Texas Impact's Weekly Witness: Recent Episodes
Texas Impact
Weekly Witness is your weekly update on the mainstream faith community’s perspective on everything Texas public policy. Hosted by Texas Impact's Scott Atnip, Weekly Witness is recorded in front of a live audience in downtown Austin. We host policy experts, faith leaders, and elected officials who provide in-depth information on relevant policy issues in the state. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact, Texas’ oldest and largest interfaith advocacy group. Visit texasimpact.org for more information.
This week, Scott is joined by Rev. Jim Harrington, the legendary Texas civil rights attorney turned Episcopal priest. Jim spent decades as a leader in fighting for civil and human rights as founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project, after previously working with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. After his retirement, Jim returned to justice work in a new role—that of an Episcopal priest. Scott and Jim reflect on his journey from the courtroom to the clergy collar and experiences ranging from representing farm workers to advocating for immigration justice from the pulpit—and the role faith communities have in shaping a more just community. We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us! To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott is joined by Rabbi Eleanor Steinman, senior rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom in Austin. They discuss the new Texas public education curriculum, as well as LGBTQ+ advocacy through the lens of confronting Christian Nationalism, which is a particularly hot topic in Jewish congregations. Rabbi Steinman emphasizes the importance of making the world more fair for all and the work we all have to do in our current context.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott is joined by former colleague Ilka Vega, who has traveled the world serving in various mission, justice, and advocacy roles and is currently serving as the Executive for Economic and Environmental Justice at United Women in Faith. The Texas Impact team first met Ilka when she was a high school student at the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, a United Methodist affiliated school in El Paso primarily serving students who walk across the border from Mexico, when Ilka attended her first United Women in Faith Legislative Event. Scott and Ilka talk about her journey from Lydia Patterson, her work in climate and immigration advocacy and her current work with United Women in Faith.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Matt Gaventa, senior pastor at University Presbyterian Church in Austin. Matt is a Texas Impact Board Member, and our executive director's pastor, and Bee has been very excited about his sermon series leading up to the nation's 250th anniversary. After listening to Scott's conversation with Matt, we hope it gives you something to think about during this historic year. Rev. Gaventa is completing a sermon series highlighting some foundational historical texts which challenge us to think in new ways about the 250th anniversary celebrations and the work we still have to do to create a more perfect union.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott was joined by Judge Manpreet Singh, the first Sikh judge elected in the state of Texas and first Sikh woman judge in the United States. Judge Singh talked with Scott about how the Sikh faith has called for equality for centuries and discussed how Sikh values connect with work in the public sphere and influence her own work.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Marcus Jones, author and University Chaplain at Huston Tillotson University in Austin after having previously served as the Executive Director of the Wesley Foundation at Midwestern State University, leader of the MOSAIC Cross-Cultural Center, and as Executive Director of UTA Wesley at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Rev. Jones has extensive experience working on college campuses and has written books on the topic, so Scott talked with him about serving in an HBCU in this political climate, what students are thinking about what is happening in our civic life and what the broader faith community can learn from their advocacy and experiences.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Dr. Jim Rigby, who has served as the pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin for 40 years. Rev. Rigby has garnered attention over the decades for his commitment to justice and a progressive brand of Christianity, and he has been in the news recently as Senate candidate James Talarico's pastor.
Rigby is getting more attention than a typical candidate's pastor, probably because Rep. Talarico is a seminarian who is putting his faith at the forefront of his candidacy.
To be clear, Texas Impact does not endorse candidates for public office. This episode of Weekly Witness is not about a candidate for office. Instead, like every episode of Weekly Witness, it's about a particular Texas faith leader and how they are doing ministry in their particular context. Currently, Jim Rigby's context includes having a parishioner with more than the usual amount of name recognition. So, this episode brings you a conversation about what it is like to do ministry from that perspective.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
This week, Scott was joined by Dylan Corbett, founder and executive director of Hope Border Institute in El Paso. Dylan is a leader in the immigration space, working with and advocating for immigrants in communities across the globe before he landed in Texas. Dylan is especially influential in the Catholic Church when it comes to immigration concerns. He met with Pope Leo at the Vatican to share stories of migrants and was recently named by the Pope to serve on the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Scott and Dylan discussed his journey in faith, the importance of people of faith advocating for migration and the role of faith and Catholic social teachings in the public square. Scott also pressed him to invite the Pope to join us for a Weekly Witness episode, so watch this space for that.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
This week, Scott was joined by Rev Tamika Nelson, executive director of United Campus Ministries of Greater Houston. Rev. Nelson was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); has served a United Methodist Church; and now works in a campus ministry affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and the United Church of Christ. United Campus Ministry serves the UT School of Medicine, HCC locations, Texas Southern University, UHD, and Rice University.
Tamika has also participated in Houston Faith Votes, so Scott and Tamika discussed her ministry with young adults and how they are talking about our current policy climate, their leadership in the civic engagement space, and their barriers to participation.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
This week, Scott was joined by The Rev Becky Fox, pastor and head of staff at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lubbock. Covenant has a long history of engaging in justice ministries and advocacy in Lubbock and beyond.
Scott and Becky discussed the important role churches like Covenant play in rural Texas and the role faith communities and faith leaders play in responding to the current political moment. With faith being in focus this election season, Becky discussed what it is like to have her denomination and mainline faith communities being discussed in mainstream culture.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott was joined by Sister Denise LaRock, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, who has been working in the San Antonio area in ministries related to immigration for the last decade.
Sr. Denise discussed her religious order and their focus on justice and compassion ministries. She also talked about her work in the immigration space and the role the faith community plays in advocating for our immigrant neighbors.
Also, spoiler: Sister Denise has not met Pope Leo, but she and Scott talked about the impact the "American Pope" is having on our current culture and climate.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Brooke Dooley, associate pastor of youth and young adults at Friends Congregational Church in College Station. Brooke also serves as the youth director for the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Brooke discussed her call to ministry, from a closeted youth trying to find a space in College Station to a liberal activist; then, her journey to seminary and serving as a pastor back in the town she grew up in, where she is now able to provide hope and guidance for the next generation of kids needing a safe space.
Scott and Brooke talked about the current political landscape, the questions young people are asking, and how faith communities can support younger generations.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Jody Harrison, a Baptist minister, member of the Baptist Women in Ministry Board, and a former chaplain and Capitol staffer. Jody is a member of several Texas Impact teams as well as a veteran of numerous political campaigns.
Jody joined the pod for a fascinating conversation about her path from policy and campaign staffer to Baptist minister, reflecting on both her faith and policy journey.
As a leader in the fight against Christian Nationalism, she discussed her advocacy work in the public education and reproductive health spaces and talked about how listeners could be effective advocates in our current political climate.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Mel Caraway, a retired United Methodist pastor and long-time Texas Impact Board Member. Mel is a leader in the faith-based climate advocacy space at the denominational level and international level as a long-time COP attendee.
Rev. Caraway joined the conversation to talk about his faith journey and how climate advocacy became his area of focus.
He also talked about the work listeners could take to engage their community and congregation in effective climate work—a perfect conversation for this Earth Day.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
This week, Scott was joined by Almas Muscatwalla, co-founder of Faith Forward Dallas at Thanksgiving Square. Almas provides leadership in a number of North Texas faith spaces and is a leader in encouraging pluralism and interfaith dialogue.
Almas talked about her Ismaili Muslim faith tradition and how it encourages a commitment to community. She also discussed challenges facing our communities in our current political climate.
She challenged listeners to work to connect with those with whom we disagree, even discussing a recent encounter with a January 6 leader at the Dallas No Kings Rally.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
This week, Scott was joined by Imaad Khan, a former policy analyst with Texas Impact who made numerous appearances back in the early days of the podcast. Imaad talked about his faith and advocacy journey pre-Texas Impact, including how his faith and family shaped his desire to study and work in the public policy space. He also offered reflections on his work post-Texas Impact and how he views our current challenges here in Texas and throughout the world through his faith lens.
This conversation was well-timed, because the three major Abrahamic faith traditions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) recently celebrated significant holy days/seasons—and Imaad offers reflections from his Ramadan journey.
But, coming out of the holy days/seasons, we are once again seeing an increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric, so Scott and Imaad reflected on that and the role people of faith play in creating a more supportive and inclusive community.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Trent Ormsbee-Hale, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Weatherford, TX. For long-time listeners, that congregation might be familiar, because he served with and then followed Texas Impact's past Board President, Rev. Franz Schemmel as the pastor upon Franz's retirement.
Scott and Trent reminisced on their shared history. Scott knew Trent and his husband Anthony while they were undergraduate students. At that time, Trent was discerning his journey in ministry, coming out of a Fransiscan background in a journey that led him to now serving as an Evangelical Lutheran pastor.
The conversation centered on what faithful advocacy and justice work looks like when faith leaders serve communities that might not always share all of our values. There are countless faith leaders serving in contexts where many in their congregations feel isolated or worried and find comfort in their congregation being a safe place to worship, gather and/or engage in justice work.
Trent gave voice to concerns, challenges and opportunities experienced by many faith leaders living and working in rural Texas.
To learn more or get involved, check out Texas Impact's Action Center at texasimpact.org.
We hope you enjoy this episode and invite a friend to listen along. If you share it in your social media, make sure to tag us!
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This season on Weekly Witness, we are highlighting faith leaders who advocate for justice and equity. Our conversation this week is a great reminder that "faith leader" does not always mean "clergy." As a lay-person, Robert Rivera has been a leading faith voice in the communities he has served, including in high levels of leadership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and as the Director of the St. James Family Life Center in Houston.
Robert is a leader in connecting our faith institutions with immigrant communities, where he has spent decades organizing. He is also a leader in the Houston Faith Votes movement. We are excited to bring you this conversation with Robert to challenge all of us to think about our work in immigration advocacy and civic engagement.
If you want to get involved in Texas, check out Texas Impact's Action Center and consider signing up. We want to give a special shout out this week to the Texas Faith Votes team and the Immigration Action Team and hope you will consider joining.
We hope you enjoy this episode. and hope you share it in your social media feed. Make sure to tag us, and invite a friend to listen along.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott welcomes Rabbi Josh Fixler, associate rabbi at Congregation Emanu El in Houston to the conversation. Josh is a friend of the program—so much so, in fact that we had trouble narrowing down the conversation because Rabbi Fixler has a wide-ranging justice portfolio.
We landed on Christian Nationalism and civic engagement, because Rabbi Fixler has extensive expertise in those areas, and both have been at the forefront of the policy conversation in Texas over the last few weeks.
Christian Nationalism has been a leading factor in harmful public policies in the reproductive health and public education policy areas, and it will require intentional civic engagement work from people of faith and good conscience to turn the tide. Rabbi Fixler talks about these policy areas and gives listeners tips and best practices for civic engagement.
If you want to get involved in Texas, check out Texas Impact's Action Center and consider signing up. We want to give a special shout out this week to the Texas Faith Votes team and resources, as election season continues.
We hope you like the new format. If so, make sure to subscribe, like and share the content with your networks.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Mara Bim for a conversation about her faith journey and work in the immigration space. She is familiar to many in the Texas Impact audience as a longtime friend and advocate, and she was recently a featured speaker at the Texas United Women in Faith Legislative Event. Rev. Bim serves as the Justice and Advocacy Fellow at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas and as a writer with Baptist News Global.
The timing for the conversation was great, because it was the same week as the Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice event in Washington, D.C. Thousands of people faith marched on the U.S. Capitol for a rally and for legislative visits, after a moving morning of worship with a powerful sermon by United Methodist Bishop Latrelle Easterling. (Event resources to stay engaged are linked at the bottom of this page)
If you want to get involved in Texas, check out Texas Impact's Action Center, and consider signing up to get involved. If you are particularly interested in immigration advocacy, consider joining the Immigration Action Team.
We hope you like the new format. If so, make sure to subscribe, like and share the content with your networks.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
The Texas Impact team started the week with Bee and Rev. Dr. Becca discussing the scientific method and the idea that government officials can't unilaterally repeal science following an announcement from the administration that they had "repealed a scientific finding."
So, it seemed particularly well-timed (shall we call it divine?) that we had already scheduled Regina Banks to join the podcast for this week. For those of you who followed along with Texas Impact's COP30 coverage, you will remember that Regina Banks is the Director of the Lutheran Office of Public Policy-California. Regina is a leader in the ELCA Advocacy space, an expert in the intersection of faith and climate policy, and was a star of our COP30 coverage.
Scott talked with Regina about her faith and advocacy journey that has led her to this point, as well as her reflections on COP30 and where climate advocates go from here when the federal government seems unwilling to even acknowledge the problem.
Let us know what you think about the new format, and make sure to like, share and subscribe.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
Weekly Witness is back with a new look and a new sound, as well as new content. The Texas Impact team recognizes that this is a unique moment in history, and we believe it is especially important for people of faith to lead and engage. So, we want to use the podcast to highlight faith voices who are leading in the areas of justice and advocacy. We want to give them a platform to inform, inspire and motivate us in the long journey that lies ahead as we prepare for elections and the Texas Legislature returning to Austin next January.
And, who better to kick off this new season of Weekly Witness than Rev. Phil Dieke? Phil is an ordained deacon in the Horizon Texas Conference, where he serves as Chair of the Conference Board of Church and Society. He also works in an advisory capacity with the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church. He serves many other great causes, including at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary with the 787 Collective and Houses of Hope, as well as president of Texas Impact's board. When most people think of Phil, they immediately think of his commitment to justice and equity—and maybe his fantastic hair.
Scott had a chance to talk with Phil about the current political realities we are facing in the United States and how faith leaders and people of faith are called to respond in this moment. Phil talks about people who inspire him, who he takes his cues from (an answer that might include some familiar names), and what it looks like to faithfully live out our call to be co-creators of a world that is more loving and just.
Check out the new and improved Weekly Witness and let us know what you think.
Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
We have finally made it to the end of 2025, or, at least the end of the 2025 Weekly Witness recording calendar. And, what a year it has been-from regular and special sessions with both good news and news that made us question those in power, the Texas Impact team has walked with you to effectively advocate on issues important to Texans of faith.
Joining Scott for the year-end review are members of the Texas Impact Policy Team, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards, Rev. Kyle Riley, Rev. Keats Miles-Wallace, Gracie Bonilla and Rebecca McIlwain.
The Weekly Witness team looks forward to being back with you in 2026. We wish everyone a meaningful and relaxing holiday season!
This week we continue our year-end series talking with the Texas Impact team about where we see public policy in 2025 as we prepare for a big year in 2026. Last week we talked to Membership Manager Kat Karbach about Texas Impact membership and this week we continue the series with Texas Impact's Executive Director Bee Moorhead and outside legislative counsel Beaman Floyd.
As we reflect on public policy in 2025, it is probably fair to say that the system is not working as well as we would hope. That is true not just in terms of policy outcomes, but also our policy processes. Bee and Beaman will talk about that and much more as we consider how we can navigate the often troubled waters of public policy and how people of faith can play a substantive role in both navigating those waters and creating a better future on the other side.
As always you can more way to get involved on our website https://texasimpact.org/
Join us on Substack https://texasimpact.substack.com/
This week we kick off our year-end series talking with the Texas Impact team about where we see public policy in 2025 as we prepare for a big year in 2026. Membership Manager Kat Karbach kicks us off to talk about Texas Impact membership.
Many listeners have participated in Texas Impact teams, joined us for advocacy events, made calls as part of the Rapid Response teams, and you obviously love the Weekly Witness podcast. All of that is supported by faithful Texas Impact members.
As we near year-end, it is a perfect time to encourage friends and neighbors to renew their Texas Impact membership, so we are excited this week to welcome Kat to the program to talk about the incredible work of Texas Impact members throughout the state and highlight the importance of membership.
Ready to put your faith into action? Become a member or make a donation today on our website texasimpact.org/donate
This week, we continue coverage of the United Nations climate negotiations known as COP30 held this year in Belém, Brazil. Last week, we had the Texas Impact team reporting from Belém, and today, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards joins the program soon after returning from the COP to talk to us about the latest from the conference with a few days remaining.
Becca wears two hats—one as Dr. Becca Edwards, the climate scientist, and the other as Rev. Becca Edwards, United Methodist pastor. So, she will share her perspective as both a scientist and a pastor who has been writing about the role faith and morality played at the COP and the role people of faith have in responding to the climate crisis.
Check out our team's work on Texas Impact's substack and YouTube as well as through Texas Impact's media partnerships with the Austin Chronicle, Baptist News Global, and United Methodist Insight.
The Texas Impact team is on the ground and churning out great content from the United Nations climate negotiations known as COP30 Belém, Brazil. Make sure you are following along on Texas Impact's substack and YouTube as well as through Texas Impact's media partnerships with the Austin Chronicle, Baptist News Global, and United Methodist Insight.
