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Interfaith Collaboration Grants

InterfaithCincy, in partnership with A Blessing to One Another, is offering Interfaith Community Engagement Grants. Any Faith community or any faith-based youth group that partners with a faith community or youth group from another faith tradition to work on a community engagement project can apply. To view the grant application, please click here. For Information and application form contact Dr. James Buchanan at A Blessing to One Another at interfaithcincy@gmail.com.

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Skirball Museum Prepares for Multiple Simultaneous Exhibitions

By: Abby Schwartz

Cincinnati, Ohio — The Skirball Museum on the historic Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is bursting at the seams with new exhibitions! Now open in the Mayerson Auditorium gallery is Modern Israeli Art, Mark Podwal Prints, and Recent Gifts. This show features works by Israeli modernists including Mordecai Ardon and Reuven Rubin; prints by Mark Podwal “drawn” from ritual objects in the Skirball’s collection; and recent gifts including works by Marc Chagall and Cincinnati artist Wolfgang Ritschel. This exhibition closes in June of 2024. Opening October 19 with a reception and remarks at 5:30 pm in Mayerson Hall are three complementary exhibitions:

In Eve I Understand, Santa Fe-based fabric artist Ellie Beth Scott engages in a visual interpretation of objects and subject matter in Jewish life with an emphasis on women, who like Eve, the first Woman of Valor, perpetuate devotion and determination in a myriad of ways. Inspired by selected works in the Skirball collection used by women and by practices performed by women, Scott renders richly colored pieces using fabric, thread, paint, buttons, and beads. This exhibition closes on February 4, 2024.
In celebration of Israel at 75, ish, whose mission is to create intentional spaces for connection and acceptance through the arts and new-ish rituals rooted in Jewish cultural traditions, brings together four Israeli artists and four Cincinnati artists who each create an original work of art and four additional works that interpret and “re-art” the work of their colleagues. The works respond to the power of women as community builders, organizers, and healers through times of crisis and change. This exhibition closes on February 4, 2024.
After a lengthy closure caused by supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, the galleries devoted to Torah, Life Cycle, and Holidays and Festivals in the Skirball’s core collection, An Eternal People: The Jewish Experience, are once again open with new cases, new signage, and ritual objects from the B’nai B’rith Klutznick Collection that have never been on view before. Old favorites are seen in a whole new light, literally and figuratively. This grand reopening is made even more meaningful by the opportunity to bring Ellie Beth Scott’s discerning eye to several objects of material culture displayed in these newly installed galleries and other parts of the Skirball’s core collection.

The Skirball is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 am to 3 pm and Sundays, 1 to 4 pm, or by appointment. Contact awheeler@huc.edu, call 513.487.3231, or visit our website, https://csm.huc.edu.

6th Annual Cincinnati Festival of Faiths

By Chip Harrod

Cincinnati, Ohio – In the afternoon of Sunday, August 27th, nearly 2,000 people came together to learn more about and celebrate our community’s rich religious diversity. They did so as participants in EquaSion’s 6th Annual Cincinnati Festival of Faiths, held at Xavier’s Cintas Center.

That “religious diversity” took the form of three dozen faith traditions representing 14 world religions contributing to the Festival’s amazing array of exhibitors, vendors, sponsors, and program participants. Imagine a trade show-like exhibition of religious and faith-based groups, more than 70 of them, manning table displays sharing information about their organization to interested attendees. “What are your beliefs, how do you worship, how do you celebrate your major holidays?”

The customary opening of the Festival was again an Interfaith Devotional Observance in which numerous spiritual leaders offered prayers on the Festival’s theme of “Compassion through Action: Dwelling Together in Peace and Justice.” Complementing the dynamic floor exhibition were a diverse group of ethnic entertainers performing throughout the afternoon, a children’s “Peace, Love, Play” area, three engaging sessions related to EquaSion’s on-going programs (Faith Communities Go Green, A Mighty Stream racial justice initiative, and Compassionate Conversations), and to the culinary delight of the attendees free food prepared and served, once again, by our Sikh community.

Mayor Aftab Pureval offered greetings from the City of Cincinnati and Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney served as a celebrity emcee.

This year’s Festival continued beyond the initial exhibition with on-line programming the following three days culminating in a first ever interfaith Peace Walk in Ault Park on the evening of August 31st.

