Wishing you a wonderful life for 2016!

Jill and I want to wish you all the best during this holiday season and a wonderful life for 2016! We're posting our Christmas letter so you can have glimpses of how God has been at work in our lives and hopefully be inspired and encouraged. We'd love to hear back from you!

Left to right: Anthony, Shaun, Jill, Melissa, Mayor Patrick Furey,
Roy Currence. Below: At their new apartment with a Christmas tree

Anthony's reflection: I feel deeply grateful to God, to Jill, and to all my friends and family for another wonderful year, doing things I love with people I love: writing, traveling in the ministry to Mexico, being certified as a spiritual director, and working for justice and peace.  What fills my heart with special joy this Christmas season is that our homeless friends Melissa and Shaun are finally housed--after over 12 years of living on the street and in a cheap motel, and 7 years of waiting for a Section 8 housing voucher, and almost a year helping her search for a landlord willing to accept the voucher. Abandoned by an abusive family, Melissa has adopted me as “her father in Christ.” I am overjoyed that my “daughter in Christ” can finally celebrate Christmas in a decent, safe, and affordable apartment, thanks all of our efforts, including the dedicated work of a Korean Church in Gardena and the Walteria UMC church in Torrance who petitioned help from the Mayor of Torrance. Because of his significant role in helping to get Melissa housed, Mayor Patrick Furey was invited to be part of a Christmas celebration at Walteria on Saturday, December 12. There he was publicly thanked and met with Melissa & Shaun, Roy Currence (a Methodist elder who also played a key role in getting Melissa housed), Jill and me. We shared with the Mayor our concerns about the critical need for affordable housing to help address our country’s housing crisis. The Mayor was very sympathetic and has decided to start a commission to address homelessness in Torrance. We’re thrilled by this exciting development!

With Shamaia, a child living
on N. Fair Oaks

Jill's reflection and letter to her supporters: This year your support has had a multiplying effect: the NW JobFest and Community Resource Fair on Nov. 21^st   attracted over 500 people, many finding jobs, and serving to promote and unite the eighteen businesses and ten churches in a forgotten corner of Pasadena. Fairgoers won discount cards and prizes from these local businesses by attending its forty booths. We have enclosed a Fair registration card so you can get a taste of the Fair—free dress shirts for the job applicants (offered by Tyron Hampton, the city council rep), free haircuts, free hotdogs given by the police, a prayer booth with multiple churches praying for fairgoers if they wanted prayer, and tons of family fun!

Folkloric dancers at the Northwest Jobfest

It was in January, while sitting in our monthly gathering of African American pastors, that God stirred in my heart to help plan this year’s Fair. Little did I know that it would take practically every waking moment—tons of emotional and spiritual energy—not only on my part, but also a huge commitment on the part of Anthony, my supportive husband, plus several part-time assistants and a dedicated team representing seven of the ten churches in our target area. This was not just a job fair, but also an empowerment initiative, with a goal both to employ  this underemployed community as well as to tap often overlooked leaders and assets in a blighted community--to create hope and resurrection… a glimpse of the kingdom of God on earth amidst broken lives. Because this community was once a thriving African American professional business disrict, our theme verse is:

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” Isaiah 58:12, 

In Phase 1, from April to July several of the ten churches in our target geographic hosted survey orientations. We talked with 150 of the residents, business owners and more, asking them about their dreams and concerns for the area…and if they wanted to help plan the Fair. In Phase II, the planning team that emerged met fifteen times at New Hope Church, on N. Fair Oaks—around the corner from Tremont, the street we closed to host the Fair. This demonstrated our commitment to restore “streets of hope.”

Our North Fair Oaks team!

We are now launching Phase III, with a passionate team committed to addressing common concerns—slowing traffic, curbing crime, creating more parking—and strengthening the businesses, our staff, more technical support and the relational network needed for this work.