This week on Weekly Witness, members of that delegation–Bee Moorhead, Rev. Becca Edwards, Dylan Le and Regina Banks join the conversation with updates from COP30.
This content is important to help us understand the global climate emergency and how the negotiations can shape our future work at the federal, state and local levels as well as in the corporate, NGO and faith community spaces–and help us understand the role the faith community plays in that work.
Follow along with updates on Texas Impact's Substack, social media and via our media partners.
https://texasimpact.substack.com/
https://www.austinchronicle.com/cop30/
https://baptistnews.com/
https://um-insight.net/in-the-world
The election is over, and even though there weren't big statewide or federal races on the ballot, local elections and good public policy matter, and so we are excited to welcome Texas Impact's Outside Legislative Counsel Beaman Floyd back to the program to talk about the election results and where we go from here in the legislative calendar.
Now that the constitutional amendment election is in the rearview mirror, we expect at some point to begin tracking interim hearings. The candidate filing deadline for Texas races is about a month out, so primary election season will be upon us soon.
As always, Texas Impact has tools and resources to help you stay engaged. Learn more at texasimpact.org.
This week we are recording during early voting before election day next Tuesday, November 4, and we know that all of you are doing everything you can to make sure your friends, neighbors and communities of faith are taking this election season.
For many of us, the policy implications of what's going on in the world right now are hitting close to home. The government shutdown and corresponding freeze of SNAP benefits, and so many other vital programs, is impacting our communities, and that requires our attention.
There are important elections on the ballot right now. The constitutional amendments matter. Many of your communities have school board races, local government elections and bond elections. Those matter too—so we hope you have voted or are making a plan to vote.
Here to talk to us about elections, both the current November 4 election and our election infrastructure, is Natalia Contreras, reporter with Votebeat Texas.
Visit the Votebeat Texas website and sign up for the newsletter at www.votebeat.org/texas
Want to know more about the constitutional amendments on the ballot? Visit Texas Impact's Substack to read Rebecca McIlwain's four part series texasimpact.substack.com/p/dig-in-then-vote
Get full access to Texas Impact at texasimpact.substack.com/subscribe
This week we take a break from the news of the day to talk about work important to many of us in the faith community–caring for our siblings who are being systematically marginalized by harmful public policy. Our transgender friends and neighbors have been specifically singled out for attack since at least 2017 in high profile and public ways starting most prominently in Texas when the first "bathroom bills" started coming to the forefront.
For many Texans, there is a lot of ignorance on the subject, so we thought this week we would bring in an expert to talk to us about the science and help us understand this topic from a medical perspective so we can be more effective advocates.
Texans of faith who care about equity need to stand up in support of our transgender neighbors specifically with our faith hats on because the attacks are largely coming from Christians and we need to speak up to say clearly—you do not speak for us. There are people of faith and good conscience who believe in equality.
So, joining us for the conversation this week is Dr. Lolly Lockhart, who has been an RN for over 60 years and loves nursing. She has been an active member of the American Nurses Association, Texas Nurses Association and has served as a consultant, and seemingly every other position, in the nursing world a person could hold in addition to providing expert testimony at the Capitol on behalf of herself and others.
Lolly is a treat, and I hope you enjoy the conversation this week.
This week we are excited to be joined by State Representative Mickey Dollens from Oklahoma. You might ask why Texas Impact would have an Oklahoma state representative on the program. That's a great question—and we have an answer.
We met Rep. Dollens at a recent event focused on combating Christian Nationalism sponsored by Interfaith Alliance. He shared his story of crashing a meeting with the National School Chaplain Association and how that group and similar groups are pushing a Christian Nationalist agenda in state legislatures across the country.
He has been leading the fight to protect Oklahoma public school students from a religious takeover of their schools and shares some insights for those of us fighting the same fight here in Texas. For those of us who are people of faith, we hope this conversation creates a sense of urgency to do our part to speak up and organize against efforts to implement Christian Nationalism in every facet of our society.
For more ways you can get involved visit us on our website at texasimpact.org
This week we turn our attention from Austin to the nation’s capitol, because the center of the policy universe right now is the government shutdown. The decisions of Congress in the coming weeks will impact every one of us.
Joining us for the conversation this week is friend of the program, Min. Christian Watkins, a Texas transplant currently serving as the Government Relations Advocate with NETWORK Lobby. Christian has been in the middle of these conversations, providing training for faith based advocates, and just before we recorded today, he was part of a rally that included faith leaders and members of Congress calling for Congress to protect our healthcare. Spoiler… we need more faith leaders and elected officials doing exactly that across the country.
Christian joins us, still in his clergy collar from the rally, to give us a shutdown 101 and talk to us about the stakes related to health care and give us some advocacy marching orders.
Find out more about the work of NETWORK Lobby at networklobby.org
Watch the Interfaith Leaders and Congressional Democrats Rally and Prayer Vigil here: https://www.youtube.com/live/sYP26BOVEIo?si=fbp4NTIb7_nORTU1
Additional resources:
Faith in Action's Shutdown FAQs
Watch NETWORK Lobby's Shutdown Edition: Faith Tools to Protect Health Care
There is a lot going on in the world from government shut downs to statements and actions that threaten democracy and try to pit Americans against each other as enemies. And, in an increasingly polarized media landscape, it is hard to know where to get good, quality information.
Religious media can play an important role in this landscape. There are many great religious media outlets, and this week we are talking with Mark Wingfield, who serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global. This is his second time working as a journalist, having worked in print journalism for 21 years before becoming the associate pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas for nearly 17 years.
Scott and Mark talk about the role religious media plays in the current landscape, and the issues he thinks deserve the most attention.
Find Mark's work at Baptist News Global here: baptistnews.com/article/author/markwingfiels
This week we have a special treat: instead of our usual interview format, we’re giving you a front-row seat to a special episode of Texas Impact’s award winning Faith in Democracy series, hosted by Executive Director, Bee Moorhead.
This episode talks about the importance of voting. Bee says that voting is a matter of faith, citizenship, and democracy. We hope you believe that and recognize how important it is for everyone to participate in every election. That is how our democracy works best: when the whole of the community determines who represents us.
Our system of voting has been changing. Some for the good, and some...not so much. This special episode of Faith in Democracy takes us from the 2000 election to current day; from hanging chads and butterfly ballots, to the current lawsuit to close Texas Primary elections. It is a helpful tool for you to understand where we are today and how we got here.
You can listen to the episode as a podcast, but we encourage you to watch it on YouTube to get the full effect. Whether you watch or just listen, we hope you’ll give it a like or comment and share it on your social media channels.
Watch it here: Elections for Everybody | Faith in Democracy Season 2 Election Special
The legislature has left the building, but the Texas Impact team has been hard at work. Last week, we welcomed Texas Impact’s Leadership Council to Austin for its annual in-person meeting. We left there, and several of us went to Dallas for a convening of organizations standing up against Christian Nationalism dubbed Religious Freedom in Public Schools Summit convened by Interfaith Alliance.
Joining us to talk about both events are two of two of Texas Impact’s newest policy fellows, Alexandra Lang and Dylan Le.
This week we are talking with friend of Texas Impact, Cyrus Reed, Legislative and Conservation Director with the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. There has been a lot of talk about flooding following the July 4 floods, but spoiler–folks were actually talking about this during the regular session, and a lot of the conversations came through the budget bills. We'll walk down memory lane, all the way back to budget night and see where legislation on water and flooding landed by the end of the last (for now) special session.
Read Cyrus' breakdown of the $338 billion budget at www.sierraclub.org/texas/blog/2025/07/whats-in-the-texas-budget
This week, just hours after the Texas Legislature adjourned sine die, we sat down with Texas Impact’s Executive Director, Bee Moorhead, to get an initial response and lay of the land as we (hopefully) move into the legislative interim. Texans of faith did some incredible work throughout this year, but as a state, we can do better. We look forward to conversations about how Texans of faith can visit with legislators and begin the civic engagement work necessary during the interim. If you have ideas for ways Texas Impact can resource your advocacy efforts, please reach out at texasimpact.org
For now, thanks for tuning in during the multiple legislative sessions this year.
As we prepare to head into the Labor Day weekend, many of us thought the second special session would be over, but the work will continue after the long weekend. The Legislature has already passed racially discriminatory redistricting but is still working to finalize bills related to bathrooms, medication abortions and more, while ignoring real problems our communities face like upcoming cuts to health care, disasters, gun violence, and more.
Joining the program this week to talk about all of that and more is Texas Impact's Executive Director Bee Moorhead.
As always, look for ways you can get involved during the (hopefully) upcoming interim at texasimpact.org
Texas Impact, our members and many others have been filling the Capitol this week. Texans of faith have hosted daily pop-up worship experiences highlighting our shared faith values and have fully engaged in the process because of the unprecedented assault on faith and faith values during the Texas Legislature’s second called special session. We were lucky enough to speak with some representatives both during and after the Texas House debated the mid-decade congressional redistricting bill. Representatives Rhetta Bowers, Salman Bhojani and Jon Rosenthal join Scott to discuss how crucial the involvement of Texans of faith and conscience are to the process both in the Capitol and at home in the district.
The bill is in the hands of the Texas Senate now with hours of debate expected, it's not too late to get involved, make a call, send an email or show up to make your voice heard. Find more opportunities in our Legislative Action Center on the Texas Impact website.
The second called session of the 89th Texas Legislature is on and reproductive rights are back on the call. Once again bills have been filed to ban medications that induce abortions—but what is flying under the radar in the Senate version of the bill is a provision that would limit the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act or Texas RFRA. The Texas RFRA has historically been a respected, bipartisan law that protects religious institutions and, if passed, this carve out would be an unprecedented breach in the protections those institutions rely on. Here to discuss these attacks on reproductive rights and religious freedom is Texas Impact board member Rev. Laura Walters, Coordinator of Community Engagement and Public Witness with Grace Presbytery and Rev. Kyle Riley, Public Witness mobilizer with Texas Impact.
The Texas Legislature is midway through the third week of Special Session No.1 and activity has slowed to a halt in the House as Texas House Democrats have left the state to oppose the congressional redistricting plan.
Texas Impact's Bee Moorhead joins the program to give us the latest and talk about how Texans of faith can help encourage conversations about community rather than what we are currently seeing.
Join Texas Impact's Rapid Response Team on the Action Center of our website to recieve a link to attend Marching Order Mondays with Scott and Bee. Join the conversation each week during the special session.
The Texas Legislature is nearing the end of the second week of the special session, but in this episode, we want to focus on the Thursday July 31 hearing in Kerrville, TX that focused on the July 4 flooding in Central Texas.
Our listeners will remember seeing the news from that day, and our prayers certainly go out to all who were impacted. We hope our prayers are also for leaders to do the work necessary to minimize loss in future disasters and to examine what went wrong and how we need to respond to keep this from happening again.
Joining us for the conversation are two Texas Impact staff leading our Climate Action Team, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards, Texas Impact's Climate Action Fellow and Ava Burkhalter, an intern and researcher with the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program.
To get involved and join the Climate Action Team visit the Action Center of our website. texasimpact.org/action-center
Find out more about the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program at www.southernclimate.org/about
The Texas Legislature is back in Austin for a special session to consider a number of issues the governor has identified, chief among them congressional redistricting. Texas Impact does not take a position on the partisan makeup of those districts, but does believe that it is important that communities are a part of the process. Joining us this week for a thoughtful discussion of redistricting is friend of the program Beaman Floyd, Texas Impact's outside legislative counsel.
Get invloved by joining Texas Impact's Rapid Response team to recieve action alerts at texasimpact.org/action-center
In our last episode of our legislative wrap-up series before the special session we welcome Diana Forester, Director of Health Policy with Texans Care for Children to talk about where the Texas Legislature landed on all things health. We recorded in mid-June, and so we touched briefly on action at the federal level and how it would impact Texas, but trust that we will have more content that dives into more detail in the coming weeks. The goal of this series is to be a resource for Texans of faith to understand what happened in the legislative session and use it as a tool as we move into election season next year. Find out more about the work of Texans Care for Children at txchildren.org
This week's episode is another installment of our legislative wrap-up series as we welcome Adrian Shelley, Texas Director of Public Citizen to talk about the wins and the continued work we need to do on climate and energy policy. We recorded in mid-June, and a lot has gone on in the world since, but the goal of this series is to be a resource for Texans of faith to understand what happened in the 89th legislative session and utilize it as we move into election season next year.
Find out more about the work of Public Citizen Texas at www.citizen.org/tags/texas and on social media.
Weekly Witness is back after a quick two week break. This week we continue our legislative wrap-up series as we welcome Kristin Etter, Director of Policy and Legal Services with the Texas Immigration Law Council. We'll discuss some of the key immigration bills that passed out of the Texas Legislature and touch on what is happening at the federal level. We hope this series will be a resource for Texans of faith to understand what happened in the legislative session and use it as a tool to look back on as we move into election season next year. Find more resources and sign up for the Texas Immigration Law Council's newsletter at txilc.org/contact Listen to the TXILC podcast Sidebar: Immigration on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3VvxgVkA42WBRuEnRWgGUk
The Texas Impact staff gathered this week in Austin for a planning retreat and we will have some exciting opportunities for you soon. It also created a perfect opportunity to gather four members of Texas Impact’s Lobby team for this week's conversation. They spent the legislative session lobbying on behalf of Texas Impact priorities throughout the session, staffing our issue champion teams, and helping resource advocates throughout the state.
Joining us for the program this week are Bobby Watson, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards, Rev. Kyle Riley and Grace Bonilla.
If you are excited to join one of Texas Impact's Issue Teams, go to: https://texasimpact.org/action-center/
If you hear shouts of joy and celebratory sounds coming from Austin, that is because the Texas Legislature has adjourned Sine Die and legislators are returning to their communities. Joining us for the conversation this week is Beaman Floyd Texas Impact’s Outside Legislative Counsel Beaman Floyd to begin to help us process what happened during the 140 day legislative session and what comes next.
Find ways you can get involved during the interim at texasimpact.org
Texas Impact's Executive Director Bee Moorhead joined the program again this week with only days remaining before the Texas Legislature adjourns Sine Die. Scott and Bee talk about the last week and offer some reflections on the legislative session in the waning hours as we start to look forward to the interim and what comes next. Find out how you can get involved at texasimpact.org
With 11 days remaining before the Texas Legislature adjourns Sine Die and the congressional passage of one of the worst bills in modern history, Texas Impact's Executive Director Bee Moorhead joins the program to talk about it all, with conversation about health care, reproductive health, religion in schools and public school funding.
Plus, we talk about steps listeners can take as we move toward the legislative interim.
Find more ways to get involved at texasimpact.org and subcribe to our Substack for the latest news and updates
The Texas Legislature is hitting key legislative deadlines with sixteen days remaining before they adjourn Sine Die. The action in the Capitol is hot on many issues important to Texans of faith, but maybe none more so than the debate over public school finance. Here to talk with us about all of it this week is Texas Impact's Executive Director, Bee Moorhead.
This week, Weekly Witness highlights the voices of Texas faith leaders who spoke during the Texas Impact Leadership Council's press conference on the south steps of the Texas Capitol on May 8th as we call out religious extremism. Joining us today are: Rev. Phil Dieke, Horizon Texas United Methodist Conference, Dallas Rev. Matt Gaventa, University Presbyterian Church, Austin Elyse Rosenberg & Bettie Forman, National Council of Jewish Women, Austin Darlene Alfred, United Women in Faith, Salado Joanna Redfield Vaughn, South Central Yearly Quaker Meeting, Austin Rev. Laura Walters, Grace Presbytery, Dallas Rev. Dr. Dan De Leon, South Central Conference United Church of Christ, College Station Find the full press conference online at: https://youtu.be/Fx5rLt7A8VA
As the Texas Legislative Session enters its final month things are hot-both in terms of public policy and feelings, and Texans of faith are working to be effective advocates through it all.
Joining us for this week’s program is the man who has seen it all in the Texas Capitol, Texas Impact’s outside legislative counsel, Beaman Floyd. He is going to give us the lay of the land and talk us through how advocates can navigate the final few weeks of the session.
It's not too late to join an Issue Team in the Legislative Action Center on the Texas Impact website.
The Texas Legislature is now entering the final third when bills make it to the floor for a vote or begin to die. Last week, Bee Moorhead joined the program to talk about the House passing the Voucher bill, and it seemed like immediately after, we began to see a TON of bad bills start to move... and a few good ones. One of the issue areas that was particularly in focus this week has been the return of anti-trans legislation, so we are going to welcome to the program for the first time, Texas Impact’s Policy Consultant, Rev. Keats Miles Wallace, an ELCA pastor and staff member for Texas Impact’s LGBT Rights Issue Champion team to talk to us about both the policy issues in that space, but also about the importance of people of faith engaging on these bills. Join an Issue Team on the Legislative Action Center page on our website.