Presiding over Festival Week and serving as Honorary Co-Chairs were Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, Rabbi Gary Zola, Achary Kailash Sharma, and Shakila Ahmad. The Festival’s co-managers were Afreen Asif and Jan Armstrong Cobb. All of the events of the Festival were designed, organized, and presented by EquaSion’s interfaith team of volunteers.

To learn more about this year’s Festival of Faiths go to the EquaSion website at https://equasion.org/festival-of-faiths/interfaith-celebration/.

EquaSion is a non-profit civic organization grounded in interfaith dialogue that works to promote an inclusive, equitable, compassionate, and just community for everyone.

Department of Energy Grant for Regional Faith Communities

In June the Department of Energy announced a new pilot grant program for nonprofits entitled “Renew America’s Nonprofits.” The Renew America’s Nonprofits program—referred to in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as the Energy Efficiency Materials Pilot Program—will reduce carbon emissions, improve health and safety, and lower utilities costs at buildings owned and operated by 501(c)(3) nonprofits, allowing critical funds to be redirected to mission-focused work. This grant was announced in our last newsletter.

Faith Communities Go Green, a collaborative project between Green Umbrella, the premiere regional environmental collective action nonprofit and EquaSion, the premiere Interfaith nonprofit, assembled a team to attempt to collect all of the information and resources to apply for the grant. The plan was to distribute up to $200,000 each to diverse faith communities that own their own buildings to increase energy efficiency. The larger vision was that this would not only benefit the faith communities by saving money but also impact the communities which they serve.

The Biden administration has initiated a new dimension for many of their federal grant programs called Justice 40 Initiative. Quoting from that initiative: “For the first time in our nation’s history, the Federal Government has made it a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.” Our plan was that 80% would be from the designated Justice 40 areas and that 100% of the grant money would have community benefits for the disadvantaged and marginalized communities in our region.

Once the DOE issued the full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in late June there was less than two months to assemble all the information and to submit the grant which was due on August 3rd . Teams within Green Umbrella and Faith Communities Go Green worked diligently during this period attempting to compile the necessary information as well as working to secure the matching funds necessary (called “cost share” in the FOA). Significant progress was made on a great many fronts. We compiled a list of over 400 faith communities that might be potential candidates to receive the funds. We communicated with a broad range of potential partners who could do the work funded with particular focus on minority and women owned businesses. We contacted numerous organizations who might help with the cost share. And, perhaps most importantly, we began the formulating an overall vision of how a grant such as this might act as a catalyst to use faith communities as conduits that would help educate communities, particularly underserved, disadvantaged communities, about sustainability and to help bring them into the green economy through work force development, energy savings and improved health.

In the end the timeframe given us by the DOE was too short and the informational, administrative and financial requirements were too great. With a little more than a week until the submission deadline for the application, the decision was made by the group that we were not able to submit a grant this year. Ryan Mooney-Bullock, the Executive Director of Green Umbrella has issued a letter to the community, explaining our reasons for not submitting a grant this year but also making it clear that the very productive process we commenced in response to the FOA, will continue with the hope of applying for this next year or for other grants to support this type of work. Here is Mooney-Bullock’s letter to the community:

“Green Umbrella has decided it is not able to reasonably complete a competitive application for the Renew America’s Nonprofits funding opportunity from the Department of Energy. Even with the project team’s extensive efforts, we were not able to pull together all of the details required for the proposal. A huge missing link was commitments for the $750,000 to $1,000,000 in cost share dollars we needed to assure the DOE we could bring to the table. We also recognized the administrative burden the program would place on our organization, and all of the sub-recipients and partners, and did not feel like we could commit the extensive resources needed to comply with all of the requirements laid out in the funding description.

But, this is not the end of this important and growing body of work! We are thrilled with the level of connections, new relationships and opportunities for shared work that have come out of the conversations we have had through this project. We want to keep the momentum going and are in the process of mapping out next steps.

Faith Communities Go Green will be reaching out in the coming weeks with more details on how we can keep this collaborative work moving forward. Some of the specific ideas we have heard that we would love to explore with you are:

- Hosting an open forum for congregations interested in this work to talk and explore other options for funding, and how they can collaborate with each other to advance shared goals.
- Finding ways to connect so FCGG can understand your priorities and needs, and better support you in this work moving forward
- Sharing resources being collected with partners, including women and minority owned businesses that may be good leads for your projects
- Connecting community members with workforce development and apprenticeship programs in the green economy that lead to family-sustaining jobs
- Connecting you with other grant funding and financing options to help get your projects completed to improve the performance and usability of your buildings.”