Your Help is Needed! You may be part of my regular support team that has faithfully given for years… thank you!! Right now my support brings in about $1,000 a month--$2,000 per month shy of what is needed to effectively accomplish this work.   Our world today is divided—the left and right—with few places to build bridges of love and understanding. Anthony and I will go to Peru in January to be a part of a world conference of Quakers, with a goal to find common ground between Evangelical and liberal Quakers. This Christmas I invite you to give and also set up monthly giving that will support the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative, traveling in the ministry to Peru, and my work of organizing churches around issues that affect the most vulnerable (including permanent housing for the 500 people still living on Pasadena’s streets and the 26,000 households in Pasadena on the waiting list for affordable housing).  Contact: Missions Door 2530 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80205 Phone: 303-308-1818 www.missionsdoor.org/missionary/shook-jill/ Jill Shook & Anthony Manousos 1628 N. Fair Oaks, Pasadena CA 91104 Jill@makinghousinghappen.com Jill’s Phone: 626-675-1316 Top of Form Bottom of Form

Some 2015 Highlights

January and February: Completed Jill's book Justicia y Vivienda. Another book “baby” is born!

March: Mexico City for a gathering of Quaker religious leaders called Friends World 

Quakers at the Diego Rivera Mural during the FWCC gathering in Mexico City

Committee for Consultation and an immigration fieldtrip at Casa de Los Amigos. What a joy to connect with un-programmed and Evangelical Friends throughout Latin America!

May: Anthony graduated from the Stillpoint, with a certificate in spiritual direction. We hosted ReconciliAsian, with a focus on creation care, giving tours of our “green” home.

June: Anthony completed the second editions of Transformative Friends and his sci-fi novel Relics of America and 

Anthony receives his certificate as a Spiritual Director

continues to serve as clerk of Pacific Yearly Meeting Peace Committee.

Jill gave two day-long retreats on housing justice for Habitat for Humanity Colorado and for pastors and city leaders in Broomfield, CO. She returns in February.

Reconciliasian

July: Jamaal Dominique Hopkin lectured on the “Dead Sea Scrolls and the untold story of Africans in the Bible.” This church outreach, with a Mustard Seed matching grant yielded $3,000 for the NW Jobfest. With your help, plus sixteen $100 Gold Sponsors from N. Fair Oaks churches and business, and $5,000 given by the city of Pasadena, over $15,000 was raised for the Fair!!

Jill “escaped” with her mom, Donna, to Santa Fe, NM. They had a blast staying in an adobe guest house (built in 1850) at the Quaker Meeting house, and visiting tons of inspiring art galleries. 

August: We spent a week in San Diego for Bible study and spiritual renewal at a monastery, saw cousins and friends, & sailed on the Golden Rule, refurbished by Veterans for Peace! 

September: We celebrated our fourth anniversary at the Riviera Motel in Malibu, one of our favorite dumpy and funky places. We renewed our wedding vows at Getty Villa, where Anthony first proposed to Jill.

October: Anthony attended the Parliament of the World's Religions in Salt Lake City with 10,000 religious leaders.

November: While Anthony attended the Friends Committee on National Legislation Quaker Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. (a spiritual highlight!), Jill attended the Christian Community Development Conference in Memphis, TN, co-leading two affordable housing workshops.

Stillpoint Graduation

A family of hat lovers!

Dancing at the 100th birthday party  of Vic Heirendt  (Jill's sister's husband's father)

Hard workers at the Northwest Jobfest

With Pastor Henry Sideropoulos and Pastor Jean Burch

A family at the Jobfest in front of Mobile Employment Unit

With my interfaith friends at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Salt Lake City

Our dear friend Christi Zamani took this picture of us looking chic

African dignitary who came to our Jobfest

Seeing the Face of Jesus During Advent

Every Advent I look for the coming of Christ, and I usually find him among the poor and the vulnerable. I have seen his wrinkled but radiant face in the elderly and sick when I have gone out caroling to shut-ins and at nursing homes and hospitals. I have found him at homeless meals, especially when I have sat down and talked to my brothers and sisters who live on the streets. I felt his presence tonight at All Saints Church in Pasadena when attending the memorial service for the homeless who died in our city. And I heard a chorus of angels sing along with him when Jill and I attended Handel's Messiah, sung by homeless folk and the best musicians in LA at the Midnight Rescue Mission on Skid Row (see http://streetsymphony.org/event/project-messiah/). 