We jumped right in this week because most of the Texas Impact staff stayed up late Wednesday night to watch SB 2, the Texas Senate's school voucher bill, be brought before the House. There were some great and no-so-great conversations between legislators about the impact of a bill that appropriates a billion dollars that could go to public schools to privately run entities, and many amendments that aimed to fix issues with the bill be ultimately tabled with little to no debate. We are tired, we are cranky, but we are glad to have Bee Moorhead, Texas Impact's Executive Director, with us to parse through what happened Wednesday night, how we got here and what conversations might look like in the aftermath of the passing of SB2—Spoiler Alert: they may be awkward, but nevertheless important. Watch clips from the SB2 debate in the Texas House in Texas Impact's Lege TV playlist on Youtube Sign up for an Issue Team on our Legislative Action Center Page
Joining Weekly Witness this week is Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, Vice President of Programs & Strategy at Interfaith Alliance, a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights for all. Guthrie will talk with us about Senate Bill 10, the 10 Commandments Bill, and SB 11 calling for a period of prayer in school and why it is especially important for people of faith to speak out. Many in the Texas Legislature assume that those bills are supported by the faith community, so Guthrie encourages people of faith to speak out and share our values. Learn more about Interfaith Alliance at www.interfaithalliance.org Join an Issue Team and sign up to receive weekly Action Alerts in the Texas Impact Legislative Action Center on our website texasimpact.org/action-center
This week, we turn our eyes to DC for a fight that will impact this legislative session and sessions to come as Congress is considering hundreds of billions of dollars of cuts to Medicaid. These cuts would be devastating—not just to the Texans who rely on that coverage, but to our entire health care system.
We welcome Peter Clark, Communications Director with Texans Care for Children, to talk to us about that and how you can get involved.
Visit the Action Center on the Texas Impact website at texasimpact.org to sign up for weekly action alerts.
Find out more about the work of Texans Care for Children on their website txchildren.org
Read Bee's post on Medicaid cuts on our Substack texasimpact.substack.com/p/medicaid-cuts-let-us-stop-you-right
This week we are recording from the Capitol on a day when many of Texas Impact’s priority bills are being heard or voted on. So, we sat down with a few friends and colleagues who are testifying in the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce on SB 819, a regulatory bill that is anti-energy in a time where renewables are increasingly ensuring that Texas has enough energy to meet our growing demand. SB 819 would target the state’s nation-leading renewable energy industry with some of the most far-reaching, cumbersome, anti-business regulations that the legislature has ever contemplated. Joining us for the conversation are Adrian Shelley, Texas Director of Public Citizen, Cheyenne Rendon with the Society of Native Nations and Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards, Policy Advocate for Texas Impact.
We are past the halfway mark of the 89th Texas Legislature! Make sure you stay up-to-date by signing up for the Action Alert and the Rapid Response notifications.
The Texas Impact team just worked with some incredible faith partners on the Family Matters: Faith Days at the Texas Capitol event. About 300 Texans of Faith gathered at the Texas Capitol and across the street at First United Methodist Church of Austin for three days of education, advocacy and activism. We had legislative visits to Capitol offices, singing in the rotunda, great panel discussions, a rally on the steps of the Capitol, and—the part that got the most attention in the media, a press conference dubbed "Texas Women of Faith Support the Life of the Mother Act Press Conference."
At the press conference, Bee highlighted the postcard many of you… along with 6,000 other Texans of faith have signed calling for the Texas Legislature to “fix the abortion ban.” A room full of Texas women faith leaders spoke in favor of the bill, and the author of the House version of the bill, HB 44, the "Life of the Mother Bill" Rep. Charlie Geren spoke saying that in his 24 years, this is the most important bill he has ever carried.
You can watch that entire press conference on Texas Impact’s LegeTV channel on YouTube.
So, this week we are going to talk about all of that with one of the Texas faith leaders who spoke at the press conference, Rev. Jessica Cain of Living Word Lutheran Church in Buda and Texas Impact Policy Advocate working on reproductive health issues, Rev. Kyle Riley.
Y’all, it is getting wild over at the Texas Capitol, and Texans of faith are in the midst of all of it with thousands of phone calls going in every week, members of Texas Impact’s issue teams staying up until all hours of the night giving testimony, and the Texas Impact staff busting their tails working on behalf of our membership. If you have been paying attention to the Legislature at all—or have been on social media or paying attention to the news, you will know that the school voucher, or "Education Savings Account", bill has been front and center over the last few weeks.The Senate passed their ESA/Voucher Bill, SB 2, early on and this week, the House Public Education Committee had a hearing on their bill—HB 3. That hearing went 22 and a half hours with opposition from across the state and across the political and ideological spectrum. That committee is now deliberating to determine their next steps. Which means, it is important that Texans of faith mobilize our communities to talk to our legislators about why we support public schools, and why diverting public dollars to private schools would harm our communities.
And, we are going to talk more about that today with our two guests, Texas Impact’s Executive Director Bee Moorhead and outside legislative counsel, Beaman Floyd.
If you missed it, Texas Impact's LegeTV has clips from the hearing. Be sure to subscribe to our Youtube channel to see more from the 89th Texas Legislature.
Among the many justice issues concerning people of faith in 2025, immigration is near the top of the list across the country and across faith traditions. This week we are bringing you three guests to lay a foundation for immigration advocacy—at the federal level and in Texas. First up, we talk with Bobby Painter and Kristin Etter of the Texas Immigration Law Council, who bring us up to speed on current immigration realities here in Texas and throughout the country. Then, we welcome Texas Impact’s Bobby Watson with the state of play at this point in the Texas legislative session.
Check out the Action Center on our website to consider how you can get involved. One timely option: consider joining Texas Impact's Immigration Team. Make sure you are signed up for Texas Impact’s emails and our Rapid Response team so you can receive the weekly Action Alert and updates—because your voice is needed now more than ever. Find out more about the work of the Texas Immigration Law Council at txilc.org
This week, we are joined by several of the speakers and participants in the Preventing Gun Violence Advocacy Day. First we talk with Jasir Rahman, a student at Rice University and Texas Youth Advocacy Coordinator with Team ENOUGH. Later in the episode we hear from Nicole Golden, Director of Texas Gun Sense, and Rev. Stephen Sanders from Oak Hill United Methodist Church shortly after the rally for gun violence prevention was held on the Texas Capitol steps on February 27th. Gun violence is always such a hard topic. Because so many of the folks who show up have traumatic stories to explain what brought them to this work. We heard stories from Uvalde families. We heard from people who had family members take their lives or who had friends involved in accidental deaths. And, while we marched to the Capitol with about 1,000 other advocates from across the state to rally on the South steps, we passed by over 1,000 t-shirts with the names of Texans who needlessly lost their lives to gun violence as part of a giant Vidas Robadas display. I want to give props to Texas Impact’s Gun Violence Prevention team for their work on this event and to the Texas Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence for their work. If you want to learn more about Texas Impact’s involvement or how you can get involved check out Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Find out more about the work of Team Enough and Texas Gun Sense:
https://www.bradyunited.org/take-action/join-movement/team-enough
https://txgunsense.org/
This week we are excited to bring you content from Texas Impact’s Public School Defenders’ Lobby Day. We are joined by State Representative Gina Hinojosa, House District 49, while walking back to the Capitol after she addressed the Public School defenders to discuss voucher plans and how Texans of faith can push back against SB 2 and other voucher bills. Later in the program we are joined by Texas Impact’s Public Education Policy Advocate, Grace Bonilla, to talk about the lobby day and the work of the PSDs. You can learn more about the Public School Defenders and Texas Impact’s other issue teams, and see our weekly action alert, in the Action Center at texasimpact.org.
Watch a clip from Scott's interview with Representative Hinojosa on our Youtube Channel.
https://youtu.be/-7b-1RC-o08
This week we have an exciting episode for you as we are recording live from the Capitol office of Senator Sarah Eckhardt. Last week, the Senate passed SB 2, a school voucher bill that would give a $10,000 voucher to students to attend private schools. What is not shocking is that the Senate passed SB 2 so quickly while legislators are usually still in the relationship-building part of the session. They did pass a version of a voucher bill four times in 2023. But, every time it failed in the House, which is where SB 2 now finds itself.
So, we are talking today with Sen. Eckhardt about the bill and what Texans of faith can do to help stand up for public schools and oppose this bill—all of this just days after she voiced strong opposition to the bill on the Senate floor.
We might even give her a test on the bill, so listen closely and see how she does.
If you are interested in learning more, or joining other advocates who care about the issues you care about, check out texasimpact.org and click on the Action Center. We would love to see you in our weekly Public School Defender Zooms, in the Marching Orders Monday calls with the Rapid Response team or one of our other teams.
This week we are going back to back with United Methodist Bishops as we welcome Bishop Ruben Saenz from the Horizon Texas Annual Conference—formerly the North, Central and Northwest Texas Conferences.
We thought this was a timely conversation as Bishop Saenz and other United Methodist Bishops in the South Central Jurisdiction wrote a pastoral letter addressing how we treat our immigrant neighbors.
Immigration is an issue that is front and center in response to the opening days of the Trump Administration, but we also expect it to be a hot topic during the Texas legislative session.
It is important that faith leaders and Texans of faith clearly state our desire to live out our faith principles.
If you are interested in working on immigration during the legislative session, Texas Impact has a team for you. Check out the Action Center at texasimpact.org and sign up for Texas Impact’s Immigration team–or one of the other teams to work on issues important to you.
Read the letter signed by UMC Bishops here: www.txcumc.org/beyondbordersletter
This week we are bringing you content from the United Women in Faith Legislative Event. This is typically Texas Impact’s biggest event of the year—and this year the UWF had record participation with 350 registrants from United Women in Faith and various other faith groups participating over the three day event with hundreds making Capitol visits to their Legislators.
In this episode we share Bishop Cynthia Harvey’s keynote address from Sunday evening–although Bishop Harvey notes that she doesn’t do keynote addresses… she preaches.
Bishop Harvey is the Bishop of both the Texas Annual Conference and the Rio Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and previously served as the President of the United Methodist Council of Bishops.
Bishop Harvey joins a chorus of faith leaders calling Texans of faith to action… to care for our neighbors and engage in the work of justice
And, Texas Impact has tools and resources for you to do that work. Check out texasimpact.org and click on the Action Center to find out how you can get involved. Join the Rapid Response team to get updates on actions you can take and join our weekly Zoom on Mondays to learn more.
This week, we are excited to welcome Texas Impact’s Climate Action Fellow, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards, to talk about the President’s recent executive action, once again, removing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement. There has been a lot happening in the last two weeks. The opening of the Texas legislative session, MLK Day, a presidential inauguration, a snow day or two and all of the news that comes from it—it has been a lot. And, the Texas Impact team will be covering it all. Learn more about how you can get involved on our website at texasimpact.org. Make sure to check the Action Center to sign up for a team and bookmark the Events Page to take advantage of opportunities to come see us in Austin.
Since 1973, Texas Impact has hosted a service or celebration of public witness on the south steps of the Texas Capitol in conjunction with the opening of the Texas Legislature. This year, the Texas Legislature convened Tuesday, January 14, and so the Texas Impact crew, along with Texas faith leaders and elected representatives, gathered on the steps for a Celebration of Public Witness before the Legislature convened at noon.
The representatives were ready to get to work, and the faith leaders hopefully set a tone for a session that could celebrate justice, diversity and working together for the common good. We decided to talk with some of the leaders from that service about their reflections and hopes and share that for our podcast today. You can watch the full services, or highlights on Texas Impact’s YouTube channel or head to txfaith.org/cpw2025 for more content from the Celebration of Public Witness 2025 Special thanks to: Representative Salman Bhojani, House District 92 Rev. Leslie Jackson, Sr. Pastor, St. Peter United Church of Christ, Houston Maha Iskandar, Baha'i Faith, Irving Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Faith Commons, Dallas Saranjeet Singh, Sikh Faith, Central Texas Abel Vega, Rio Texas Conference, United Methodist Church, San Antonio
We hope you all had a meaningful and relaxing holiday season and a great start to the new year; it is about to get busy and your advocacy will be critical in the next few months.
We know a lot of attention will be paid to what is happening in Washington with the new administration, but the Texas Legislature convenes next Tuesday, January 14 and will be meeting for 140 days. They have a lot on their plate that will impact you, people in your congregation and your community. So, now is the time to get organized and lock in to try to make some progress on issues we care about.
Here with us to talk about all of that and more, to kick off the new year right, is Texas Impact’s Executive Director, Bee Moorhead.
Join an Issue Team and get involved by heading to the Legislative Action Center on our website.
Last week, Diana Forester and her colleague Alec Mendoza joined us to talk about health policy in Texas. It is such a big topic, and so much of it is driven by federal policy, that we are joined again this week by Diana to continue the conversation about how actions by Congress could impact health in Texas–and how you can help protect Texans' access to healthcare in the coming weeks.
This will be our last episode before the new year, so on behalf of the entire Texas Impact team, we hope you have a meaningful holiday season and that you are able to connect with family and loved ones and find some joy and peace. When we come back, Congress will have convened, and the Texas Legislature will be preparing to come to town, so I hope everyone comes back from the holiday ready to get to work!
Find out more about Texans Care for Children and their work at txchildren.org
Be a part of our fall Membership Drive by donating or, better yet, becoming a member at texasimpact.org/donate
We know the holidays are just around the corner and on behalf of the entire Texas Impact team, we hope you have a meaningful holiday season and that you are able to connect with family and loved ones and find some joy and peace. But the Texas Legislature comes to town January 14, so we hope you spend some time over the next few weeks mentally preparing for what’s to come. So, soak up all of the joy and peace you can now and hopefully those good vibes continue into the next year as we work together for justice and equity in Texas.
So, to help us prepare for the Legislature coming back to town, we are joined today by Diana Forester, Director of Health Policy for Texans Care for Children and her colleague, Senior Policy Associate, Alec Mendoza. They are going to talk to us about health policy in Texas and the opportunities to make substantive progress to make life better for Texans. This is an issue that isn’t getting a ton of attention in the press, but will definitely have an impact on people in our families and, for sure, our congregations and communities. Find out more about Texans Care for Children and their work at txchildren.org Be a part of our fall Membership Drive by donating or, better yet, becoming a member at texasimpact.org/donate
This week we turn our attention to the other side of the globe as we welcome Texas Impact’s Climate Action Fellow, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards to the program. Becca recently returned from the 29th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP), the global climate negotiations held this year in Baku, Azerbaijan. She will talk to us about the priorities being discussed on the world climate stage and what people of faith in our own communities can do.
We will also discuss concerns over the federal climate response over the next few years. But, climate is like many other issues, where we can make substantive progress, even when positive federal policy outcomes seem less likely. We have steps we can take at the state level, local level, and in our own congregations and communities.
Keep an eye on our website at texasimpact.org for content from COP29 Baku and ways you can get involved, or to join our Climate Action Team to connect with advocates from throughout the state who care about these issues.
Well... we had an election… and we know folks have lots of feelings, and we are going to talk about feelings today. But, in addition to that, we are going to talk about how the election impacts Texas, and we are going to talk about what Texans of faith can do. All of that with Texas Impact’s Executive Director Bee Moorhead.
This isn’t a time to hide, because our communities, our neighbors, our democracy needs us. What’s clear in this divided political sphere is that we all need to be more willing to engage in conversations. To listen. To learn. And then yes, to advocate. Hopefully after finding and developing some common ground in our own communities.
As always, Texas Impact has tools and teams for all of this and more on our website at texasimpact.org
Election day is almost upon us! You have heard us talk for years about Texas’ low voter turnout and how that impacts public policy. If you are listening to this before election day, you have a chance to do something about that. Many of us are consuming lots of news running up to the election, and many are feeling anxious about what will happen. We need to emotionally and spiritually prepare ourselves for what happens when we wake up on Wednesday, November 6th. And, this week we are joined by someone who can help us prepare for that as we have long-time friend of Texas Impact, Rev. Ann Helmke, who serves as the Faith Liaison with the City of San Antonio, on the show.
As always, Texas Impact has tools to help you engage with Texans this election season and with fellow advocates throughout the state. Learn more about all of it at texasimpact.org.
We are about a week away from election day, and joining us for today’s conversation is Rev. Richie Butler, Senior Pastor at the historic St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. We are going to talk about their civic engagement work and the importance of voting, but also about their work in bringing people together for conversations that focus on the importance of coming together as a community after the election-and the important role faith leaders will play in that.
Find out more about Project Unity at projectunity.net
By the time you hear this, early voting will either have already started or will be kicking off soon. It is getting real. So, it seems like the perfect week to hear some stories from some congregations who have been doing some incredible civic engagement work this election season.