For all of those reading this who would like to join us as we continue this work please contact us at info@fcgg.org.

Eid ul Adha 2023

Federal Grant Opportunity for Faith Communities in the Tri-State Area that Own Their Building

Renew America’s Nonprofits: A competitive grant from the Department of Energy promoting energy efficiency in nonprofit facilities was recently announced.

Faith communities may qualify for funding for energy efficiency improvements to their house of worship building, provided they own their building and are in the Green Umbrella 10 county Tri-state region. If your faith community does not own its worship facility or is outside the Green Umbrella region, you are not eligible for this program.

Over 40% of the heat trapping pollution in the atmosphere is generated from buildings through burning of fossil fuels. Under this pilot program grant, “Renew America’s Nonprofits”, funding for energy efficiency upgrades in buildings is offered to faith communities for the first time in history by the Department of Energy (DOE).

The Renew America’s Nonprofits grant will cover energy efficiency upgrades such as new roofs, windows, doors, insulation, replacing old lighting systems with LED lighting fixtures, and replacing old heating and cooling systems and ventilation systems with new systems that produce less heat trapping emissions. The grant could offer up to $200,000 to each faith community for upgrades in energy efficiency. In addition to lowering a building’s heat trapping emissions, retrofitting a building with energy efficient products can lower the facilities’ utility bills by as much as 30% according to the DOE.

There are three tiers of participation. The Prime-recipient is a nonprofit organization who compiles a portfolio of other nonprofits who need energy efficiency upgrades. Green Umbrella will be the Prime-recipient representing Faith Communities Go Green. The Sub-recipients must be nonprofits that own their buildings, and Partners are the managers, workers, and installers. At least 40% of Sub-recipients and Partners must come from minority / disadvantaged communities, as defined by the Justice 40 designation.

Faith Communities Go Green will select 15 to 20 faith communities representing a diversity of faiths with at least 40% in a Justice 40 district. Faith communities with a Green Team or those that have had an energy audit are encouraged to submit their interest form below to get involved.

If your faith community would be interested, please complete by June 7th, the FCGG grant interest form.

For questions, go to FCGG.org Contact tab and put “General” in the subject line.

If you or your faith community would like to support this effort, donations would be greatly appreciated. To donate, click FCGG.org/donate/. Your dollars will help cover the costs of energy audits for faith communities that cannot afford them.

Faith Communities Go Green partners with religious communities to create a more sustainable and equitable future for all by mobilizing their moral voice to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change.

To learn more and join Faith Communities Go Green,
a Green Umbrella & EquaSion Collaboration,
go to FCGG.org

Interfaith Harmony Camp Has Lasting Impact on Cincinnati Youth

Judy Chamberlain and her husband, Bill, took a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 2010. There, they learned about an interfaith movement called Kids4Peace. Judy was so inspired by what she saw: people of different faiths and backgrounds with plenty of divisions among them coming together to build bridges and create community. She knew Cincinnati needed Kids4Peace. To quote her directly, “There is racism and misunderstanding that lead to myths that build untruths and lead to the development of hate. We could benefit from teaching our kids a different way.” When asked how she got Kids4Peace started she says, “I just started talking to people… to anyone who would listen.” Over time, people did listen like Rabbi Abie Ingber, Rev. Gail Greenwell, Michele Young, Sarah Weis (founder of the Holocaust and Humanity Center), Jackie Congedo of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and nationally recognized Islamic leader Shakila Ahmed, among others. Together with Judy at the helm this interfaith team offered the first Kids4Peace Interfaith Camp in 2016.

Today Kids4Peace in Cincinnati is a year around program committed to developing courageous leaders who work to create more just and inclusive societies. Kids4Peace is doing just that and is set to grow its programming around the city to empower even more kids to create more peace! Their flagship program, Interfaith Harmony Camp, is going strong and will take place this summer from July 31 – Aug. 4th. Kids4Peace expects to see more students involved in camp this year than ever before.

