Marilynne Mueller was featured in first issue of Fig Tree

Marilynne Mueller was featured in the first issue of The Fig Tree with her husband, Jerry, and other members of Shalom United Church of Christ, Spokane.

They were performing a play called, "Alice in Blunderland." In 1984, we performed the play, "Alice in Wonderland," a spoof aimed at educating the community about the dangers of a limited nuclear war polluting the country and the planet, making survival unlikely.

"Alice in Blunderland" was a story about how some people felt there was nothing to worry about, but other people were trying to warn them. The play asked about how to know what is true.

"We have to deal with that today," said Marilynne. "We felt people needed to educate themselves and find out how they felt about nuclear war. The Fig Tree helped promote some of the performances, which we did at churches and colleges. Many attended."

"Everybody in our church was involved, from the little children to the grandparents," she said.

"I can't take care of all the problems in the world, but I can do something to be involved in personally. We still worry about all the things we aren't involved in. What's good about The Fig Tree is it shows us that there are other people working on concerns. I'm not the only one. God has many people doing what they feel needs to be done in this world to give people hope. The Fig Tree helps us see how many people are trying to bring shalom to the whole community.

Marilyn also appreciates the calendar.

"It gives me hope to know that people are trying to take care of the injustices and the things bringing strife to people's lives. I feel we're called to be God's servants. There's plenty of work to do and plenty of ways to get involved.

"Once a month, our church has a special offering to support a different cause, and The Fig Tree is one of those causes.

"The Fig Tree is an important ministry because it shows that many faiths' message is to treat our neighbors as we want to be treated. It helps us see that God works in different ways."