Last week you heard from Texas Impact’s Houston Faith Votes Project Manager, Rebecca McIlwain, and this week we will hear from three leaders from her cohort of congregations doing civic engagement work as we welcome Mattie Thomas, a member of Missouri City Church of Christ working with Bridges 2 Empowerment, Cathy Reinhold, Area Missioner of the Galveston Convocation of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas working with St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church, and Juanita Jackson of Trinity East UMC.
Find more about Houston Faith Votes and ways you can still get engaged on our Texas Faith Votes page on our website.
We are less than two weeks away from early voting kicking off in Texas, so what better time to welcome back to the program Rebecca McIlwain, Texas Impact’s Houston Faith Votes Project Manager. The Houston Faith Votes team and their cohort of congregations in the Houston area are engaging their congregations and communities in civic engagement work, so I am excited to talk to Rebecca about their work and how ALL of us can engage our neighbors this election season and begin preparing for what comes next.
Texas Impact has the tool for you to do just that. Check out the website at texasimpact.org and spend some time on the Texas Faith Votes page. There are resources to check who will be on your ballot, door hanger templates, prayer resources and more. And, there are teams to connect you with people who care about issues you care about, so check it out and get plugged in today.
This week we are excited to introduce Robert Rivera, who wears many hats. Among them, he is Vice President of the Synod Council of the Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He is also part of the Houston Faith Votes leadership team, and part of the Houston Faith Votes cohort of congregations working on civic engagement as part of his lifetime of service to the church and justice ministries-specifically ministries related to immigrant communities. This conversation is an important reminder of the stakes of civic engagement. From the local community to the highest office in the land, we are electing people who will impact immigrant communities. As people of faith, we owe it to our communities and our neighbors to make sure we are participating.
Find out more about the ELCA's upcoming Immigration Forum: Understanding Immigration Law on October 17th.
This week we are excited to introduce Texas Impact’s legislative agenda with our Executive Director, Bee Moorhead. Listeners will remember a few weeks ago we had three board members join the program at the conclusion of the three day board retreat to talk about their experience with the process creating the agenda. In the weeks that followed, all of the wordsmithing and voting took place to ensure there was consensus on the final product, and today, Bee joins us to talk about where the board landed, and what our listeners can do with it.
We are not going to go through the entire document bullet by bullet, so I hope you will check out the full document on the website.
This week we are talking weather and climate from an interesting perspective as we welcome two former colleagues of our very own Dr. Becca Edwards. With us are Dr. Ian Giammanco who serves as Director of Standards and Data Analytics and Lead Research Meteorologist at the Institute for Building and Home Safety and Dr. Tanya Brown-Giammanco who serves as Director of Disaster and Failure Studies at the National Institute of Standards and Testing.
We will discuss resilience and how changes in climate impact our homes and buildings, and what we can do about it from both a consumer and advocacy perspective.
It is also a good reminder that Texas Impact has tools for you to learn more and get engaged on this and all of our other issue areas. Join one of our issue champion teams like our Climate Action Team to connect folks interested in this issue–or find a team connected to another issue you care about.
Find out more about the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes here.
If you live in an area that experiences wildfires, find out how you can get prepared.
This week we are recording from Trinity Church of Austin following a three day Texas Impact Board Retreat. The Texas Impact Board of Directors represent a wide range of judicatories and faith traditions from across Texas. Every two years they come together to create a consensus set of legislative priorities to guide the organizations’ work throughout the biennium.
Scott talks to three of our board members about the process as they reflect on where we are as a state and how this work intersects with their faith. We are joined by Rev. Jessica Cain Pastor of Living Word Lutheran in Buda, Rev. Dan DeLeon Sr. Pastor at Friends Congregational Church in College Station and Rev. Leslie Jackson, Sr. Pastor at St. Peter UCC in Houston.
Find resources and ways to get involved this election season on our Texas Faith Votes page.
This week we are having a timely conversation on voting and voting systems with Daniel Griffith, Senior Director of Policy with Secure Democracy USA. As the name implies, Secure Democracy USA works to protect voting rights and oppose efforts to suppress votes.
It's important work, but the most important work right now is to reassure voters that their vote matters and that your vote will count. There is a lot of noise surrounding the election to discourage voters, and Texans of faith and Texas faith leaders can play a key role in cutting through the noise and encouraging our communities to take our civic responsibility seriously.
Find out more about the work of Secure Democracy USA and the Secure Democracy Foundation and their resources at www.securedemocracyusa.org and securedemocracyfoundation.org
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Texas Impact equips people of faith and conscience with information, opportunities, and outreach tools to educate their communities and engage with lawmakers on pressing public policy issues. Find out more at texasimpact.org
We are especially excited for this week's episode as we welcome John Hill to the program. John is days away from completing his service as the Interim General Secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, an agency charged with leading the denomination’s social witness around the world.
It is a perfect time for this conversation as we move into a critical election season where the social witness of the church will be of the utmost importance–and faith leaders will be called to lead. But, also, because the United Methodist Church recently concluded an historic General Conference where they approved a complete revision of their Social Principles–their positions on community and policy issues and, after decades of strife, took historic votes to remove harmful LGBT policies from their Book of Discipline.
Find out more about the work of the UMC General Board of Church and Society.
Last weekend the Texas Impact team had a chance to hang out with a hundred Texans of faith representing congregations from across North Texas, and y’all the vibes were real. People were excited to hear from faith leaders talking about what they are doing to engage people this election season. They heard from non-profits and voting officials giving tips, tools and resources to help engage their community.
This week, we are bringing you the Faith Leader Panel from the North Texas Faith Votes event. Joining Scott on stage was Robyn Carafoil with Temple Shalom, a Past President of the Temple’s Sisterhood, and a current member of the Board of Trustees. Rev. Danielle Ayers, Pastor of Justice at Friendship West Baptist Church, a 12,000 member church in Dallas. Danielle is a devoted author, preacher, and teacher, and a Texas Impact Board Member. Finally, Rev. Cathy Sweeney, Associate Pastor of Adult Discipleship at Arapaho United Methodist Church. Cathy, a former real estate developer, now dedicates her life to non profit work supporting people experiencing homelessness and poverty and promoting racial reconciliation.
Watch the panel and presentations from Dallas County Elections, ACLU and Ride2VoteAware on Texas Impact's Youtube channel.
This week we are joined by Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the BJC, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, leading the organization as it upholds the historic Baptist principle of religious liberty: defending the free exercise of religion and protecting against its establishment by government. We are excited to talk about Amanda's work with Christians Against Christian Nationalism and the proposed curriculum for Texas public schools.
Find more about the BJC and Christians Against Christian Nationalism here: bjconline.org christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org
Listen to Respecting Religion presented by the BJC:
hbjconline.org/respectingreligion
Read Amanda's book How to End Christian Nationalism here:
www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506498287/How-to-End-Christian-Nationalism
This week we are excited to launch our fourth season of Weekly Witness and who better to kick things off than Texas Impact’s esteemed Executive Director, Bee Moorhead. We thought this would be a timely conversation as we move out of the usually slower summer months and into a consequential fall election season which will lead into the 89th Texas Legislative session in January.
Texans of faith are leading, and it is so inspiring to see. If you want to find out how you can get involved, check out texasimpact.org and for sure check out the Texas Faith Votes page for tools and resources.
This week we are once again joined by Texas Impact Policy Advocate, Heather Malkawi, who was recently invited to attend the 6th Pan African Conference, otherwise known as Sankofa 2024. This conference is hosted about every five years by the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians. Heather shares highlights from her trip and about how these theologians are processing, leading and acting.
Texans of faith are also leading, and it is so inspiring to see. If you want to find out how you can get involved, check out texasimpact.org, and for sure check out the Texas Faith Votes page for tools and resources. Learn more about Sankofa and the CCAWT here circle.org.za and in Heather's blog texasimpact.org/journey-to-ghana
This week is the final episode of our series introducing Texas Impact’s new staff members as we welcome Grace Bonilla to the program. Grace was formerly an intern with Texas Impact and was recently hired as our newest Public Witness Mobilizer. Grace is working on a number of projects. Among them, she is helping staff Texas Impact’s Public School Defenders team. I hope you enjoy the conversation with Grace and keep an eye on Texas Impact’s website for opportunities to come meet the new team members in person.
Become a Public School Defender or join one of Texas Impact's other issue champion teams at texasimpact.org/our-issues/join-a-team/issue-champions-groups
This week we are joined by Texas Impact Policy Advocate Bobby Watson for a conversation about his travels this summer related to his work with Texas Impact’s Ending Gun Violence team. In light of recent events, faith leaders have offered reflections condemning political violence and calling on us for peaceful conversations about important issues. Scott reads a statement issued by Texas United Methodist Bishop Rueben Saenz at the top of the program. Find out more about Texas Impact's Ending Gun Violence team and join at texasimpact.org/our-issues/join-a-team/issue-champions-groups
The Texas Impact staff recently met in Austin and welcomed several new staff to new positions, so we thought we would use part of this summer break to introduce you to our new team members.
We continue the series this week with Heather Malkawi. Heather is not new to Texas Impact though, if you have been to an event in the last few years, you have probably met Heather. You have an even higher likelihood of knowing Heather if you are a Unitarian Universalist since she just finished a stint as a UU Fellow with Texas Impact. But, now that she has finished her award-winning seminary education, Heather is joining us full time as a Policy Advocate, so we wanted to give everyone a chance to get to know Heather today.
If you want to learn more about Heather or any Texas Impact’s projects or teams, head on over to texasimpact.org. Check out our resources, the Texas Faith Votes Campaign or join a team.
The Texas Impact staff recently met in Austin and welcomed several new staff to new positions, we thought we would use part of this summer break to introduce you to our new team members. We continue that series today with a conversation with Rebecca McIlwain, Project Manager of Houston Faith Votes. For over a decade, Rebecca served in parish ministry in the Ft. Worth and San Angelo Dioceses, focusing on social justice initiatives, adult and youth religious education, and campus ministry. Then, she turned to community organizing where she worked with congregations and schools across West Texas and later Austin to engage members in nonpartisan civic engagement. Between the primary elections and the consequential general elections, there is important civic engagement work going on and now is the perfect time to use the Texas Faith Votes resources to figure out what you and your congregation plan on doing this fall. Find out more at texasimpact.org/campaigns/texas-faith-votes
Texas Impact staff recently met in Austin and welcomed several new staff and new people to new positions, so we thought we would use part of this summer break to introduce you to our new team members. And, we are starting that series today with a conversation with Kaitlin Dunn, our new Houston Faith Community Mobilizer working with the Houston Faith Votes team. I know you will be excited to hear from her today and get to know her in the months to come.
We are in the heat of the summer in between the primary elections and the consequential general elections. There is important civic engagement work going on. Now is the perfect time to use the Texas Faith Votes resources to figure out what you and your congregation plan on doing this fall. Visit texasimpact.org/campaigns/texas-faith-votes to find out more!
This week marks the beginning of Gun Violence Awareness Month and many of us will still remember where we were when we received the news about the tragic school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde just two years ago. Joining us this week is Texas Impact's Policy Advocate, Bobby Watson, to discuss his work with our gun violence prevention issue team and their visibility project, Vidas Robadas, an installation of t-shirts bearing the names of victims of gun violence. Find out more about the project and join Texas Impact's issue team at texasimpact.org/campaigns/vidas-robadas
We talk weather this week with Dr. Becca Edwards, Texas Impact’s Climate Action Fellow. Originally because we wanted to talk about Hurricane Season, which begins this weekend and runs through November, but seems like most of Texas has already endured at least one climate disaster in the last month. North Texas has had floods, tornadoes and wind events. Houston had a wind event that knocked out most of downtown and had people without power for the better part of a week.. and we haven’t even made it to hurricane season yet!
Join Texas Impact's Climate Action Team at texasimpact.org/our-issues/join-a-team/issue-champions-groups
The runoff elections are next Tuesday, May 28th, and interim hearings are underway to help shape public policy recommendations going into the next legislative session. What does it all mean? Here with us to discuss is friend of the program and Texas Impact’s outside legislative counsel, Beaman Floyd. Spoiler Alert: he is going to remind us about the importance of these elections and how your vote is extra valuable and he will talk about ways you can get involved in public policy during the interim.
Fear not, Texas Impact has tools for you. This is a perfect time to visit Texas Impact’s election center and our Texas Faith Votes campaign resources at texasimpact.org/campaigns/texas-faith-votes
This week we are excited to welcome Diana Forester, Director of Health Policy with Texans Care for Children. This is an important conversation this week because legislative leaders recently released their interim charges for the biennium, and it provides some opportunities to speak to the unacceptable state of health coverage in the state of Texas. Diana joins us to talk about that, the interim charges, and what Texans can do.
Find out more about the work of Texan Care for Children at https://txchildren.org
To receive updates about Medicaid eligibility email update@hhs.texas.gov
Texas Impact is proud to be a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s ELCA Advocacy family as a State Public Policy Office for Texas. Joining us this week is Christine Moffett, ELCA Program Director for Environment and Energy Policy, to discuss the Farm Bill. She will talk about whether Congress can pass anything during an election year, what’s in the bill and why it matters.
Find out more about the work of ELCA Advocacy at https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Publicly-Engaged-Church/Advocacy/Environment
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in Texas colleges came under fire in the last legislative session. The passage of SB17 has been controversial with many students and faculty over the elimination of these programs.
This week we are joined by Dr. Karma Chávez, the Bobby and Sherri Patton Professor of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies and Chair of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Chávez will talk to us about what is driving this movement, why it matters and how you can help.
This week we are joined by Emily Bourgeois, Community Organizer of RAC-Texas, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism—one of Texas Impact’s member institutions. We always enjoy working with Emily across a range of policy issues, including public education and religious freedom.
Over the last month, we have had several episodes about the holy seasons many of our traditions have been observing. Emily will join us today to talk about Passover and the intersection with advocacy.
Learn more about the work of RAC-Texas at rac.org/take-action/rac-your-state/rac-tx
This week we are joined by Texas Impact's Climate Action Fellow, Becca Edwards, to help prepare for Earth Day on April 22. Becca has been meeting with many congregations talking about climate change, liberation theology, how communities of faith can engage in climate issues during this election season and so much more. So we thought we would bring those conversations to you as you think about what you and your congregation can do this Earth Day and beyond. One of the ways you can continue to engage this work is by joining the Texas Impact Climate Action Team!
This week we say goodbye to maybe our closest friend of the show, who has been on the program more than any other guest. Texas Impact announced last week that Advocacy Director Joshua Houston would be leaving soon to take a new position with Caritas of Austin. So we thought we needed to say goodbye (for now) with one last episode reminiscing on some of his proudest, and most hilarious, moments in his 14 years with Texas Impact. Keep the tissue box close by for this very special episode because we finally talk about feelings!
Find out ore about Caritas of Austin at caritasofaustin.org
Many Christians just finished Holy Week, Passover is coming and we are in the midst of Ramadan. All of those seasons can and should inspire people of faith to love our neighbor and have some intersection with advocating on behalf of our neighbors and communities at large.
This week, we have a friend of the program Usama Malik, Program Coordinator for Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Texas Impact Board Member, to talk with us about Ramadan and its intersection with advocacy work.
Our hope is that during these holy seasons, listeners will find meaning and peace and the strength and courage to do the work necessary to create a better and more just society during what promises to be a challenging year with plenty of opportunities for advocacy and civic engagement.
Find out more about the work of Muslim Space here: https://www.muslimspace.org
This week, we follow up on the conversation from two weeks ago in advance of the Texas Medical Board meeting. More than 2,000 Texans of faith signed Texas Impact’s petition calling for a rulemaking process to define the abortion exception in Texas state law relating to the life and health of the mother. We spoke about Steve and Amy Bresnen, two Austin attorneys and lobbyists from the aptly named BresnenAssociates who submitted that official petition to the Texas Medical Board.
The Board did in fact begin the rulemaking process and introduced a draft rule for public comment. This week, we are fortunate to have the two petitioners, Amy and Steve Bresnen, for a conversation about that rule, the rulemaking process, and what YOU can do to help protect the lives and health of Texas women.
Find the form to submit public comments to the Texas Medical Board here.
Sign Texas Impact's sign-on letter at txfaith.org/nogames
This week we are talking about all things environment with friend of the program Luke Metzger, Executive Director of Environment Texas. Luke joins us to share the good news from the November elections related to the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund AND the EPA’s new rules related to methane emissions. Spoiler: Texas is not handling the rules well, but Luke gives us an update on those rules, solar policy, the TCEQ’s recently released “Priority Action Plan and more.
Later in the program, Texas Impact’s Climate Action Fellow, Becca Edwards, joins to give her reaction and share her Lenten project related to methane.