Part of the special sauce is that Kids4Peace strives to be student-led. Last summer’s camp was facilitated by an incredible group of high school students. One leader, Jack Fechter, has been with Kids4Peace since that first summer in 2016. He has attended every camp since and has been on the leadership team throughout his time in high school. He is currently studying international relations at Dickinson College and directly credits Judy and Kids4Peace for how he sees the world now. “When I started at Kids4Peace I had no idea it would change me in the way it has. I don’t think I would see the world the way I do now. I wouldn’t be approaching my life the way I do now if it wasn’t for Judy and Kid4Peace.”

It is not just Jack either. Kids4Peace is starting to see its impact as students graduate high school and explore Kids4Peace related studies. Judy Chamberlain is to thank for all these new young leaders who are entering the work world having been taught that “different way.” That way is one of listening and empathy, of seeing the “other” as partners and friends.

Will you help us honor Judy and Kids4Peace? Please plan to attend the Kids4Peace Potluck on Thursday, August 3rd at St. Barnabas Epsicopal Church (10345 Montgomery Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45242) at 6 p.m. We will hear from kids involved in the week long Interfaith Harmony Camp as well as have some time to honor Judy. To register for the dinner text or email Adam Hayden at 812-430-4464 or ahayden@seedsofpeace.org.

To register for the annual Kids4Peace Interfaith Harmony Camp visit www.seedsofpeace.org/cincycamp

Polarization’s Impact On Our World: What We Can Do

Polarization is fairly recent, right?

Polarization has grown because of recent Presidents and their administrations, correct?

NO – polarization is a complex problem with many sources feeding its growth in our nation. Polarization has been steadily increasing for 40 years.

Americans are aware of how polarized our country is—Democrats, Republicans and Independents seemingly live in separate and divided worlds. The pandemic helped deepen this divide.

There is nothing wrong with disagreement in politics – in fact, it is important for a healthy democracy. The difference today – people tend to trust and associate only with people on their side, intensifying the many divisions between us . . .the difficulty to communicate with each other.

Who is Braver Angels?

Our organization formed in November 2016 to see if we could provide a solution to the growing division in our nation. Braver Angels is a bipartisan, primarily volunteer non-profit working to unify our divided nation. Our roots are in Ohio with the 1^st Red / Blue workshop held in Cincinnati December 2016. The 2^nd Red / Blue workshop, held in Lebanon March 2017, helped form the 1^st Braver Angels Alliance here in southwest Ohio. There are 100 Alliance throughout the USA with three active Alliances in OH. The Greater Cincinnati Alliance and the Southwest OH Alliance serve this area.

What is Braver Angels Mission?

We bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.

By bringing conservative, liberal, and independent Americans together into grassroots working alliances, we build ways to talk to one another, participate together in public life, and influence the direction of our nation. We help Americans understand each other beyond stereotypes and work to reduce discord through workshops, debates, 1:1 Conversations, and local engagement.

What Are Braver Angels Tools?

In October 2021, we received a grant to focus Braver Angels tools and training within a 40-mile radius of Cincinnati. What we soon discovered was there was significant interest and requests coming from civic organizations, educational institutions, businesses, and religious communities.

Braver Angels provides seven Skills & four Discussion Workshops to provide tangible ways to bridge the divide. Workshops have been hosted locally within the Lutheran, Presbyterian and Catholic communities. This has led Braver Angels to launch a national Faith Focused Initiative for our workshops.

EquaSion, a local non-partisan civic organization founded upon interfaith dialogue, hosted Braver Angels Polarization Impact on Your World Workshop in February. This workshop helps participants understand the sources that contribute to the polarization dividing us. With that understanding, we can then focus on how to continue to educate ourselves, build skills, and engage.

What Can We Do?

Polarization’s Impact of Our World – What We Can Do workshop held via Zoom or in-person. For further information, email Beverly Horstman, Ohio Co-Coordinator:

horstman.bev@braverangels.org

Visit the Braver Angels website for workshops, debates: https://braverangels.org/events/list

Braver Angels website: https://braverangels.org

Further additional local events / Alliance meetings, email, Kelly Zimmerman, Community Organizer: kelly@braverangels.org

Fun Sustainability Volunteer Opportunities with FCGG this Spring

The Interfaith Center at Miami University Pursues Strategic Vision

Board members of The Interfaith Center (TIC) at Miami University went through a strategic planning process last Spring (‘22) with Alana Mueller Enterprises, LLC. The center was shut down for over two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the team was wise to utilize this time for vision casting. What emerged was a three year strategic plan, and a new mission statement to unify people through relationship-building, dialogue, and social action. And now, almost all of their goals have been reached in less than one year!

