program on Climate Change followed by an Energy Savers Workshop.  CoIPL is a nonprofit affiliate of a national movement providing support to individuals and congregations as they seek to become more faithful stewards of God's gift of creation.  The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. and finish by 12:00 noon with light refreshments provided.  

Please RSVP your name(s) via email to: office@trinitylutheranfc.org or call the church at 482-1226 by October 31st.  Join us for what promises to be a very informative and useful learning opportunity!

Alternative Giving Fair and Market

Shepard of the Hills Lutheran Church

Hosted by Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, the Alternative Giving Fair and Market supports Fair Trade and provides an alternative to traditional gift purchasing before the holidays. Beautiful, handcrafted items created by people around the world-give a gift this season that gives back to the world!

YALE THEOLOGIAN MIROSLAV VOLF IS FEATURED GUEST

FAITH-TO-FAITH

Miroslav Volf, a Yale University theologian who is a leading voice for increased understanding between Christians and Muslims, will headline the fourth annual Faith-to-Faith event at 7 p.m. November 17, 2011 at First United Methodist Church (UMC), 1005 Stover St., Fort Collins.

Volf is the author of Allah: A Christian Response, which makes the case that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. He also rejects the idea the Muslim and Christian "civilizations" are bound to clash.

Information and tickets are available at the church, 482-2436, or at Old Firehouse Books, 232 Walnut St. Tickets are $15. Volf's books will be on sale before and after the program. Full details are at www.fcfumc.net/faithtofaith.

Give us your info!

Communications Team

We want your faith group and agency information to display on the Member Group section of our website! Sending us your group information is easy, just follow these steps:

1. Click here if you are a member faith group

    Click here if you are a member agency

2. Fill out the online form

3. Click the "Submit" button

4. You're done!

These forms are also available on the website at http://www.ftcollinsinterfaithcouncil.org/FormsReports.html

There are also printed copies of these forms available at the IFC meetings which can be filled out and returned to the communications team. Please let us know if you need a printed form.

Attend a community conversation exploring the future growth of our senior population in Fort Collins. 

Free and open to the public. Snack buffet. Seating is limited. Please RSVP.  Contact Fort Collins Senior Center (970-221-6644) with questions. 

The Volunteer Center and 2-1-1 are working together this year to help you find DONATIONS and VOLUNTEERS, and PROMOTE YOUR RESOURCES to those in need this holiday season. You can submit your information to be included in the: 

Holiday Volunteer List - Available to folks who want to volunteer one-time or on an ongoing basis during the holidays. Examples include ringing bells, serving meals, collecting and distributing toys and others.

Holiday Donations List- Available to folks who want to donate items to your organization. Examples include coats, socks, diapers, toys and more.

Nonprofit Wish List- Available all year round and includes your needs as an organization.Examples include office paper, filing cabinets, phones, staplers and more.  To view last year's issue,

click here.

If you would like to be included in these resources, please contact Jami McMannes at 970.407.7055 or jmcmannes@uwaylc.org or visit www.unitedwayoflarimercounty.org.