Find the Methane Meditations Lenten Series here: texasimpact.org/texas-interfaith-power-and-light-methane-lent-series/
This week, we welcome Texas Impact’s Executive Director, Bee Moorhead, for an important and timely conversation about reproductive health. The Texas Medical Board is meeting Thursday, March 21st, and Texas Impact is promoting a sign on letter to ask them to undertake rulemaking to define the exception to the abortion ban related to the life and health of the mother. In the very short time since we recorded this episode, we’ve learned that the Board WILL be initiating rulemaking–this is great news and affirms the value of public engagement with our state agencies.
It also makes it more important than ever that folks sign the petition, which lays out the key elements of what would make a strong rule that would really help doctors and patients. The Board needs to know that Texans support the agency to make a strong, clear rule.
Add your name to the sign on letter at txfaith.org/nogames
This week we are wrapping up the primary elections with Texas Impact’s Advocacy Director Joshua Houston. We want to thank everyone who voted, organized your friends and congregations, volunteered for a campaign, or helped work the election. After this election, there is still a lot of work to do and Texas Impact has tools and resources for you, so make sure to check out the Texas Faith Votes page at texasimpact.org to learn more.
This week, we want to share another round of audio from the recent Houston Faith Votes event. We were honored to have Rep. Ann Johnson and Rep. Jon Rosenthal, two Texas State Representatives from the Houston area, for a conversation on the importance of primary elections, how Texans can best connect with their representatives and talk about how Texans of faith specifically can be effective advocates for issues you care about.
The Texas Impact team has toured the state, talked with, and resourced thousands of Texans of faith in the last two months. This week, we are going to bring you some of the content from our Houston Faith Votes event earlier this week. We thought you might enjoy the Faith Leader panel featuring Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Rabbi Josh Fixler, Associate Rabbi, Congregation Emanu El and President of the Faith Leader’s Coalition of Greater Houston, Rev. Leslie Jackson, Texas Impact Board Member and Senior Pastor St. Peter's United Church of Christ, Kim Mabry, Texas Impact Board Member, and Rev. Dr. Angela Ravin-Anderson, leader with the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Social Justice Ministry.
With all the news about immigration and border issues at the national and state level, it’s getting hard to keep track of the issue beyond the rhetoric. So, we invited Kristin Etter to the program to help sort things out. Kristin is the Director of Policy and Legal Services at the Texas Immigration Law Council. Previously, she served as the Special Project Director of Operation Lone Star at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid where she developed and implemented the litigation response to Operation Lone Star. Kristin will help us understand where we are with Operation Lone Star and SB 4 passed in the 4th special session, and where the court battle over SB4 implementation stands.
The Texas Immigration Law Council is co-hosting a webinar with Texas Impact February 27 at 5:00pm. To register for the webinar, and find out more about the Texas Immigration Law Council, follow the links below.
Register for the Webinar: https://bit.ly/TXimpactSB4training
Texas Immigration Law Council resources: https://txilc.org/updates-and-resources/
End Operation Lonestar: https://www.endlonestar.com/
This week we are bringing even more content from the United Women in Faith Legislative Event while continuing the discussion about reproductive health. The United Women in Faith welcomed State Representative Donna Howard to talk with them at the Capitol last week. Rep. Howard is a woman of faith herself, and also has a special role as the Chairwoman of the Texas Women’s Health Caucus. We thought it would be an opportune moment to bring Rep. Howard’s comments to you this week as you consider the issues shaping the political discourse and how you can get involved.
This week we kicked off Texas Impact’s event season with an incredible three days with about 250 United Women in Faith at their annual legislative event, and today we are going to bring you a little sample from that event. We start with Bishop Ruben Saenz, United Methodist Bishop for the North and Central Texas Conferences of the UMC bringing greetings to the United Women in Faith. Following Bishop Saenz is my conversation with another native Texan, Sally Vonner, CEO and General Secretary of the United Women in Faith. Sally came down from New York for the event, and we recorded from the Capitol while the UWF's were finishing their legislative visits. For those listening to the audio version of the podcast, we have video of these segments on Texas Impact’s YouTube Channel. Follow the links below! Bishop Saenz message to the Texas United Women in Faith: https://youtu.be/oqMY8_6eGig Scott's interview with Sally Vonner at the Texas Capitol: https://youtu.be/tDhTPDk5MJU
This week, we discuss one of the issues that will be driving the conversation this election year, and a corresponding Texas Impact event, as we welcome leaders from Friends Congregational Church in College Station: Sr. Pastor Rev. Dr. Dan De Leon, Cecilia Hawkins, leader of the Justice and Mission Outreach Committee and Kyle Rile, Texas Impact's Houston Civic Engagement and United Church of Christ Fellow. They are partnering with Texas Impact on an event called Changing the Conversation: The Theology of Reproductive Justice with Rev. Dr. Rebecca Todd Peters, February 11th, at Friends both in College Station and streamed online.
Find out more about Rev. Dr. Rebecca Todd Peters and her book Trust Women at www.rebeccatoddpeters.com
Register for Changing the Conversation: The Theology of Reproductive Justice at texasimpact.org/events
It is COLD outside, but this week's climate conversation will keep us warm as we welcome Susan Alvarez, Director of the Environment and Development Department with the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Susan joins us to talk about the work of the COG to address air quality and how you can get involved in your local community. Speaking of North Texas, the Texas Impact team will be there soon with our first ever North Texas Faith Votes event in February, in addition to live events in Austin, Houston and more, including our EcoFaith Dialogs webinar series that features voices of faith who have observed the impact of climate change in their mission work. Check out our new events page at texasimpact.org/events to see the upcoming schedule and register for an event near you.
We are excited to kick off the first episode of the new year with Rev. Angela Williams. Rev. Williams is the Associate Minister of Missional Engagement at First UMC Dallas and Executive Pastor of St. Paul United Methodist where she helps lead their Justice Builders Program which brings members from both congregations together to work in ministry to positively affect racial justice. Rev. Williams and the Justice Builders are co-hosting the North Texas Faith Votes event with Texas Impact February 3rd in Dallas. To find our more about Justice Builders you can contact Rev. Williams at awilliams@fumcdallas.org To register for our North Texas Faith Votes event February 3rd visit txfaith.org/NTFVevent
This week we welcome back to the program Texas Impact's Advocacy Director, Joshua Houston, to wrap up what is hopefully the last special session of the 88th Texas Legislature for 2023. One of the main issues the legislature has tried to address is public school funding. In a year with an historic budget surplus, the Texas Legislature should have been able to better fund our underfunded public schools and give Texas public school teachers a well-deserved raise–both issues Texans of faith consistently tell us they care about. However, both have been tied up all year because they have been "held hostage" to state leaders insisting that those priorities would only be funded in exchange for diverting dollars from public schools to private school vouchers. The last moments of the fourth special session left many questions unanswered. Josh helps us understand what happened and what comes next. The work to stop vouchers in Texas is not over yet! Consider joining our Public School Defenders team, signing the letter to your legislator telling them to keep public dollars in public schools, and becoming a member of Texas Impact.
This week we welcome Texas Impact’s Climate Action Fellow, Becca Edwards, back to the program soon after returning to the U.S. after attending the first half of the United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of Parties (COP) in Dubai. For those following along with the program, we had Becca and our Executive Director Bee Moorhead on the last episode giving a preview of the conference. Bee is still in Dubai, and we will look forward to talking with her when she gets home.
Becca, an alumna of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, discusses her experience at the COP while observing negotiations concerning the recently released Global Stocktake climate report. To find out more about the Global Stocktake follow the links to Becca's two part explainer.
texasimpact.org/unfcc_gst_mitigation
texasimpact.org/unfcc_gst_adaptation
This week, we are joined by Texas Impact’s Executive Director Bee Moorhead and Climate Action Fellow Becca Edwards to discuss the upcoming COP28. For longtime listeners, you will know that Texas Impact sends a team to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties. The 28th conference will be from November 30 until December 12 in Dubai. We know we are not on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The window for meaningful change is closing, and the time to act is now. At COP28, governments will examine each country's report on their progress so far, and make a decision called the global stocktake, which will set a path to accelerate ambition in the next round of national climate action plans due in 2025. To learn more about keeping 1.5 alive, read this special report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
This week we are taking a break from legislative goings on for an important conversation with Rev. Deanna Hollas, Coordinator of Gun Violence Prevention Ministries with Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. We will discuss the increased emphasis national denominations are placing on reducing gun violence and how congregations can both act locally and advocate for policy change to reduce gun violence.
If you are passionate about ending gun violence–Texas Impact has a team for that. This team is made up of Texans of faith interested in working and advocating for public policies that reduce gun violence. This week that team is hosting an event including a rally and art installation that calls attention to the impact gun violence has in local San Antonio communities. This Saturday, November 18th at St. Michael's in San Antonio, they are hosting a March for Gun Violence Prevention.
Register for the event at texasimpact.org/event/vidas-robadas-stolen-lives
You can find the resources mentioned in the episode at www.presbypeacefellowship.org/gun-violence and this google doc: txfaith.org/GVPresources
This week, the Texas Legislature adjourned the third special session, and almost immediately, the Governor called them back for a fourth 30-day special session focused on public education-specifically trying to divert public dollars to private schools and immigration-related bills. Thursday, two House Committees met to hear bills, and the Texas Impact team stayed up late to testify and cover the hearings. On the other side of the building, the Senate operated at warp speed, passing four bills out of committee with little to no public input and off the floor in a matter of hours. This morning, the House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment met to approve HB 1, the voucher bill and two of the Senate bills concerning border security and funding for a border wall were rushed out of House committees. Texas Impact's Executive Director and Advocacy Director, Bee Moorhead and Josh Houston, are here to help us center ourselves in these– not unprecedented but unique times.
This week our focus turns to an issue that has shaken many of our families and communities. We are joined today by Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, Minister for Disabilities & Mental Health Justice with the United Church of Christ. Dr. Lund was part of an alliance that partnered with the US Health and Human Services Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships on a guide for faith leaders to identify and help youth who may be at risk for suicide. We are going to talk through many of the key aspects of that report. You can find the report here: www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/hope-guide-faith-leaders-help-prevent-youth-suicide.pdf Find works by Dr. Lund at Chalice Press: chalicepress.com/products/copy-of-blessed-youth-bundle Other Resources: ucc.org for action alerts Mental Health America mhanational.org 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
This week, we turn our focus back to the special session with a conversation about public school funding with Dr. Chloe Latham Sikes, Deputy Director of Policy with IDRA, the Intercultural Development Research Association. For 50 years, IDRA has focused on equity in the Texas education system, and Chloe brings an important perspective to the public education conversation.
At the time of posting this episode, we are finishing the third week of the 30 day legislative session, and Texans of faith have been doing incredible work to support public schools. Thousands of you have signed Texas Impact’s Public Dollars for Public Schools letter, and those letters and comments have been delivered to your representatives’ Capitol offices. Keep them coming!
To sign the letter head to txfaith.org/novouchers
Also, for number of great resources, head to IDRA's "Stop Vouchers" landing page at www.idra.org/education_policy/stop-vouchers
This week we welcome Stacey Pogue, Senior Policy Analyst with Every Texan, to the program to talk about healthcare as Texas prepares to roll back covid era policies. While there are a lot of important issues in the news right now, to the more than 1 million Texans who have lost their healthcare coverage during this “unwinding,” healthcare, or the lack thereof is front of mind.
Stacey will help explain what unwinding is and why we are having to do it, what congregations can do locally and the message for state and federal lawmakers.
If you or someone in your community is unsure if they have coverage, go to www.staycoveredtx.org to find help.
This week Scott talks with Texas Impact's Executive Director Bee Moorhead about the lay of the land in Texas and the role Texans of faith can play in this special session and in this heightened political climate. There is going to be A LOT of talk in the next few weeks about what quote “religious” people want–and a lot of those voices will be claiming that Texans of faith support vouchers. Our membership says otherwise, and so it is important that we speak up.
Texas Impact has a tool for that. So, I hope you will go to txfaith.org/novouchers and sign the sign-on letter that will be hand-delivered to your legislator, and then share it with your networks.
This week we are preparing you for two events that should be front of mind this month.
Josh Houston will join us to talk about the special session beginning Monday, October 9. We expect it to focus on public education and proposals relating to diverting public dollars to private schools through vouchers or other equivalent programs. Josh will help us understand what makes special sessions so special and help us prepare for that.
The other major October event is Texas Impact’s membership drive, so Texas Impact’s Network Development Manager, Kat Karbach, joins the program to talk about that drive and how your support helps Texas Impact work for a more just and equitable Texas.
Both have opportunities to engage on our website, texasimpact.org
This week we are continuing our series to prepare you for a special session of the Texas Legislature focused on public schools and proposals relating to diverting public school funds to private school vouchers. Spoiler: Texas Impact likes public schools. So, who better to give us the political lay of the land than Texas Impact’s outside legislative council, Beaman Floyd? Texas Impact and our members are fortunate to benefit from Beaman’s decades of experience in public education policy—as well as his expertise as a theologian in his own right. Beaman and Scott will discuss the political landscape, but also help us understand why Texans of faith play such an important role in the policy conversations around public schools and school vouchers. To get involved, join the Public School Defenders team on our website at texasimpact.org/take-action-2
This week we are preparing you for a special session of the Texas Legislature focused on public schools and most likely proposals relating to diverting public school funds to private school vouchers. Scott sits down with Dr. Scott Sheppard, Superintendent of Huntsville Independent School District, recently named the 2023 Region 6 Superintendent of the Year, who has served districts large and small, but has spent most of his career in rural Texas. They discuss the importance of public schools, and why Texas should prioritize funding public schools while keeping public schools public and private schools private. We are excited to be airing this conversation as a video podcast—that means you can listen, or you can watch the interview on YouTube. Be sure you are subscribed to Texas Impact’s YouTube Channel to take advantage of this feature and to access all Texas Impact’s videos.
This week we are recording from University Presbyterian Church in Austin following the Texas Impact fall board meeting. It is always a good day when the Texas Impact board gets together. A room full of Texas faith leaders from various traditions committed to creating a more just and equitable Texas. It can’t get better than that right? So, we decided to share some of the fun with you, in a conversation with three of our newer board members talking about why justice ministries are important, what they are paying attention to and what we can do.
In the conversation we mentioned Ballot Ready. This is a tool to help you or your congregation help your community participate in the elections and help you keep track of the impact your efforts are having. We hope you will consider signing up to use Ballot Ready with the link below. If you have questions, email engagement@texasimpact.org.
txfaith.org/BallotReady
We saw that y'all loved the first two faith leader panels so much that today we are bringing you the third and final installment. If you missed the first two–first, you should go back and listen to them. These panels of religious leaders were part of Texas Impact’s three Houston Faith Votes kick-off events, a partnership between local congregations and organizations in Houston working to increase civic engagement and voting, but the material from these conversations isn’t Houston-specific. Hopefully they inspire all of us to engage our congregations in civic engagement work, and specifically to mobilize our congregations and communities to participate in every election. Spoiler–Texas Impact has tools for you to do that.
Check out texasimpact.org or the materials from the Houston Faith Votes campaign at houstonfaithvotes.org.
Here to inspire you to do that are the panelists from the August 27 faith leaders panel at Servants of Christ UMC:
Bishop Cynthia Harvey Bishop of the Texas Annual Conference of the UMC
Rev. Harvey Clemons Jr., Senior Pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church
Rabbi Josh Fixler Associate Rabbi of Congregation Emanu El
And Rev. Victor Thomas Dean of the East Harris Convocation and Rector of St. James Episcopal Church
Last week Texas Impact concluded a series of kick-off events for our Houston Faith Votes campaign in partnership with local congregations and organizations in Houston. We aired the audio from the first of three faith leader panels and y'all loved it so much we thought we'd do it again!
The material from these conversations isn’t Houston-specific, but hopefully inspires all of us to engage our congregations in civic engagement work, and specifically to mobilize our congregations and communities to participate in every election.
This weeks panel was moderated by Kim Mabry, Interfaith Relations at Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, and features Rev. Dr. Joe Samuel Ratliff, Senior Pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church, Bishop Michael Rinehart, Bishop of the Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Rev. Mike Stone, Dean of the Galveston Convocation and Rector of St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, and Judge Manpreet Singh, Judge in the Harris County Civic Court No. 4 and a leader in the Sihk community.
Last weekend Scott had a chance to moderate a faith leader panel with four incredible Houston faith leaders discussing the importance of civic engagement and why and how local congregations can engage their communities. That conversation was so rich and deep, we wanted to share it with the whole Texas Impact community…so we decided to run it as the podcast this week.
Texas Impact is in the middle of three events to kick off our Houston Faith Votes campaign in partnership with local congregations and organizations in Houston. The first event was last weekend at Congregation Beth Israel, and we have two more scheduled for August 26th at Brentwood Baptist Church, and August 27th at Servants of Christ United Methodist Church.
