Multifaith educational tool

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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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.

Skirball Museum – Spring Exhibitions

This spring, the Skirball Museum at Cincinnati’s Hebrew Union College will host two new exhibits for public viewing.

Frank Stella: Had Gadya – Frank Stella (b. 1936), the American painter, sculptor, and printmaker noted for his work in the areas of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction, was inspired by a lyrical poem that concludes the traditional Seder, or festive meal, on the Jewish holiday of Passover. Had Gadya (One Little Goat) is one of the earliest recorded children’s songs. Each verse builds on one before it, just as Stella builds on an original 1919 print series by Russian-Jewish avante-garde artist El Lissitzky (1890-1941). Lissitzky, who began his career illustrating Yiddish children’s books, created a print for each stanza of the famous song. Stella encountered these works in 1981 in the Tel Aviv Museum and was profoundly inspired by their movement and vibrancy. A portfolio of the El Lissitzky prints from the Klau Library of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) will be on display along with the Stella prints beginning Thursday, March 23 at 5:30 pm at an opening in Mayerson Hall on the HUC-JIR campus, 3101 Clifton Avenue.

Frank Stella, Then Water Came and Drenched the Fire from Illustrations after El Lissitzky’s Had Gadya, lithography, etching, screen printing, woodcut and linocuts, 58 x 60 in. framed, ed. 47/60, 1984, collection of Elissa Oshinsky

Stella’s large Had Gadya prints use a combination of techniques—lithography, linoleum block, silkscreen, and rubber relief with collage elements and hand-coloring. Learn more at a lecture by exhibition curator Anne Hromadka Greenwald on Thursday, April 13 at 4:30 p.m. and at a lunch-and-learn with Skirball director Abby Schwartz on May 9 at 12 noon. A multi-media virtual presentation with cantorial student Ella Gladstone Martin, who has researched the music of Passover and musical settings of Had Gadya, will take place on June 7 at 7 p.m. Watch the program from home or in the room with the Stella prints.

Beyond Borders: The Art of Siona Benjamin – For almost two decades, Benjamin has been making vibrantly hued intricately detailed transnational art that contemplates immigration, gender, the concept of ‘home’, and the role of art in social change. Descended from the Bene Israel Jewish community whose lore dates them in Asia for 2000 years, her artistic perspective is distinct and unusual. An artist’s reception will take place at the Skirball on Thursday, April 20 at 5:30 p.m.

For information, contact awheeler@huc.edu, call 513.487.3231, or visit the Skirball Museum website, https://csm.huc.edu.

Preserving Your Family History Through Storytelling

Remember the old days when we used reel-to-reel tape recorders to capture someone’s stories for posterity? And there were no video images at all? Luckily for us, 21^st Century cell phone technology gives each of us the opportunity to be a film maker and create compelling videos preserving our family histories.

On Sunday, December 11, 2022, Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati, in partnership with the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, presented a workshop that gave participants all the tools they needed to capture the treasured stories that make a family legacy. Jewish Cemeteries also partnered with Bespoken Live, a local storytelling, story-listening and mindfulness program. The program took place live at the American Jewish Archives in Clifton and streaming online, with over 100 participants combined.

The program focused on the process we can use to elicit stories from our loved ones and the questions we can ask to get our family members talking freely. The goal was to learn how to preserve important moments in people’s lives that speak to who they are. The experience included a brief demonstration and the chance for all participants, both live and online, to practice interviewing and recording techniques in small groups.

The innovative program was facilitated by Joey Taylor, Director of Bespoken Live. For the demonstration portion of the program, Taylor interview Sandy Kaltman, one of the program committee members and an Emerita Trustee of Jewish Cemeteries, in addition to holding many other volunteer roles in Cincinnati. Kaltman is the daughter of survivors of the Holocaust and related part of her story growing up in Cincinnati and how her parents’ experiences had an impact on her life.

Joey Taylor (right) interviews Sandy Kaltman (left)

Having witnessed a compelling interview, for which Jewish Cemeteries is indebted to Kaltman and Taylor, program attendees were able to practice the interviewing skills in small groups.

Jewish Cemeteries assists hundreds of people a year doing genealogy research, through its online searchable database of the 35,000 burials in its 25 cemeteries and providing access to it 200-years-worth of archival documents. Jewish Cemeteries organized this program as a follow-up to a program in January 2022 that focused on the core aspects of genealogical research, which usually involves primary documents, such as census reports. Knowing that documents often only tell part of the story, and do not preserve the rich texture and color of personal stories, Jewish Cemeteries wanted to create a “part 2” to the earlier program and teach people the other half of genealogy research.

