Women of the Year: Mary Stamp has spread the words of faith through the Fig Tree

The name Mary Stamp, founder of the Fig Tree newspaper, is synonymous with religious news in the Spokane area. She has dedicated decades of her life to bringing forward ecumenical stories about houses of worship and faith leaders, doing everything from writing stories and laying out the pages.

Several local residents nominated Stamp for the Woman of the Year title, praising the work that she has done and her dedication to the community.

The Fig Tree shares stories about the good work being done in the faith community, retired professor Morag Stewart said.

“It lifts up those who are continuously working for the common good by featuring their efforts,” Stewart wrote in her nomination. “It unifies communities of faith through an unbiased approach that is all inclusive.”

Stamp deserves recognition for her work in the faith community, Stewart wrote. “Few Spokane residents have contributed as much to the overall betterment of the region as Mary Stamp has,” she wrote. “She is constantly profiling the good work of others.”

Stamp grew up in Rochester, New York, until her family moved to Eugene when she was 14. Her father was a United Church of Christ minister and her mother was a writer, which helped spark Stamp’s love of the written word.

“My mother did newsletters and she worked for the Post Standard a little bit,” Stamp said.

Her faith was deepened by an experience she had in a yearlong study program through the World Council of Churches in 1969, when she lived and studied with people from 40 different countries. “It was really powerful,” she said.

She studied journalism at the University of Oregon and did freelance work at various newspapers in Astoria, Oregon, and Fresno, California. When she moved to Tekoa in Eastern Washington, she worked for the weekly Standard Register, writing stories and selling ads. “In order to be paid anything, I had to sell ads,” she said. “That was crossing the great divide.”

A friend she knew who was part of the Spokane Christian Coalition, which later became the Spokane Council of Ecumenical Ministries, suggested that the organization partner with Stamp. It was Stamp, in partnership with Holy Names Sister Bernadine Casey, who suggested starting a newspaper.

“I came up with it, and I pitched it to them,” she said. “We founded the Fig Tree on basically nothing. It was an independent newspaper about people making a difference living their faith and values.”

The Fig Tree separated from the Council of Ecumenical Ministries in 2000 and became a nonprofit organization. In 2007, Stamp took over publication of the annual resource directory meant to be a one-stop shop that lists nonprofit organizations and churches in the area so people can find the resources they need.

Stamp said her goal has always been to build understanding between faiths and to help them work together. She wants to spark reflection and dialogue as well as inspire people to be hopeful.

“What we’ve been doing in a sense is media education,” she said. “We model a unique way of doing media. We connect diverse people to instill respect and help people listen to each other.”

She said too often the mainstream media is run by corporations that dwell on sensationalism and entertainment, but she wants the Fig Tree to be different. “We need to use the freedom and power of media responsibly,” she said. “Imagine what a different society we could have if people believed they could make a difference.”

When she was studying journalism in college, it was drilled into her that in order to be objective, she must present both sides of an issue. “That’s where it failed,” she said. “There aren’t two sides to each issue. There’s multiple points of view.”

The Fig Tree is published every month from September to June. Each issue is between 12 and 16 pages.

People seem to enjoy the news that Stamp and her reporters present, she said.

“I think people are hungry, they’re hungry for hope and solutions,” she said.

The Rev. Gary Jewell, who has served several churches in the area, has known Stamp for 30 years. He also serves on the Fig Tree board of directors.

“Mary has been a passionate and dedicated reporter whose reporting comes from a solutions-based perspective,” he wrote in his nomination. “Mary’s approach to journalism reminds people of faith and of good will that there are many everyday people in our world working to make a positive difference for the common good.”

Kaye Hult, a longtime Fig Tree volunteer, said Stamp also works hard to put out the annual Resource Directory, a guide to congregations and community resources, and organize the annual Eastern Washington Legislative Conference.

“Mary has a strong integrity and deep faith,” Hult wrote in her nomination. “Her word, and the information she shares, are trustworthy and therefore deeply appreciated.”

Stamp has been running the Fig Tree for 40 years and plans to keep doing it as long as she can. “When I sit down with people and I interview them and they tell me their story, I’m like, ‘Wow, they’ve given me a gift,’ ” she said. “I love doing the interviews and love meeting people. I love teaching the interns this style of reporting.”