Find out more and register for the events at houstonfaithvotes.org
Many public school kids are returning to school across the state this week. Public school teachers, staff and administrators are excited about the new year's possibilities but maybe less enthusiastic about the legislature’s failure to use the record budget surplus to invest in public schools and teachers. This seems like a perfect week to have a chat about public education with a public school parent, former Austin ISD School Board President and current Texas State Representative, Gina Hinojosa, representing Austin’s House District 49. We will talk with Rep. Hinojosa about public education and how Texans of faith can engage with their representatives on this critical topic as we move toward an expected special session and an election season at the local and state level focusing on public schools.
This week we traveled to the heart of Houston for a conversation with Texas state representative Gene Wu, representing House District 137. Rep. Wu is a fellow LBJ School alum, so I enjoyed catching up with him and hearing about his work during the session, concerns shared by Harris County residents and some thoughts on economic justice and how bills impacted his district.
Rep. Wu will also be one of the keynote speakers for the Houston Faith Votes kickoff series on August 20th at Congregation Beth Israel, so make sure you invite your Houston-area friends to check that out at houstonfaithvotes.org. We have a great lineup of local elected officials, faith leaders and breakout sessions talking about how Texans of faith can encourage their communities to participate in upcoming elections, so we hope to see you and your Houston-area friends there.
This week we welcome back to the program Josh Houston, Texas Impact's Advocacy Director, to talk about public education in Texas, and specifically about the implementation of the school chaplain bill that will impact every one of your communities. We will discuss the multiple layers of public school conversations that are taking place in Texas, starting with the vote EVERY school district in Texas will have to take soon.
This week we are taking a mid-summer break from our legislative wrap-up series to talk about the recent judicatory season with the Chair of the Board of Church and Society for the North Texas Annual Conference United Methodist Church and one of our Board Members, Rev. Phil Dieke. Every year from April through June, the Texas Impact team is busy with what we refer to in house as judicatory season–when many faith communities or denominational bodies hold their regional meetings or conferences. In many of those, there are opportunities for resolutions or statements from those faith communities or judicatories relevant to the broader community’s policy discourse. Phil and I had a chance to talk about why those resolutions are important, statements made by the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, and the state of the UMC in general.
We are delighted to be airing this conversation as a video podcast—that means you can listen only, or you can watch the episode on YouTube. Be sure you are subscribed to Texas Impact’s YouTube Channel to take advantage of this feature and to access all Texas Impact’s video.
txfaith.org/WWyoutube
This week our Executive Director, Bee Moorhead had a chance to catch up with former State Senator Beverly Powell, who represented parts of Fort Worth and North Texas. And, while Sen. Powell would definitely have some wise words about legislative topics, the conversation this week focused on her work in organizing Texans to support Uvalde families while we wait for policy change. She is providing leadership through the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation with a goal of raising $60 million to build a new elementary school in Uvalde so kids in that community no longer have to step foot inside the doors of Robb Elementary and remember the massacre of their neighbors.
Visit the website to see plans and make a contribution uvaldecisdmovingforward.org
This week we welcome Texas State Representative John Bucy, who represents House District 136 in Williamson County, to discuss higher education policy in the 88th Legislature. We haven’t talked a lot about higher ed policy on this podcast, but Texas colleges, universities, community colleges and trade schools are important components in our communities and an important driver of the Texas economy. Rep. Bucy will talk about some important efforts to strengthen higher education in Texas.
We are delighted to be airing this conversation as a video podcast—that means you can listen only, or you can watch the episode on YouTube. Be sure you are subscribed to Texas Impact’s YouTube Channel to take advantage of this feature and to access all Texas Impacts video.
txfaith.org/WWyoutube
This week we welcome Texas State Representative Donna Howard, who represents House District 48 in the Austin area, to discuss maternal health and the role it played in the 88th Legislature. We will talk about whether the glass was half full or half empty in regards to maternal health policy–yes, indeed there were some good moments during this legislative session, thanks in large part to Rep. Howard and the Texas Women's Health Caucus.
We are delighted to be airing this conversation as a video podcast—that means you can listen only, or you can watch the episode on YouTube. Be sure you are subscribed to Texas Impact’s YouTube Channel to take advantage of this feature and to access all Texas Impacts video.
txfaith.org/WWyoutube
This week we welcome Texas State Representative James Talarico, who represents District 50 in the Austin, Travis County, area, to discuss Christian nationalism and the role it played in the 88th Legislature. Rep. Talarico had several “viral moments” during the session combatting Christian nationalism, speaking as a person of faith… an area where he has some experience as a current divinity student at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
We are delighted to be airing this conversation as a video podcast—that means you can listen only, or you can watch the episode on YouTube. Be sure you are subscribed to Texas Impact’s YouTube Channel to take advantage of this feature and to access all Texas Impacts video.
txfaith.org/WWyoutube
This week we welcome Representative Vikki Goodwin to the program. Rep. Goodwin represents House District 47 in the Austin area and has been a longtime champion for commonsense gun reform. Scott and Rep. Goodwin talk about how personal stories impact the policy discussion, and Rep. Goodwin offers practical tips for sharing your story with lawmakers.
Head to Texas Impact’s YouTube Channel to watch the interview and subscribe to access all Texas Impacts video content. txfaith.org/WWyoutube
This week we welcome Texas Impact’s outside legislative counsel, Beaman Floyd, as we discuss some of the factors at play as state leadership continues to figure out what is happening with the special session, or sessions. Weekly Witness will take a look back on the 88th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature and what Texans of faith should be watching this summer.
Head to Texas Impact’s YouTube Channel to watch the interview and subscribe to access all Texas Impacts video content. txfaith.org/WWyoutube
Weekly Witness is back with a new legislative wrapup series, and we are excited to start by welcoming Senator Nathan Johnson to the program to discuss the grid and making sure Texas can keep the lights on in a sustainable way that is best for all Texans.
Sen. Johnson is a leader on many of the issues Texans of faith care about. He represents about a million Dallas County residents, and it was nice to reconnect with him in the office a few weeks after he sponsored the resolution honoring Texas Impact’s 50th Anniversary.
We are delighted to be airing this conversation as a video podcast—that means you can listen only, or you can watch the episode on YouTube. Be sure you are subscribed to Texas Impact’s YouTube Channel to take advantage of this feature and to access all Texas Impacts video.
txfaith.org/WWyoutube
The tax policy cliche "oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to exempt" is on point for this legislative session. This week, tax-whisperer Dick Lavine joins Scott to discuss legislation to increase property tax exemptions, including SB3 and HB5. This is the last episode of the regular session in the Texas Legislature. If you have ideas for the program during the interim, or questions about Texas Impact and our opportunities, feel free to reach out at scott@texasimpact.org.
Immigration and border issues have really come to the forefront in the last few weeks thanks to the news around the COVID-era Title 42 policy ending and some frankly shocking border militarization bills in the Texas Legislature. So, here to help us make sense of what is happening, is Bobby Watson, Texas Impact’s Human Rights fellow, fresh off a trip to the border with the Texas Impact team.
*Correction: Supreme Court case Arizona v. US was decided in 2012
This week we welcome Dr. Charlie Brown, Board Member with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to talk about key reforms to Texas’ ban on abortions that are necessary to better define steps that can legally be taken to protect the lives of Texas moms. Doctors need a better legal definition, and so far the Legislature has been unwilling to even have that conversation. We are recording with just over two weeks remaining in the legislative session and we hope listeners will buckle up for the last two weeks, celebrate the work you have done together, and start preparing for conversations we will need to have post-session.
Resources from the episode:
https://www.acog.org/
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/01/1172973274/oklahoma-abortion-ban-exception-life-of-mother-molar-pregnancy
This week Scott welcomes two advocates in the struggle for common sense gun control. Christina Delgado, Southwest Regional Advocacy Associate with the Community Justice Action Fund and Nicole Golden, Executive Director with Texas Gun Sense, have both been working tirelessly at the capitol this session with legislators and the families of victims of gun violence. Despite all of that work, and a thirteen hour hearing, the House Committee so far has not even scheduled a vote.
Community Justice Action Fund
www.cjactionfund.org
Texas Gun Sense
www.txgunsense.org
This week we recorded in between bill hearings with Doug Lewin, President of Stoic Energy Consulting and host of the Texas Power Podcast. Renewable energy is a big part of the Texas economy. We talked to Doug about some positive advancements this legislative session and work that still needs to be done to protect renewable energy. Check out Doug's podcast at www.renewableenergyworld.com/the-texas-power-podcast/
This week we are excited to be recording from the Texas Capitol office of Rep Trey Martinez-Fischer. Scott talks with his Senior Budget Analyst, Eva Deluna Castro—many Weekly Witness listeners will know Eva from her years with the Center for Public Policy Priorities, now Every Texan. Eva is one of Texas' most respected state budget experts, and today she's sharing her take as we move into the home stretch of passing a state budget. Texas had a record budget surplus coming into the legislative session, and with it an opportunity to make a clear statement about our priorities as a state. We'll cut through the news and get the real scoop from Eva to see how they are doing so far.
This week we are recording from the University of Houston Downtown at the invitation of the Center for Critical Race Studies. Scott sits down with Dr. Stacey Floyd-Thomas, author, and the Associate Professor of Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. She also serves as co-founder of the Society for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Religion and as the Executive Director of both the Society of Christian Ethics and the nationally acclaimed Black Religious Scholars Group. Her focus on the intersection of ethics, feminist and womanist studies, critical race theory, and more provides an important lens for Texans of faith, given the issues the Texas Legislature is currently considering. We expect these issues will continue to demand attention post-legislative sessions and into the next election cycle.
This week we welcome Terri Burke, Executive Director of the Immunization Partnership, to talk about the importance of vaccinations–one of the 10 major advances in public health of the 20th century–and the history behind the vaccine opposition movement, which is grounded in a discredited study in the mid 2000's.
This week we welcome Diana Forester, Director of Health Policy with Texans Care for Children. We are just over halfway through the 140 day legislative session, and Texas Impact has many priorities, and maternal health and Medicaid for Texas families are always important legislative priorities for Texans of faith across the state. But Diana joined us to talk about another Medicaid issue: the unwinding of COVID-era continuous coverage of Medicaid.
This week we welcome Texas Impact’s Executive Director Bee Moorhead and Advocacy Director Josh Houston to the program as we reach the midpoint of the 140 day legislative session.
This week we are joined by Reverend Rob Mueller, pastor of Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, and one of the clergy leaders of Texas Impact’s Ending Gun Violence issues team. We discuss the work Rob is doing to engage his denominational body–Mission Presbytery–in policy advocacy and the recent resolution they passed with overwhelming support. You can find the resolution on our website at texasimpact.org/2023/03/mission-presbytery-commissioner-resolution-on-gun-violence
This week Scott talked with Jamila English, Legislative Director for the Texas Chapter of Emgage, a foundation with the goal of educating and mobilizing Muslim American voters in support of policies that enable their communities to thrive and democracy to flourish. They discussed the upcoming Texas Muslim Capitol Day and AAPI Advocacy Day and their priorities for the legislative session. Head to www.eventbrite.com/e/texas-asian-american-pacific-islander-aapi-advocacy-day-tickets-558310831727 to sign up!
This week we wrap up Texas Impact’s Texas Interfaith Advocacy Days week with a conversation with friend of the program Guthrie Graves-Fitzimmons, Communications Director for BJC, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Freedom. Guthrie joins us after his boss, Amanda Tyler, the Executive Director for the BJC joined us in person in Austin for Interfaith Advocacy Days to talk about Christian Nationalism and their work to mobilize people of faith, and specifically Christians to speak out against Christian Nationalism. Join their effort at www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org
We are excited to welcome Representative Salman Bhojani to the program this week. He represents District 92 around Euless, Bedford, Grand Prairie and Arlington and was one of the speakers at Texas Impact's Interfaith Service of Public Witness at the start of session in January. He has been making news because he is one of the first two Muslims and South Asians elected to the Texas House, and held a press conference last week focused on his religious freedom agenda, which we will talk about during the conversation.
This week Scott had a chance to talk with a United Methodist Bishop who grew up and served in South Texas before spending time as a Bishop in the Great Plains. We are excited to welcome Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr. back to Texas where he will be serving in the North and Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. The conversation came soon after he addressed the United Women in Faith Legislative Event by video, which you can find on the Texas Impact youtube channel youtube.com/@texasimpact
youtu.be/gFfxKIbiXDo
This week we are joined by United Women in Faith leaders Mary Brown and Darlene Alfred for a conversation about UWFaith and civic engagement. Mary Brown served as committee chair for this year's UWFaith Texas Legislative Event. Darlene Alfred serves on the national board of UWFaith, and is a Texas Impact Board Member.
This week Texas Impact's Executive Director Bee Moorhead fills in for Scott. She had a chance to sit down with Maria Coyne, President and CEO of the United Church of Christ’s Cornerstone Fund. They discussed legacy giving and how faith-based funds like Cornerstone can work with congregations to engage in and support justice ministries through the wise use of buildings and other real property.
This week we are coming to you from Houston featuring a conversation with Juan Cardoza-Oquendo, Director of Policy and Elections with Houston in Action, an organization that convenes member organizations interested in impacting systemic change rooted in racial justice and equity for historically excluded groups. It is an important reminder for those of us in the faith community to look for opportunities to expand our networks both at a local and state level; always working to ensure that all voices are represented. Connect with Houstin in Action at houstoninaction.org
This week we have a special episode for you, featuring the audio from Texas Impact’s Interfaith Service of Public Witness that took place on the steps of the Capitol this Tuesday January 10th. Texas Impact has been hosting this event for 50 years. But, this year was unique in that NINE state representatives from various faith backgrounds participated, along with many Texas faith leaders. Video and photos from the event can be found at texasimpact.org/2023-spw
Weekly Witness is back for our first episode of 2023, just in time for the start of the 88th Texas Legislature. Scott welcomes Texas Impact's Advocacy Director Josh Houston back to the program to discuss a few of the hot topics leading into the session, namely religious freedom, and how they apply to the policy making process we are about to witness. Texas Impact kicks off every regular session with an event on the Texas Capitol steps. Be sure to listen for details about our interfaith service of public witness on January 10th and head to our website texasimpact.org to find out more.
This year we released the 200th episode of Weekly Witness! We’ve got one final episode of Weekly Witness for this year, a “clip show” highlighting a few of the many fascinating conversations Scott has had with faith leaders during the course of our first 200 episodes. We hope you’ll listen to this episode—and don’t forget, all of our old episodes are available for download on your favorite podcast platform.
The dust has settled for a majority of races in the 2022 midterm elections with run-offs scheduled for December 13th. Texas Impact’s Advocacy Director, Joshua Houston, joins Scott to discuss his take-aways from the results so far and turn our direction toward the upcoming 88th Legislature. Bill filing has already begun and January is just around the corner. It’s time for Texans of faith to be active and engaged!
We continue our series on Texas Impact's 2023 Legislative Priorities by discussing reproductive rights, religious freedom and what Texans of faith should consider before the November election. Rabbi Mara Nathan, Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, is with us for the conversation. Later in the program, Texas Impact's Executive Director Bee Moorhead continues the discussion as she and other TXI staff prepare to travel to Egypt to attend the COP27 climate summit. Stay tuned for more on that and election coverage in the weeks to come. Visit Texas Impact's Election Center at texasimpact.org/voter-assistance to make a sample ballot, find a polling location near you and make a plan to vote!
This week we continue our series on Texas Impact's legislative priorities with a discussion about protecting LGBT rights and what Texans of faith can do. With us for the conversation is Bishop Suffragan Kai Ryan with the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Later in the program, we will be joined by Texas Impact’s Advocacy Director, Joshua Houston to help us prepare for policy conversations leading into the upcoming election and legislative session. You can find the complete list of Texas Impact's 2023 Legislative Priorities at https://texasimpact.org/texas-impact-legislative-priorities-2023-2024/
We interrupt our series on Texas Impact's 2023 legislative priorities to bring you a very timely episode as the midterms quickly approach. Scott is joined by Bee Moorhead and Joshua Houston to discuss some of the tools and opportunities Texas Impact is providing to Texas' faith communities this election. Find out more by visiting our website at texasimpact.org/voter-assistance
This week we continue our legislative priority series with a discussion about immigration priorities and what Texans of faith can do. During this series, we will welcome a faith leader to help introduce a section of the legislative priorities and have a conversation about why it is an important priority to the faith community. With us this week is Bishop Michael Rinehart with the Texas-Lousiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Later in the episode, we will be joined by Bee Moorhead, Texas Impact's Executive Director, to help us prepare for the policy conversations we will need to have leading up to the upcoming election season and legislative session. We also celebrate the 200th episode of Weekly Witness! Send your congratulations and well wishes to scott@texasimpact.org
We continue our series on Texas Impact's 2023 legislative priorities with a discussion about the climate crisis and what Texans of faith can do. This week, we welcome Susan Henry Crowe, General Secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society to discuss climate issues. Yes, she is our second Susan in a row. Also back again this week is Texas Impact’s Executive Director, Bee Moorhead to discuss her work around climate justice. You can find the full set of legislative priorities at texasimpact.org/texas-impact-legislative-priorities-2023-2024
This week we begin our series on the Texas Impact Legislative priorities in earnest. For the remainder of this series, we plan to welcome a faith leader to help introduce a section of the legislative priorities and have a conversation about why it is an important priority to the faith community. This week we welcome Rev Dr. Susan Frederick Gray, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association to discuss mounting concern over anti-LGBT rhetoric aimed at Texas' trans youth and their families. Later in the program Texas Impact's Executive Director Bee Moorhead reflects on the conversation and, of course, gives us a little homework.
