Staff
The Rev Dr Rick Schlosser
Executive Director
The Rev. Dr. Rick Schlosser is the Executive Director of the California Council of Churches and California Church IMPACT, which seeks to be a prophetic witness to the Christian gospel on behalf of 52 denominations and judicatories throughout California, more than 5,500 congregations, with over 6.5 million church members in our nation’s largest state.
Rick has been involved in ecumenical and interfaith ministry for more then 35 years, including serving as president of the California Interfaith Coalition. Dr. Schlosser is a United Methodist clergyperson, having served churches in New York, Ohio and California as both pastor and minister of music.
Rick holds five degrees, including the M.Div. from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio and the Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a former director of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Freedom of Northern California, and past national co-president of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Rick speaks, writes and teaches on connecting spirituality and social action, civil rights, peace and justice issues, economic justice, and women’s and LGBT issues. He has two daughters and recently retired after almost 9 years as senior pastor of a community church in Lake County.
Elizabeth “Libby” Sholes
Director of Public Policy
A long-time social justice advocate, Libby (often known around the Capitol as “The Church Lady”) has worked on racial justice, women’s rights, and labor rights issues for over 30 years. She taught for Cornell University’s labor studies program in Western New York and from that experience led a worker buyout effort to save the Nabisco Milk Bone Dog Biscuit plant in Buffalo. While the action did not complete the buyout, it did prevent shutdown of the plant. She helped organize a community-owned supermarket movement on Buffalo’s East Side, an major urban food desert abandoned by affordable stores. She worked with various unions as a technical advisor when they were on strike, and she counts one of her best contribution to them was making pots of soup for striking workers and holding the picket lines while they ate.
Realizing that whatever one may do as a justice activist can be entirely impacted by laws for good or for bad, she turned her attention to legislative advocacy in the late 1990s and brought those dual interests, activism and advocacy, to the Council and IMPACT starting in January 2002. She has traveled the state training activists on how to “speak truth to power” and updating congregations on policies from health care to political reform to death with dignity. She started with a very small set of core activists but now has built a base of over 250,000 people who speak energetically to their elected officials and public opinion makers on topics about which our members are passionate. In 2010 it led to California Church IMPACT being called “one of the most effective health advocacy organizations in the state” by then Senate President pro tem, Darrel Steinberg.
Since 2012 her work has focused on a new project, helping build congregational support for a different strategy tackling income inequality in California. Building on our core value of creating a “Moral Economy,” Libby has long realized that every year advocates confront the same issues of economic injustice with the same solutions. From raising taxes on corporations to fighting to extend the safety net, to raising the minimum wage, none of these actions address the fundamental insecurity of working people.
Libby is now spearheading our work on creating worker owned cooperatives. As a member of the board of 1worker:1vote, Inc, she is bringing information and resources to our congregations and their communities on how to develop both union and non-union worker coops. She has developed a study guide and tool kit for congregations and travels the state offering trainings and insight into how to make this happen locally. She has built a wide network of allies in community colleges, in labor unions, in immigrant rights and allied justice groups all in support of congregations engaged in research of their community jobs, finding businesses for conversion to worker ownership, and reaching out to populations in need of economic security.
Kendra Noel Lewis
Director of Development
To fold the hands in prayer is well, to open them in charity is better.
~French Proverb
Life is definitely a journey. For so many of us, we go down many different paths in hopes that we get to our final destination. The career path has its own path and often times can be the most troublesome. I am very lucky because I feel I was called to do what I love to do and have had and currently feel lucky every day that I get to work for an organization that has an awesome mission, great staff and wonderful work environment. Let me introduce myself, my name is Kendra Noel Lewis and I am currently the Director of Communications and Development for the California Council of Churches and California IMPACT.
For 19 years, I can honestly say, that I have been working in my dream career doing what I love. What do I do? I am a professional fundraiser. When asked what I do and I decide to be coy, my response is “I beg for a living.” I usually get a big laugh. Most people would prefer to jump in a shark tank then ask another individual for one penny. I don’t see it that way at all. I find benevolence both fascinating and wonderful all at the same time. I see my job as the opportunity to meet individuals and grantors and pair them with a mission, program or project that they strongly believe. Or I am a part of the ongoing stewardship once the individual or grantor has decided to make the donation. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, “Giving by individuals makes up the vast majority of contributions received by nonprofit organizations.” Giving USA 2013 estimates that individual giving amounted to $228.93 billion in 2012, an increase of 3.9 percent in current dollars (1.9%, adjusted for inflation) from 2011. This accounts for 72 percent of all contributions received. What is incredible about this statistic is that this information captures the $5 gift and the $5 million dollar gift.
For me, it is the act of giving and not the amount that is so very important. It is because of gifts large and small that an organization like Cal Churches and IMPACT are able to do the incredible social justice work for many throughout California and how our work is an influence on the national level as well. If you are a receiving this newsletter and you are a donor, let me say Thank You! Thank you for your support, your dedication to our mission and each time we ask, you find a way to share and make a difference in the lives of others. This is the joy of the work that I do. I am very excited to be working for an amazing organization and with brilliant minds like Rick and Libby. Through the newsletter, I am looking forward to getting to connect with many of you.
It is truly a pleasure to be a part of an organization that for decades has taken on the task of standing up as a voice and advocate for justice for all. How lucky we are that so many of you have joined us year after year with your dedicated support. The impact of each and every single gift is evident our ability to demand justice for health care, marriage equality, civil rights, economic social justice and immigrant rights just to name a few. And we still have plenty more work to do.
Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.
~ Horce Mann
Robert “Stefan” White
Office Manager
Strategic, goofy, opened mined and down to earth, Robert White has an eye for fashion and a heart of gold. Robert is the California Council of Churches office manger. He currently in school and very interested in the legal field. Robert enjoys all kind of art: music, singing, and dancing are some of his favorite pastime activities. Most importantly Robert is a Justice seeker!
Board of Directors
The Rev. Dr. Alan Jones, President (United Methodist Church)
The Rev. Dr. Fred Williams. Vice President (National Baptist/Disciples of Christ)The Rev. Terry Read, Secretary (Community of Christ)
Archbishop Aurea Lewis, Treasurer (International Methodist Episcopal Church)
The Rev. Dr. Art Cribbs (United Church of Christ/Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity)
The Rev. Kenneth Baker (African Methodist Episcopal Church)
The Rev. Sophia DeWitt (United Church of Christ/IMPACT Board President)
Members
| African Methodist Episcopal Church African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church American Baptist Churches Armenian Church of America Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Churches of the Brethren Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | Community of Christ The Episcopal Church Ethiopian Orthodox Church Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Greek Orthodox Church Independent Catholic Churches International Metropolitan Community Church Moravian Church in America | National Baptist Convention Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Reformed Church in America Swedenborgian Church United Church of Christ United Methodist Church Church Women United Orthodox Clergy Council |