They continued to offer programs online through the pandemic, which grew their Youtube channel to over 600 subscribers and expanded their reach to global audiences.

In August (‘22), they hired Dr. Kerri Cissna to serve as Executive Director of the center (a part-time, contractual role), in addition to her role as Visiting Assistant Professor at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University (where she teaches entrepreneurship classes). She raised a $5,000 Vote is Sacred grant from Interfaith America and attended their Leadership Institute during this first month on the job.

In September, as Miami welcomed students back to campus, TIC reopened to the public and has been offering educational programs in person and online regarding social justice issues, religious and humanistic perspectives, and a variety of community and mental health builders (drum circles, sound baths, and art therapy, etc.).

In November, Global Initiatives at Miami University invited 80 students to the center to learn about religious diversity, pluralism, speed faithing, and interfaith trivia. Four of these students resonated with the mission, and have thus been hired to serve as interns for The Interfaith Center. They organize programs at the center, host online zoom programs, create engaging marketing materials for social media channels, and invite friends to the center programs. Coming from different faith traditions and global perspectives, they bring diverse and creative ideas, hoping to address the current mental health epidemic and meaning crisis.

Please visit the TIC website to see upcoming events that include a monthly Kirtan or drum circle, a series called Painting Pathways to Progress empowering underrepresented voices to explore elected office (regardless of position and/or political affiliation), a variety of faith explorations, and a discernment retreat for those who don’t know what’s next.

TIC is currently looking to hire a program director to help execute our strategic plan, and work with the interns to run the center. This is an exciting time to step into this role, as momentum is building and their team is growing. There is a lot of potential to grow through online programs and in-person gatherings, and find partners to lease out office space.

They are looking to lease some empty office space in their beautiful building to groups or individuals who align with their organizational mission. They currently rent an office space to Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice, which has proven to be an amazing partnership! They are looking for people who need an affordable office space in a prime location (right on the edge of campus and uptown business district). They also have a parking lot! Please help to spread the word about their available office space, so that they can find the right tenants to join them!

And if you know anyone who wants to step into to lead this organization at the cusp of a lot of growth and expansion, please have them email TICprogramdirector@gmail.com.

Written by Dr. Kerri Cissna, Executive Director at The Interfaith Center

Dr. Kerri Cissna, Executive Director at The Interfaith Center

Job Posting: Program Director at The Interfaith Center at Miami University

The Program Director will work with the Board of Trustees to develop and implement new programming within the scope of the center’s mission. The Program Director will also manage the day-to-day front office responsibilities for The Interfaith Center (TIC), and represent the center at all Miami University and Oxford community functions.

Hours: 15-20 hours/week, with some flexibility available in weekly schedule

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree or relevant experience
A desire to work with people from all faith and non-faith perspectives
Strong organization and communication skills
Office management and basic bookkeeping experience
Ability to handle multiple, time-sensitive projects
Communications, social media & marketing skills
Experience with Zoom

Preferred Qualifications:

2-3 years professional experience with nonprofit organizations
Previous experience working closely with a board of trustees
Successful program marketing experience, especially to diverse populations
QuickBooks

Responsibilities:

Develop new in-person and virtual programming in collaboration with the TIC Board of Trustees that engages both the Miami University and Oxford communities, and the global interfaith community through various organizational partnerships
Manage and market all TIC programming to the Miami and Oxford communities
Manage day to day front office responsibilities including: basic recordkeeping and bookkeeping, handling phone calls and emails, and scheduling building repairs
Collaborate with the Oxford Religious Communities Association (RCA), the META Collective (Miami) and other Oxford community organizations to engage Oxford’s faith and non-faith populations
Work on budget and other management needs as they arise, including bill payment
Attend TIC Board of Trustees meetings
Supervise META student interns and volunteers
Engage community donors, manage donor database, fundraise for the annual appeal
Apply for grants and complete grant reporting
Manage communications (social media, website, newsletter)

Other duties as required Experience:

Nonprofit/Interfaith: 1 year (Preferred)
Bookkeeping: 1 year (Preferred)
Marketing: 1 year (Preferred)
Education: Bachelor’s Degree (Preferred)

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $15.00 – $20.00 per hour

Benefits:

Flexible schedule

Applicants should submit their resume to Geneva Blackmer at oxfordinterfaithprograms@gmail.com.