We continue our guided tour of Texas Impact's legislative priorities for the 2023 Texas legislative session with some of the folks who helped shape them. In this episode, members of Texas Impact's Board of Directors share their individual perspective on the work and thought put into the process of developing Texas Impact’s legislative priorities. Board President Rev. Franz Schemmel, Rabbi Nancy Casten, Darlene Alfred and Fr. Paul Klitzke joined us to discuss how our priorities have changed over years and how their personal faith guides their legislative goals.
Over the next ten weeks, Weekly Witness will take you on a guided tour of Texas Impact's legislative priorities for the 2023 Texas legislative session. In this episode, Texas Impact staff provide an overview of the legislative priorities and offer insights into how they get developed. Bee, Josh, and Beaman discuss how the priorities have changed over years; what's remained constant; and why mainstream faith voices are uniquely important in the legislative process.
We present the final installment of our four-part series on public education. Sherry Miller, Past President of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, joins Scott to discuss how to support teachers and public schools in the post-COVID world. Later in the program, catch an informal chat between Bee and Josh, recorded while Scott was away. After this episode, Weekly Witness will take a break while the Texas Impact board meets to adopt a new biennial legislative agenda. When we return the week of July 20, you can expect to hear about our legislative priorities for 2023.
We continue our summer fun with the third installment of our four-part series on public education. The goal of this series is to prepare listeners to discuss public education issues with elected officials and candidates for office…note-taking is encouraged. In today’s episode, Scott has a lively conversation with one of the state’s leading advocates for public schools, Rev. Charles Foster Johnson. Charlie is Executive Director of Pastors for Texas Children—and he’s never afraid to mix it up with elected officials. Following Charlie, Josh Houston unpacks the recent Supreme Court decision Carson v Makin, which could impact the Texas voucher debate next session. The Weekly Word features Texas Impact Board member, Rev. Erin Walter, Executive Director of the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry.
This week we continue our summer fun with the second installment of our four part series on public education. Rejoining us today will be one of the state’s leading experts on public school policy, Ellen Williams, an attorney and public school expert with 35 years of experience in and around the Capitol. Later in the program we are joined by the Texas Impact Foundation Board President Beaman Floyd. Weekly Word today is a familiar name to many of you, our former colleague and friend, Rev. Krystal Leedy, who spent time herself in Texas public schools this past year.
It is summer vacation for many...but here at Texas Impact, we think it's time to focus on public education! We hope to provide some summer homework–not to prepare kids to go back to school, but to prepare you for conversations with your elected representatives and candidates going into election season. Joining us this week is one of the state’s leading experts on public school policy, David Thompson, legislative counsel for the Texas Association of School Administrators and Houston Independent School District. Later in the program, our Executive Director Bee Moorhead shares some thoughts on the faith community's policy priorities, in public education and beyond. On this week's Watchlist, Josh looks at the upcoming SCOTUS docket. Our Weekly Word sounds a bit different this episode as Scott talks to board member and Chair of the North Texas Board of Church and Society Rev. Phil Dieke, live from the North Texas Annual Conference of the UMC.
Weekly Witness had planned to kick off a series on public education policy for the month of June with a conversation on vouchers and charter schools, but current events intervened. We spend this week talking about the Uvalde school shooting, focusing on outsized connection between gun violence and public schools. Scott is joined by attorney Ellen Williams, who shares her perspective both as an advocate for public schools and a mother. On Josh's Watchlist, he connects the primary results to the debate over gun legislation. Later in the program Beaman Floyd, our legislative guru, to talk about the tools we use and the conversations we have when we confront gun violence in America.
This week we are excited to welcome our good friend Bishop Mike McKee to the program. Bishop McKee is the Bishop of the North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, based out of Dallas, and joins us to celebrate the launch of the new bishop-led podcast Unfinished Church. Later in program, Josh Houston joins us to talk about what campaign finance can tell us about candidates and policy opportunities. This week's Word is brought to us by Texas Impact Vice-President Father Paul Klitzke, Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Dallas.
As Texans face another episode of grid-uncertainty, we talk with some experts who are working on solutions. Dr. Joshua Rhodes is with the University of Texas Webber Energy Group, which recently released a report detailing how Texas could get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Later in the program we are joined by former Texas Impact intern Suzanne Russo. now CEO of Pecan Street, to discuss her organization's research and their policy recommendations to improve climate outcomes. Our Weekly Word is brought to us by another former Texas Impact staffer, Rev. Sam Brannon of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Elgin.
On this week's episode we speak with Bishop Sue Briner of the Southwestern Texas Synod. Bishop Briner recently met with migrant families in Washington, D.C., after they were bused from the Texas border to the nation’s capital as part of Gov Abbott’s border security protest. Later in the show Scott talks with Texas Impact staffers Bobby Watson and Isa Peterson, who just spent a couple of days at the Texas/Mexico border with our Courts and Ports program. On this week’s Watch List, Josh talks about racial disparities in voter turnout. Our Weekly Word comes from our good friend Reverend Dan DeLeon, Senior Pastor at Friends Congregational Church in College Station.
It's election time again and this time its a double header so we called in the pros! We welcome Scott Braddock, Editor in Chief of Quorum Report, on the program to discuss the upcoming run-offs and the greater implications of what's on the ballot. Later in the program our favorite "cheerleader for democracy" joins us; Grace Chimene from the League of Women Voters fills us in on the two elections happening in the month of May and the races to watch. On Josh's Weekly Watchlist we get his take leading up to the run-offs and the Weekly Word is brought to us by Usama Malik, the resident chaplain at Muslim Space and our neighbor at the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
It's Earth Week y'all! Scott sits down with Luke Metzger, the Executive Director of Environment Texas, as they discuss Texas' renewable energy landscape and some of the exciting projects on their plate for 2022. Later in the program Bee Moorhead joins us with audio from a recent gathering of journalists in Houston where she had the privilege of sitting on a panel with Katharine Hayhoe, atmospheric scientist and professor of political science at Texas Tech University, who dispells some of the ideological claims behind climate denial. On the Weekly Watchlist, Josh and Scott discuss their spring reading recommendations and we find out whose better at hiding eggs. https://environmenttexas.org/
Two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we look at the healthcare landscape. Scott speaks with Jennifer Harris, rural and faith outreach lead with the COVID Collaborative, about their efforts and where their work is focused in the coming months and years. Later in the program we are joined by Mark Vassallo, VP of Operations at Houston Methodist Hospital, to discuss the toll COVID-19 has taken on healthcare providers. On Josh's Weekly Watchlist, Josh follows up on primary ballot rejections and prepping for the upcoming legislative session. This weeks Word is brought to us by retired United Methodist hospital chaplain Rev. Sue Abold.
This week we celebrate our partners at United Women in Faith, formerly United Methodist Women, as they roll out their recent rebranding. Scott speaks with UWF CEO Harriett Olson about the recent name change and what that means for the organization going forward. Later in the program Cynthia Rives, VP of UWF, responds to Harriett's message and discusses their annual Texas legislative event with Texas Impact. On Josh's Weekly Watchlist he follows up on child protection hearings earlier in March, and discusses how recent political rhetoric around LGBTQ issues challenges religious freedom. This week's Word comes from our most recent Texas legislative event with what is now UWF. Beth and Phil Dorcas share their experience in the UMC and broader thoughts of faith and service.
Though it may seem like a short reprieve from Texas being in the headlines, the budget looms on the horizon. Scott sits down with Every Texan's senior fiscal analyst, Dick Lavine, to hear what he is keeping an eye on ahead of the May 7th election. Later in the program Bee Moorhead shares a response to the conversation with Dick and, of course, gives us a little homework. On Josh's Weekly Watchlist the guys discuss a bit of UT women's basketball and a small history lesson from his recreational reading during this slight legislative lull. Our Weekly Word is brought to us by Rabbi Neil Blumofe, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Agudas Achim in Austin.
Resources from this episode: Every Texans Budget Chart: https://everytexan.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020_TexasBudgetCycle_Infographic.pdf
This week we turn our focus to state agencies and vulnerable kids. Scott speaks Elisa O'Callaghan, Chair of the Board of Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON), and Bobby Watson, Texas Impact's Immigration Advocacy Fellow. Elisa and Bobby provide updates on the situation at the border, including recent changes to Title 42 and its impact on migrant children. On the Weekly Watchlist, Josh discusses the crisis in the Texas foster care system. Pastor Rob Mueller from Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church in San Antonio brings us our Weekly Word.
Resources from this episode:
njfon.org
texasimpact.org/our-issues/human-rights/human-migration/
Spring is here and it's time to start planning for the 2023 legislative session! This week, we discuss the release of Texas Impact's primer on the Public Utilities Commission of Texas' Sunset review. Scott talks with our own Isa Peterson, who is the lead author of our new policy primer Light and Life: Using the Public Utility Commission of Texas Sunset Review to Safeguard Texans’ Health and Wellbeing. We also hear from Cara Cook from the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, who gives a health professional's perspective on climate change and health. On Josh's Weekly Watch List we hear about a tight legislative race in North Texas and ripples of the European refugee crisis coming to the Texas-Mexico border. Our Weekly Word is brought to us by Abel Vega, Director of Mission, Service & Justice Ministries, Rio Texas Annual Conference, UMC. Follow the link below to read the primer!
Resources from this episode:
https://texasimpact.org/2022/02/public-utility-primer/
https://envirn.org/
The Texas 2022 primary elections are over, so Scott sits down with two policy pros to parse out the highlights heading in to the runoffs. Bonnie Bruce is long-time Capitol insider who has recently founded her own government affairs practice, Mesquite Strategies. Texas Impact Foundation Board President Beaman Floyd also joins us this week to survey the post-primary landscape. On the Weekly Watch List, Josh takes a break from all things "primary" to focus our attention on Texas senate hearings taking place this week. Reverend Dr. George Mason of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas gives us a surprising dose of hope with his Weekly Word.
This week we address the recent attacks on transgender youth and their parents by the Texas Governor and Attorney General. Scott speaks with Shelly Skeen, an attorney with Lambda Legal, about the impact of these attacks, and with TX UU Justice Ministry executive director Rev. Erin Walter, who speaks passionately about the role of Texas' communities of faith in the fight to protect trans youth. Josh stops by to update us on the growing refugee crisis in Ukraine in his Weekly Watch List. Our Weekly Word is brought to us by Cantor Sheri Allen, who reflects on the experience of supporting her own child through their transition.
Episode Resources:
lambdalegal.org
txuujm.org
We wrap up our series on election 2022 as Scott welcomes special guest Sen. Carol Alvarado of Houston to talk about her filibuster during the multi-session fight over Texas' election reform legislation. Texas Impact Executive Director Bee Moorhead joins Scott to reflect on his conversation with Sen. Alvarado. Former Texas Impact intern Rev. Ezequiel Herrera offers the Weekly Word from his post in the Rio Grande Valley, and Texas Impact Advocacy Director Josh Houston's Weekly Watchlist is focused on the astronomical mail ballot rejection rates Harris County is reporting.
Our series on elections continues: Scott interviews defenders of democracy and cheerleaders for voting. Grace Chimene, President of the League of Women Voters about Election 2022. Scott is also joined by Kendal Gladish and Cathy Morgan from University Presbyterian Church in Austin to talk about their congregation's efforts to encourage voting. Their pastor, Rev. Matt Gaventa brings the Weekly Word. And, Advocacy Director Josh Houston re-joins the program for a new segment: Josh's Weekly Watch List.
Our series on elections continues: Scott interviews women leaders from two national voting rights organizations, who are focused on empowering Texas' diverse electorate amid the confusion resulting from SB1. Christina Das, Attorney at the NAACP LDF, talks to Scott from Brooklyn about the Voting Rights Defender Project at the Thurgood Marshall Institute. Elizabeth Bille, NALEO's Texas Director of Civic Engagement, then discusses the efforts of the NALEO Education Fund and the resources they provide to the Latino community and other communities of color across the state. Our Weekly Word is brought to you by Texas Impact Board member Rabbi Nancy Kasten, who applies the words of civil rights leader Rabbi Joachim Prinz during the 1963 March on Washington to challenges for American democracy in 2022.
Scott fights a cold from home this week to bring you interviews with Anthony Gutierrez, Executive Director at Common Cause, and Rev. Diane McGehee. Also Rev. George Oliver bring us our Weekly Word.
The January 26th edition of Weekly Witness features our new audio format! Scott welcomes Beaman Floyd to the conversation with follow up from Texas Impact's own Bee Moorhead and Josh Houston. Rev Franz Schemmel delivers our Weekly Word.
December 16, 2021: Year-End Weekly Witness: Hate Free Speech, Elections, and Voting featuring Bee Moorhead and Josh Houston.
December 7, 2021: Weekly Witness: featuring Laura Peralta-Schulte from NETWORK with a federal update, focusing on the Build Back Better Act and other priorities.
November 29, 2021: Weekly Witness: Climate Change and Methane, a conversation about climate change and methane featuring Colin Leyden, Texas Political Director for the Environmental Defense Fund and Cassandra Carmichael, Executive Director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment
November 15, 2021: Weekly Witness: Featuring a panel to discuss the recent rise in anti-Semitism in Texas, including: Rabbi Neil Blumofe, Congregation Agudas Achim in Austin; Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Faith Commons in Dallas; Renee Lafair, Anti-Defamation League-Austin; and Rev. Jonathan Page, First Congregational Church of Houston.
November 8, 2021: Weekly Witness: COP26 Climate-Palooza Part 2 with Texas Impact CEO Bee Moorhead and Texas Impact's delegation to COP26: Mel Caraway, Beaman Floyd, Isa Peterson, and Ilka Vega.
Weekly Witness: This week Bee Moorhead; Texas Impact, Susannah Tuttle; North Carolina Interfaith Power and Light, and Rev. Michael Malcom; Alabama Interfaith Power and Light, join us to discuss current climate news coming out of COP26 in Glasgow.
Weekly Witness: Joshua Houston joins us this week to provide an update on what happened during the third special session and how it will impact Texans.
Weekly Witness: Dr. Marc Boom, CEO of Houston Methodist, joins us this week to discuss COVID-19, vaccine requirements, and public health in Texas.
Weekly Witness: Sid Earnheart joins us to discuss the current issues along the Texas-Mexico Border, and Josh Houston joins us to give a Legislative Update on the Third Called Special Session.
Weekly Witness: PUC Sunset Update with Adrian Shelley, Public Citizen, joins us this week to discuss the latest news about the Public Utilities Commission in the Sunset Committee and Josh Houston, Texas Impact, provides us with an update on the Texas Legislature.
Weekly Witness: ELCA's John Johnson joins Scott Atnip to discuss the federal reconciliation bill and later on Josh Houston joins him to provide a legislative update.
Weekly Witness: Faith Leaders support equality, oppose anti-trans bullying with Rev. Naomi Brown, Pride Center San Antonio, Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas, Cathedral of Hope UCC-Dallas, Dr. Annaliese Cothron, Texas Impact Board Member, Unitarian Universalist, and Rev. Diane McGehee, Bering Church-Houston.
Weekly Witness: Eva DeLuna Castro joins Scott Atnip to discuss the budget during the Second Called Session of the 87th Legislature.
Weekly Witness: Advocacy Director Josh Houston joins Scott Atnip to discuss the Second Called Session of the 87th Legislature.
Weekly Witness, featuring Rep. Donna Howard for our Weekly Word segment as well as Bee Moorhead and Josh Houston to discuss current events in the second special session of the Texas Legislature.
Weekly Witness, featuring Josh Houston discussing the second special session of the Texas Legislature.
Weekly Witness featuring Sister Quincy Howard talking federal voting bills and meeting with Texas Democrats and advocates.
Weekly Witness, featuring Executive Director Bee Moorhead and Advocacy Director Josh Houston with an overview of voting rights and mobilization efforts.
Weekly Witness, featuring audio from Texas Impact's Let My People Vote Rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol on July 19.