Offered in celebration of Cincinnati’s Jewish Bicentennial, this community program wrapped up more than a year of programming from Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati around the Bicentennial. Topics have included death and funeral customs in the Jewish faith and in other faiths and researching genealogy. In addition to The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, other partnering organizations are Bespoken Live, Cincinnati Public Library, equaSion, Hamilton County Genealogical Society, Over the Rhine Museum and the Judaic Studies Department of the University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences.

The program was recorded and is available for viewing on Jewish Cemeteries’ website: www.jcemcin.org.

Faith Communities Go Green had a fantastic second year.

Faith Communities Go Green had a fantastic second year. We are thankful for the hundreds of participants in our FCGG webinars, field trips, and advocacy actions this year. Over 25 active “Green Teams” in area congregations, representing many different faith communities, are working together to make our world better.
The Advocacy Working Group has kept us up to date reporting on pressing state legislative environmental justice issues. Ohio’s Legislature passed a blizzard of bills during the December
lame duck session sending bills to Governor DeWine to sign or veto. These bills may still be on his desk when you receive this newsletter.

Sub HB 458 adds new hurdles to voting in Ohio.
HB 570 requires oil and gas leases on Ohio’s public lands, bypassing normal review and public comment.

You can contact Governor DeWine using the email form at http://governor.ohio.gov/contact.

Please fill out a separate email for each bill on which you are recommending the Governor’s signature or veto. For more information about the bills, reach out to our FCGG Advocacy leaders at http://www.fcgg.org/contact/

The Facilities Working Group will be hosting a free zoom webinar to give you the opportunity to hear stories from three people who succeeded in getting solar installations on their religious facilities. Learn how they did it, how much it cost , where the money came from, when they will see the return on their investment, how they got their congregation to support the idea, and how much CO2 emissions will be reduced by their effort. Bring your questions and curiosity to:
You Too Can Put Solar on Your House of Worship
Zoom webinar at 7 pm, January 31 st , 2023
Check FCGG.org for the announcement and registration coming soon.
The Education & Lifestyles Working Group hosted a virtual webinar featuring local Sierra Club advocate, Marilyn Wall, on December 15, 2022. Marilyn presented a stirring presentation on
the environmental justice concerns affecting residents who live in the neighborhoods surrounding the CFL Steel Company (known as AK Steel). She discussed ways faith communities can get involved, from advocacy and letter writing to the deployment of handheld air monitoring device and pollution tracking. If you or your faith community are interested in helping with this local environmental injustice, contact FCGG at http://www.fcgg.org/contact/. You can watch a video of the presentation HERE.

To receive updates from the working group leaders, complete the join form HERE. Check the boxes of the working groups that interest you. For more “Green Team” and Working Group updates, check the FCGG Facebook page HERE.

The Faith Community Go Green Leaders wish you a wonderful holiday season and the best in the new year, 2023.

IJPC Educates Through the Strategic Nonviolence for Peace Advocacy Certificate Program

One question that perplexes those interested in advocating for a more just and equitable world is, “how exactly do we go about creating change?” The list of injustices is long and ever-evolving. IJPC believes that nonviolence is the key to creating long lasting and sustainable change. Unfortunately, in a society steeped in violence, misconceptions about nonviolence abound.

For instance, nonviolence is often mistaken for passivity or it is portrayed as cowardly. In reality, nonviolence entails courageously facing institutions of injustice. Another misconception is that nonviolent action is “easy” and requires little to no planning. Studies have shown that some of the most successful nonviolent actions and movements have emphasized careful planning and strategy. Peace education is vital to debunking these misconceptions. Additionally, peace education provides those seeking to create change with the tools to challenge institutions of oppression.

In order to meet the need for peace education, the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center (IJPC) is excited to offer our Strategic Nonviolence for Peace Advocacy certificate program for the second time. This five session program provides participants with a broad overview of the philosophy, theory, and practicalities of nonviolence. On the theoretical side, participants gain a deeper understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.’s principles on nonviolence. Participants also explore the concepts underlying strategic nonviolence and are introduced to research that explains why strategic nonviolence works.

On the practical side, participants are introduced to tools that aid in communicating nonviolently, de-escalating conflict and tension before violence erupts, intervening to stop harassment and bullying. They also learn the importance of careful and strategic planning and are introduced to analytical tools that can aid in the planning of a nonviolent direct action. Finally, attendees learn how to care for themselves in order to ensure they can continue justice work for the long term.