This year I am looking forward with eager expectation to the hotmeal Christmas gathering at Walteria United Methodist Church. That's when I will celebrated Christmas with Melissa and Shaun, a homeless couple that I have written about many times in my blogs. See http://laquaker.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-christmas-gift.html

Kathleen, Melissa, Shaun and me at Walteria UMC in 2006

Since my wife Kathleen of blessed memory(a Methodist pastor) passed away of cancer seven years ago, I've been determined to help Melissa get housed.  Because of a congenital disease called endofibromitosis, Melissa is legally blind, moves about in a wheelchair, and receives $900 a month SSI. When Kathleen died, she and her boyfriend Shaun were living on the streets of Torrance because the $900 a month she receives from SSI isn't enough to pay for rent,  much less food and other necessities. 

Naively, I thought it would be easy to get Melissa housed.I figured all I need to do was pay the first and last month rent and supplement their income,  but no landlord in Torrance would take them in because of their low income and lack of employment.

Six years ago, they were able to move into a "cheap" motel that charged $40 a night--$1200 per month. This place rents some rooms by the hour, and is a haven for prostitutes , but it was all they could afford. I should add that Melissa and Shaun  are both Christians and don't drink or do drugs. They have lived by faith and panhandling.

In 2008 Melissa applied for  Section 8 housing and was placed on the waiting list, but it took seven years for them to get a voucher--which  is not an unusually long waiting period.

When  voucher  came through in October, 2014, we were overjoyed, Christians  from two local churches began working hard to help her to locate possible places to live., It was a frustrating experience due to lack of handicapped accessible Section 8 housing.  In March her voucher was about to expire.

We despaired, and then we prayed, Then a miracle happened.

Jee-hye (the spouse of a Korean pastor) and Roy Currence (elder in the Wateria United Methodist Church)  made an appointment to meet with Patrick Furey,  the Mayor of Torrance on March 2. (The voucher was due to expire on March 3, and Melissa would then have to reapply and wait another seven years.)  They brought a petition with over 100 signatures from two churches and asked the Mayor to help Melissa to get an extension on her voucher. 

The Mayor was very sympathetic and took a liking to Melissa, who is as sweet as her name ("honeybee" in Greek) implies. Sitting in her wheelchair and smiling with her big blue eyes, Melissa is hard to resist. 

"I'd like to help," said the Mayor, with genuine regret. "But Section 8 is a federal program and I am a city official. There's nothing I can do."

"There is something you can do, Mr Mayor," said Roy Currence calmly and firmly, Roy is a retired engineer and an elder in Walteria Methodist Church. "You have the power of your office. You can go to the Section 8 office and ask for help."

Roy's calmness is hard to resist, so the Mayor did as requested and found a sympathetic official who agreed to extend Melissa's voucher indefinitely. Yes, indefinitely. This almost never happens. We considered this a miracle.

Despite intervention by the Mayor and a Higher Power, it took five more months and a lot of work to find a handicapped accessible unit in Torrance that would accept Melissa.  Finally, on August 15, a blind man moved out of a first floor unit at an apartment complex, which then became available. On August 15  Melissa was finally able to move in and had a safe, affordable home for the first time in her life. 

What a difference this home has meant for her! She no longer has to panhandle. She no longer calls me in quiet desperation and says, "I'm going to be out on the street in five days. Will you pray for me?"  She can finally live a life with dignity!

To express our gratitude, we invited the Mayor to come to Walteria United Methodist Church, reconnect with Melissa and receive a certificate of appreciation from our Church this Saturday.

Jill and I are looking forward to this special day when, I'm sure, the angels in heaven will be rejoicing and Jesus will be smiling so big it will light up the room.

Can we afford to live sustainably? The case for carbon fees

Because of the Northwest Jobfest, I haven't had time to post for over a month, but now that it's over and was a huge success, I have time to write (and breathe) again. 

A year ago, we sent you "Green Christmas" greetings and shared  that we had "greened" our lifestyle by installing solar panels and a gray water system, purchasing a plug-in hybrid Chevet Volt, and replacing our lawn with decomposed granite, mulch and a drip watering system. This seems like a good time to evaluate this experiment. 

I have also been inspired by a presentation given by Devorah Brous at ICUJP this Friday morning. Devorah is the executive director of Netiya, a group that does interfaith gardens and advocates for food justice. Devorah and I are kindred spirits who have been made similar efforts to green our homes and grow fruits and vegetables. She and her husband even raises chickens like Jill and me!