Weekly Witness, featuring Bee Moorhead with an overview of the called session of the Texas Legislature and a Weekly Word from Rev. Randy Smith.
Texas Impact's Weekly Witness Special Session preview, featuring Bee Moorhead, Beaman Floyd and Josh Houston discussing the upcoming special session of the Texas Legislature as well as Texas Impacy's Let My People Vote Rally.
Texas Impact Weekly Witness Legislative Wrap-Up Series, featuring Jessica Shortall with Texas Competes discussing LGBT discrimination and Josh Houston discussing Texas Impact's Anti-Discrimination Priorities
June 21, 2021: Weekly Witness: Lauren Johnson, policy & advocacy strategist for the ACLU, joins the show to discuss the George Floyd Act followed by Josh Houston, Texas Impact, to discuss Texas Impact's priority bills.
June 14, 2021: Weekly Witness: Quorum Report's Editor, Scott Braddock, joins the show to talk about the 87th Legislature.
June 7, 2021: Weekly Witness: Sarah Cruz, Sid Earnheart, Rev. Alex Lee-Cornell, and Rev. Phil Dieke join the show to talk about the reopening & relaunching of Courts & Ports.
May 24, 2021: Weekly Witness: Bee Moorhead, Executive Director of Texas Impact, joins the show for the last legislative update of the 87th session.
May 17, 2021: Weekly Witness: featuring a legislative update from Texas Impact's Advocacy Director Josh Houston as we near the end of the session, and a Weekly Word from Tiffanie Postell from Newman United Methodist Church.
Weekly Witness featuring a legislative update and Action Alert with special guest, Executive Director Bee Moorhead, and Weekly Word by Texas Impact Pastoral Fellow, Sid Earnheart.
May 5, 2021: Weekly Witness: featuring Stephanie Swanson from the League of Women Voters talking redistricting, Rabbi Josh Fixler with the Weekly Word, Rev. Danielle Ayers for the special Friendship West segment "Bringing it Home" and Josh Houston with the Legislative Update and Action Alert.
Weekly Witness featuring Anne Dunkelberg with Every Texan discussing Medicaid, Rev. Krystal Leedy for the Weekly Word, and Josh Houston with the Legislative Update and Action Alert.
April 19, 2021: Weekly Witness: featuring Jeff Clark talking Renewables, Rev. Danielle Ayers with a "Bringing it Home" segment, and Josh Houston with the Legislative Update and Action Alert.
April 12, 2021: Weekly Witness: featuring Josh Houston talking Religious Freedom, Rev. George Mason from Wilshire Baptist with the Weekly Word, and Bee Moorhead joining the conversation to talk about Texans of faith responding to voter suppression.
April 5, 2021: Weekly Witness: federal climate legislation featuring Ruth Ivory-Moore, Bishop Erik Gronberg with the Weekly Word and Josh Houston with the legislative update and action alert.
March 29, 2021: Weekly Witness: Immigration featuring Mike Seifert with the ACLU of Texas talking immigration, Dr. Whit Bodman with the Weekly Word, and Josh Houston with the legislative update and action alert.
March 22, 2021: Weekly Witness: Public Education featuring Ellen Williams. Including the Weekly Word from Rev. Holly Bandel from First UMC Dallas, and a Legislative Update and Action Alert from Josh Houston.
March 15, 2021: Weekly Witness: State Budget with Eva DeLuna Castro from Every Texan. Including Weekly Word from Rev. Jessica Cain with Living Word Lutheran, and Josh Houston with the Legislative Update and Action Alert.
March 1, 2021: Weekly Witness: COVID-19/Public Health featuring Ankit Sanghavi from Texas Health Institute and Mona Kafeel from Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation. Including Rev. Danielle Ayers from Friendship West Baptist Church for our Bringing it Home Segment, and Josh Houston for our Legislative Update and Action Alert.
February 26, 2021: Weekly Witness: George Floyd Act featuring Rep. Rhetta Bowers, Dr. Frederick Douglas Haynes III and Bringing it Home with Rev. Danielle Ayers and Rev. Edwin Robinson. Including an Action Alert from Bee Moorhead discussing state hearings into the winter storm.
February 22, 2021: Weekly Witness: Voting Rights featuring Myrna Perez with the Brennan Center for Justice, Weekly Word from Presbyter Sallie Watson, Mission Presbytery and a Legislative Update and Action Alert from Josh Houston talking response to the Texas winter storms
February 8, 2021: Weekly Witness: Texas State Budget featuring Texas Impact Legislative Consultant discussing the Texas State Budget, Rev. Paul Klitzke of Episcopal Church of the Ascension-Dallas with the Weekly Word, and Josh Houston with the Legislative Update.
February 1, 2021: Weekly Witness: Non-Discrimination: featuring Jessica Shortall with Texas Competes talking non-discrimination and gender-based discrimation legislation, Josh Houston with the legislative update of the week and Texas Impact Board Member, Rabbi Neil Blumofe Congregation Agudas Achim of Austin for the Weekly Word.
Medicaid Expansion with Former Rep. Sarah Davis, Weekly Word with Rev. Linda Davis, Boynton Chapel UMC, Houston and Legislative Update with Texas Impact's Joshua Houston
Texas Impact Board Members Annaliese Cothron, Rev. Phil Dieke, and Mohamed Elibiary joined the conversation with Scott and Josh to preview the 87th Texas Legislature
What’s Next? Texas Impact’s Josh Houston and Sid Earnheart join the conversation to discuss the process for canvassing election results, confidence in the election systems and give an overview of topline results from Election Day to help prepare for the Texas Legislature.
Weekly Witness Live continuing the “Gearing Up: Announcing Texas Impact Faith Priorities for the 2021 Legislative Session” series. This episode focused on Economic Justice, featuring:
Bee Moorhead, Executive Director
Bishop Mike McKee, North Texas Annual Conference
UMC Annaliese Cothron, Board Member
Weekly Witness Live continuing the “Gearing Up: Announcing Texas Impact Faith Priorities for the 2021 Legislative Session” series. This episode focused on Human Rights and Immigration, featuring
Rev. Krystal Leedy, Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy Pastoral Fellow
Mike Seifert, ACLU of Texas Policy and Advocacy Strategist
Cindy Johnson, UMC General Board of Church and Society Board Member
Weekly Witness Live continuing the “Gearing Up: Announcing Texas Impact Faith Priorities for the 2021 Legislative Session” series. This episode focused on Anti-Discrimination and Systemic Racism featuring Josh Houston, Texas Impact Advocacy Director; Darlene Alfred, Texas Impact Board of Directors; Anthony Gutierrez, Common Cause; Dr. Asante Todd, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Join us for this week's Weekly Witness episode which focuses on Climate Justice as we head into the 2021 Legislative Session. This episode features Bee Moorhead, Executive Director, Texas Impact; Rev. Mel Caraway, Texas Impact Board Member; Doug Lewin with Stoic Energy; and Rev. Michael Malcom, Alabama Interfaith Power and Light.
Faith in Democracy Corpus Christi Policy Panel featuring Emily Northrup, Homeless Outreach Coordinator-City of Corpus Christi; Beatriz Alvarado, Community Organizer, RAICES; and Josh Houston, Advocacy Director, Texas Impact.
Join us for Weekly Witness Live featuring Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, National Director for Interfaith Outreach, Democratic National Committee, previously Vice President of Union Theological Seminary to talk about the role seminaries and other educational institutions of faith play in shaping the public discourse, and how Texans of faith can participate in the 2020 election.
Faith in Democracy Corpus Christi Voting Panel featuring Coretta Graham, Esq., Attorney and Community Activist, Josh Houston, Advocacy Director, Texas Impact, Raul Ramirez, League of Women Voters - Corpus Christi
Faith in Democracy Corpus Christi Faith Panel featuring Rev. Adam Carrington, Brooks AME Worship Center, Dr. Asim Abu-Baker, Islamic Society of South Texas, Rev. Chris Hockman, Unitarian Universalist Church of Corpus Christi, Rev Claude Axel, Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church
Weekly Witness Live kicking off our new “Gearing Up: Announcing Texas Impact Faith Priorities for the 2021 Legislative Session” series. This episode introduced Texas Impact’s 2021 Legislative Priorities, featuring Bee Moorhead, Bishop Erik Gronberg and Board Member Arsalan Muhammad.
Faith in Democracy: Lifting Houston Voices for Justice, Racial Justice Panel featuring, Raven Douglas, Dr. Robert Stein, and Josh Houston.
Faith in Democracy: Lifting Houston Voices for Justice, Racial Justice Panel featuring, Bishop James Dixon, Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad, Rev. Dan DeLeon, Rev. Ashley Dellagiacoma, Rev. Diane McGehee, moderated by Rev. Linda Davis.
Faith in Democracy: Lifting Houston Voices for Justice, Faith Leader Panel featuring, Bishop Mike Rinehart, Rev. Kathleen Davies, Rabbi Edwin Goldberg and Imam Tauqeer Shah.
Guthrie Graves-Fitzimmons joins a live episode of Weekly Witness to discuss his new book, Just Faith: Reclaiming Progressive Christianity and the important role progressives of faith play in the public sphere.
Insider Insights into the Texas Legislature Panel featuring, Beaman Floyd, Bee Moorhead and Josh Houston.
Susan Henry Crowe, General Secretary of the Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church joined the conversation to talk about why congregations should participate in justice work and how they can be effective advocates in the current climate.
Faith in Democracy: Lifting Dallas Voices for Justice, Mail in Voting Strategies Panel featuring, Kendal Gladish from University Presbyterian Church and Texas Impact’s Bee Moorhead and Josh Houston.
Recruiting Election Workers Panel featuring, Rev. Danielle Ayers and Cynthia White from Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas.
Faith in Democracy: Lifting Dallas Voices for Justice, Faith Leaders Panel featuring, Rev. Dr. Sheron Patterson, Hamilton Park United Methodist Church, Dr. Omar Suleiman, Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and Faith Forward Dallas, Bishop Eric Gronberg, Northern-Texas Northern Louisiana Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Faith Commons, Moderated by Scott Atnip
Laura Peralta-Schulte Senior Government Relations Advocate with Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, joined the weekly witness conversation to talk about the stimulus bill being considered by Congress and what Texans of faith can do to ensure working American families are prioritized in the bill. This episode is part of the Weekly Witness series highlighting speakers from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
Weekly Witness this week features the Faith and Community Leader Panel from Texas Impact’s July 19 Huntsville Faith in Democracy Event online featuring Rev. Krejchi Hester, Rev. Kimberly Carney, Rev. George Oliver, Dr. Karin Olson Williams, and BLM activist Nia Williams. Watch www.texasimpact.org for announcements about upcoming Faith in Democracy Events.
Sister Quincy Howard, Government Relations Specialist with Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice joined the weekly witness conversation to talk about voting in relation to the next stimulus bill, the Voter’s Covenant, and what Texans of faith can do to expand and protect voting rights this year as part of the Weekly Witness series highlighting speakers from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
Scott was joined by two Baptist ministers from the Dallas-area-Danielle Ayers, Minister of Justice at Friendship West Baptist Church and Heather Musain Minister of Missions and Advocacy at Wilshire Baptist Church for the second in our Weekly Witness series, “No One can be Silent: Conversations on Racial Justice” featuring dialogues on racial justice among clergy of different races from the same faith tradition.
Christian Brooks, Representative for Domestic Issues with the Office of Public Witness of the Presbyterian Church, USA joined the Weekly Witness conversation to talk about the COVID-19 response through a racial justice lens as part of the Weekly Witness series highlighting speakers from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
Rev. Linda Davis and Rev. Scott Moore joined the Weekly Witness conversation for the first of a series of Weekly Witness conversations on racial justice between clergy of different races from the same faith tradition.
John Johnson with ELCA Advocacy joined the Weekly Witness conversation to talk about the federal stimulus bill and how Texans of faith can be effective advocates as part of the Weekly Witness series highlighting speakers from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
Andre Gobbo with the Friends National Committee on Legislation joined the Weekly Witness conversation to talk about violence prevention and economic justice as part of the Weekly Witness series highlighting speakers from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
The newest member of the Texas Impact team, Kathy Green joined the Weekly Witness conversation to talk about how Texans of faith can support hungry Texans through local efforts and advocacy at the federal and state level.
Jason Miller with the Franciscan Action Network joined the Weekly Witness conversation to talk about voting and the federal stimulus bills as part of our series highlighting speakers from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
Christian S. Watkins, General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church joined the conversation to discuss the work of “Advocates for Justice” and upcoming series with faith partners in DC from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
The Texas Impact staff gathered to celebrate the 100th Weekly Witness episode to reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic and what we look forward to in the next 100 episodes.
Scott was joined by League of Women Voters of Texas President Grace Chimene to discuss who can vote by mail in Texas, the importance of voting by mail in a COVID-19 world and advocacy efforts to expand vote by mail access.
DISCLAIMER: The correct vote by mail application date is Thursday, July 2, 2020.
Scott was joined by Advocacy Director Joshua Houston and Sarah Goetz and Patrick Grubel from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State to discuss religious freedom in a COVID-19 world, current SCOTUS cases and their amicus brief in Trump v Pennsylvania.
Scott was joined by Trinidad Ariztia, Program Director for Migration Policy with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to discuss migration priorities in the 4th congressional stimulus and beyond.
Scott was joined by Anne Dunkelberg Associate Director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities to discuss their new report: " A Message for Governor Abbott: Recommended State Actions to Improve Access to COVID-19 Testing and Treatment"
Scott was joined by Susan W, an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Susan has been sober for almost 25 years and shared her experience with online meetings, and challenged congregations to promote online recovery programs during this period of isolation.
Scott talks with faith leaders about COVID-19 response and how their congregations are responding. Submit faith-community specific questions for state leaders to answer for next week's episode to scott@texasimpact.org
This week, Scott is joined by Advocacy Director Josh Houston and Membership Director Emma Davis discuss the upcoming primary election and ways our membership can be engaged.
In this week's episode, Scott is joined by Doug Lewin to discuss the future of renewable energy in Texas.
In this week's episode, Scott is joined by Katharine Alva Tello, a Humphrey Fellow from Lima Peru and the Director of International Alliance Libelula Consulting talking about private sector climate action in Latin America and how Peru has responded to about 1 million Venezuelan refugees.
This week, Scott is joined by Bay Scoogin, Director for the Texas Public Interest Research Group (TexPIRG), to talk about public transportation and how smart investment and policy can translate to better outcomes for our environment.
Bishop Michael Rinehart of the ELCA Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod joins the Weekly Witness conversation to talk about faith and public policy, refugees and why Texans of faith should engage in the policy process.
For our series finale, Scott Atnip is joined by Executive Director Bee Moorhead to discuss the environmental impacts of health equity.
This week, Scott talks with Jaime Wesolowski, President of Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas about health equity in South Texas and the work of MHM.
On this week's episode, Scott Atnip is joined by Dr. Asante Todd from the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminar to reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On this week's episode, Scott Atnip is joined by Episcopal Bishop Suffragen Kathryn Ryan from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas talking faith in democracy and a conversation about Texas refugee resettlement.
This week, Scott Atnip visits with Laura Guerra-Cardus, Deputy Director of the Children's Defense Fund about health equity issues facing Texas children.
On this week's episode Scott Atnip is joined by members of the Texas Impact Board of Directors; Whit Bodman; Betsy Singleton; Mel Carraway; and Adrian Shelley, to talk about why they are involved in Texas Impact.
This week Scott Atnip visits with Scott Darius, Executive Director of Florida Voices for Health, on health insurance, equity, and more.
This week, Scott Atnip visits with Laura Guerra-Cardus, Deputy Director of the Children's Defense Fund about children's health in Texas, how it relates to health equity and what Texans can do.
This week's episode, Scott Atnip is joined by Bee Moorhead and Erica Nelson to provide a comprehensive recap of Texas Impact's time at COP25 in Madrid, Spain.
This week, Scott Atnip visits with Dr. Josefine Wolfe, Director of the Oral Health Program at the Texas Health Institute about how health equity applies to oral health in Texas.
This episode is audio captured from Texas Impact's San Antonio Interfaith Advocacy Training on November 17 at First Unitarian Universalist Church. The panelists on the Policy Panel include:
Dr. Annaliese Cothron, AIDPH Program Director
Morgan Craven, IDRA
Smaranda Draghia, Justice for Our Neighbors
This week, Scott Atnip visits with Scot Kibbe, Director of Government Relations with the Texas Health Care Association about how health equity applies to older Texans, and why social determinants of health are particularly relevant to seniors.
This episode is audio captured from Texas Impact's San Antonio Interfaith Advocacy Training on November 17 at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio. The panelists on the Faith Panel include:
Abel Vega, Rio Texas Conference UMC
Fulya Seker, PhD Scholar
Rabbi Mara Nathan, Temple Beth-El
Sister Denise LaRock, Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul