Faith Linking in Action

Learn more about Faith Linking in Action

Our faith calls us to be Faith Linking in Action–listening to the concerns and struggles of our neighbors so we can

1. build a community of justice and dignity in the greater Bangor area,

2. demonstrate compassion, love, and mercy; and

3. find and empower change agents who can contribute to creating positive transformation in our communities. 

St. Patrick’s was an integral part of creating this inter-faith group in 2012.  Faith Linking in Action grew out of a group of concerned faith and community organizations emerging into action teams from a listening campaign to work with our neighbors living out our faith missions of finding dignity, justice, and love.  In the Bangor area, Faith Linking in Action is the only ecumenical social justice group.  The Faith Linking in Action Board of Directors is made up of clergy and lay representatives of all the member congregations.  Initially an affiliate of Food AND Medicine, Faith Linking Iin Action became an independent non-profit in 2021 and is now using St. Patrick’s as its home address.

The current areas of advocacy focus for the Faith Linking in Action Issue Teams are Childcare, advocating changes on both local and state levels; Transportation For All, working on increasing bus access and safety with Food AND Medicine; Food Justice, investigating issues around food access; and Housing, addressing the issues affecting the home insecure and homeless in the Bangor area.  The issue teams meet monthly as displayed in the Faith Linking in Action website Calendar.

The entire Faith Linking in Action organization and community members gather for Convenings twice a year to present ongoing education regarding our efforts, encourage continued participation and support of our faith groups, introduce other community concerns, and continue to work together as people of faith.  The Board accepts suggestions for topics of interest and names of speakers for the Convenings.

Faith Linking in Action offers ongoing support of the efforts of Food AND Medicine in the areas of improved bus transportation through Transportation For All and more than a dozen community gardens (including our Holyoke Street Neighborhood Garden) through the Food Access Committee.  The professional advisor to these groups is Food AND Medicine organizer Jack McKay.  Contact him at jack@foodandmedicine.org for information about when and where these groups have meetings.

Faith Linking in Action also continues to assist with Food AND Medicine’s Solidarity Harvest from providing volunteers to assemble the over 1400 Thanksgiving baskets of fresh food and a gift card for a turkey or other groceries (enough to feed 8-10 people each), to distributing them.  Mary Ann Perry serves on the Solidarity Harvest Planning Committee.

For more information contact St. Patrick’s Representatives to Faith Linking in Action: Peg Olson, Chair (peg.olson@faithlinkinginaction.org) and Rev. Lev Sherman.