Before waxing rhapsodic about the joys of green living, let's talk about the bottom line. This year we cut our water bill in half, saving around $500. We also cut our electric bill in half, saving $600. We actually saved twice that because half of our electricity went to power our Volt. We would have saved $1200 if we didn't have an electric car. Our car used around 2200 kwh to drive 10,000 miles. If we had a typical American car that averages 25 mpg at $3 per gallon, we would have paid $1200 for gasoline to drive 10,000 miles. So we saved $1200 in gasoline expenses. (We average 85 mpg on our Volt.) Finally, because we no longer have a lawn, our gardener comes only once a month and we saved $600 in gardening fees. Total savings: $2900. Not bad.

But we are still paying for dirty energy by purchasing 2500 kwh from our utility company.   Pasadena Power and Light publishes each year a "Power Content Label" so customers can know how their energy is produced (see below). Pasadena has increased the amount of electricity produced by renewable sources from 1% in 2004 to 28% in 2014, but over half of Pasadena's electricity is still produced by dirty coal and gas, and none by solar. We have a long way to go; and unfortunately, the City is locked into a contract with coal (the dirtiest energy source) that will last until 2027, which is shameful. 

However, Pasadena Power and Light allows customers to buy 100% renewable energy for 2.5 cents extra per kilowatt hour through a program called Green Power. To purchase 2200 kwh would cost us $55 extra per year. We plan to pay that amount in the upcoming year so we can be 100% renewable in electric usage for our home and car. 

Pasadena's Green Power Program made me realize that the cost of using 100% renewable energy is not prohibitive. To power a typical home takes around 5000 kwh per year, so the additional cost would be only $110 extra per year. Green energy costs only 10% more than than dirty energy.

Think of it. Only $110 to use 100% clean energy. Most Americans spend more than that per month on dining out!

Even though it isn't cost prohibitive, only 400 Pasadenans take advantage of this program. That's probably because it isn't well known and publicized. Moreover, most people are too busy or too lazy to change, unless there is an incentive to do so.

So how would we incentivize Americans to make this planet-saving choice? 

We know that the incentive program for turf removal worked far better than anyone expected due to the "Keep up with the Jones" effect. As people saw their neighbors replace their lawns with water-wise landscaping, they rushed to do likewise. The same thing could happen if there were more incentives to go green.

Climate scientist James Hansen and the Citizen Climate Lobby have proposed the right kind of incentive: a carbon fee. Charge oil and gas companies a fee that slowly rises each year. This fee is not a tax since it is given back to each citizen each year in the form of a check. People can spend this green dividend as they wish, but most will use it to buy renewable energy or energy-efficient cars and products since it will be cost effective. Economists estimate that the United States would cut its carbon emissions by 30% in a decade using this approach. 

This carbon fee and dividend approach is being used in British Columbia, Canada, and is apparently working. 

Over the past six years, the per-person consumption of fuels [in British Columbia] has dropped by 16% (although declines levelled off after the last tax increase in 2012). During that same period, per-person consumption in the rest of Canada rose by 3%. “Each year the evidence becomes stronger and stronger that the carbon tax is driving environmental gains,” says Stewart Elgie, an economics professor at University of Ottawa and head of Sustainable Prosperity, a pro-green think-tank. At the same time, BC’s economy has kept pace with the rest of the country. See http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2014/07/british-columbias-carbon-tax

Since a carbon fee doesn't go to the government but is returned to people, it is appealing to conservatives who dislike taxes and want a  smaller government. This approach also appeals to conservatives since it is market-driven.. People can choose how they want to spend their energy dividend.

This approach appeals to liberals because low-income people will receive the same amount as the rich, but use a lot less energy. It will therefore benefit them more, proportionately.

Our experiment in green living convinces us that we can afford to live sustainably now. We just have to convince the government to do the right thing and make fossil fuel companies pay a fee for the environmental damage they are causing. Then let consumers decide if they want to live in a sustainable world. Most will make the right choice.

By the way, I don't want to end without mentioning the joys of living green. Driving a car powered by the sun, a car as silent as a Quaker meeting, is a great joy. Eating delicious fruit--oranges and figs and persimmons and apricots and peaches and dates--watered by recycled water from one's home is another joy. Living in harmony with mother earth is one of the purest joys I know. Taste and see for yourself how good it is to live green!

• POWER CONTENT LABEL

  PWP wants its customers to make informed choices about the energy they buy. The Power Content Label is an annual report that shows from which sources your electricity was generated during the previous calendar year. For comparison, the Power Content Label also provides the most recent supply content breakdown for the statewide power mix (as reported by the California Energy Commission).
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  2014 Power Supply Content

  ENERGY RESOURCES	2014 PWP POWER MIX3(Actual)	2014 PWP GREEN POWER MIX4 (Actual)	2014 CA POWER MIX2 (for comparison)
  Eligible Renewable Total	28%	100%	20%
  - Biomass & Waste	19%	19%	3%
  - Geothermal	2%	2%	4%
  - Eligible Hydroelectric	0%	0%	1%
  - Solar	0%	9%	4%
  - Wind	7%	70%	8%
  Coal	48%	0%	6%
  Large Hydroelectric	4%	0%	6%
  Natural Gas	8%	0%	45%
  Nuclear	7%	0%	9%
  Unspecified Sources of Power1	5%	0%	14%
  TOTAL	100%	100%	100%

  1. “Unspecified sources of power” means electricity from transactions that are not traceable to specific generation sources.
  2. Percentages are estimated annually by the California Energy Commission (CEC) based on the electricity sold to California consumers during the previous year.  
  3. "PWP Power Mix" represents all sources of energy procured by PWP and provided to all customers (including Green Power Program customers). 
  4. Additional resources procured to achieve the 100% renewable power supply for the Green Power Program include solar and wind resources.

  ALL PERCENTAGES ARE ROUNDED.

PWP Power Mix 2007-2014

Calendar Year	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Eligible Renewable Total	8%	8%	9%	16%	24%	24%	27%	28%
- Biomass & Waste	5%	6%	5%	8%	13%	14%	16%	19%
- Geothermal	1%	1%	2%	2%	1%	3%	7%	2%
- Eligible Hydroelectric	<1 nbsp="" td="">	1%	1%	<1 nbsp="" td="">	2%	5%	1%	0%
- Solar	<1 nbsp="" td="">	<1 nbsp="" td="">	<1 nbsp="" td="">	<1 nbsp="" td="">	<1 nbsp="" td="">	<1 nbsp="" td="">	<1 td="">	0%
- Wind	1%	1%	1%	6%	8%	2%	3%	7%
Coal	65%	60%	61%	54%	56%	44%	52%	48%
Large Hydroelectric	7%	6%	5%	4%	4%	4%	5%	4%
Natural Gas	15%	20%	18%	13%	7%	13%	5%	8%
Nuclear	5%	6%	6%	6%	6%	7%	7%	7%
Unspecified Sources of Power1	N/A1	N/A1	N/A1	7%	3%	8%	4%	5%
TOTAL	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

1. The CEC accounting treatment for Unspecified Sources of Power was revised in 2010. Through 2009, energy from Unspecified Sources was allocated to each of the listed energy resource categories based on the applicable California Power Mix.  

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What is the Power Content Label?
A. The Power Content Label is an annual report that shows the various sources used to supply your electricity. For comparison, the Power Content Label also provides the most recent supply content breakdown for the statewide power mix.
Q. What is the difference between “PWP Power Mix" and “PWP Green Power”?
A. “PWP Green Power” is the energy provided to customers enrolled in the PWP Green Power program. The “PWP Power Mix” is the energy provided to all of PWP's customers, including those enrolled in the Green Power program, and comes from a variety of sources.
Q. Why sign up for Green Power if renewable resources are already in the “PWP Power Mix”?
A. As more customers sign up for Green Power, PWP will be able to increase investment in renewable sources and decrease the purchases from fossil fuel sources. Sign up for the Green Power Mix here.
Q. Why don't the numbers seem to add up?
A. For simplicity in this report, we've rounded the percentages shown to whole numbers.
Q. Why is the Power Content Label no longer published quarterly?
A. On October 11, 2009, the Governor signed Assembly Bill 162 which made changes to how electric utilities report their PCL, including changing the reporting requirements from quarterly to annually. Also, posting the PCL on the web (instead of a sending a print mailing) fulfills publishing requirements.