We know the program has been valuable to those who have completed the series. As one participant in the certificate program stated, “I will use all of the content from this workshop while working with students this year. This has been the most useful workshop that I’ve ever attended.”

For those interested in participating in the virtual program, please register here: Strategic Nonviolence for Peace Advocacy certificate program. Participants can sign up for one session or all five. For questions, contact Naiomi Gonzalez, naiomi@IJPCcincinnati.org.

Dates:

Session 1: Philosophy of Peace

Tues. Feb 7, 6:00-8:00 PM EST

Session 2: People Power

Tues. Feb 21, 6:00-8:00 PM EST

Session 3: Peace in Practice

Tues. March 7, 6:00-8:30 PM EST

Session 4: Interpersonal Communication

Tues. March 21, 6:00-8:30 PM EST

Session 5: Sustaining Ourselves

Tues. April 4, 6:00-8:00 PM EST

Faith Communities Go Green Marks Earth Day with Action

At our Earth Day booth, we brought together voices from many faiths to tell our Ohio state legislators that we care about Ohio legislation that impacts our environment. We are stronger when we work together. Just as a single fiber is easily broken, weaving the fibers together forms a strong thread or rope. So it is with Faith Communities Go Green (FCGG). By weaving together all the different faiths in our region, we become one strong voice for a just and sustainable environment.

At our booth, visitors of all faiths signed nearly 100 post cards asking legislators to vote in favor of two bills: HB 351 and HB 450.

HB 351 reverses the utility charges that unjustly burden low-income Ohioans. The bill will stop charging all Ohioans for obsolete, inefficient, polluting coals plants. Utility companies will continue to charge Ohioans $85 million extra each year to cover the cost to maintain these outdated plants, unless the Ohio house passes HB 351. HB 351 has bipartisan support but is stalled in committee.

HB 450 expands solar development for a cleaner, more diversified electric grid reducing harmful emissions and improving air quality. It encourages solar development on “distressed” brownfield sites and enables low-income Ohioans to take advantage of the cost-saving benefits of solar electricity. This legislation will result in much-needed jobs for communities struggling amidst the energy transition.

For tips on how to find your legislator, visit our website advocacy page at FCGG.org/advocacy/.

At our booth we also shared news about two new FCGG events in May. Both events give tools to help every congregation take better care of the environment. Working together, we will increase our impact.

1) If you have interest in gardening, supporting pollinating insects, and creating healthy soil that absorbs CO2, this program will provide new information on why and how to make your grounds more sustainable. In an event titled Sacred Grounds, three experts will share care tips via zoom on May 16^that 7 pm. Use your new knowledge for your congregational and your residential grounds.

2) Attend an in-person tour of house of worship facility to learn how a local congregation achieved net zero carbon emissions. Find out how they organized, found funding, and gained support from nearly all their congregational members. The tour will take place at Mt Auburn Presbyterian Church, May 22^nd from 2:00 to 3:30pm, registration is required. (https://greenumbrella.org/event-4777710)

Visit our amazing, new, informational, website at FCGG.org/

There you will find success stories, resources, event registrations, and tools you can use to make your congregation greener. Learn how and why it is so important to form a green team in your congregation. Please fill out our brief, 7 question, survey at FCGG.org/survey/. Your answers to our survey questions provide guidance on how we can better serve our regions diverse faith communities. JOIN US to receive action alerts and news.

Faith Communities Go Green is brought to you by Green Umbrella and EquaSion.

Prayer and purpose: Cincinnati’s interfaith vigil for Ukraine bolstered unity and aid

On Sunday evening, March 27, hundreds gathered in-person at Christ Church Cathedral and online for an interfaith vigil for peace in Ukraine co-sponsored by EquaSion. In collaboration with the charity organizations Matthew 25: Ministries and Cincy4Ukraine, attendees were encouraged to donate clothing items or money for the people of Ukraine. 29 different faith organizations representing eight world religions supported and publicized the event.

The vigil program included first-person accounts from Ukrainians interwoven with prayers from faith leaders across the region and followed by beautiful musical numbers. Nazly Mamedova, a Ukrainian American attorney, narrated war experiences from Ukrainians, revealing atrocities and heartache mixed with glimpses of pride and hope. Each told by different people, the five stories reflected the perspectives of a child, mother, father, post-invasion emails from residents of Cincinnati’s Sister City Kharkiv, and those praying for all who have died in the war.

Faith representatives, Dean Owen Thompson, Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas Sr., Sasha Naiman, Inayat K. Malik, M.D, Chief Priest Acharya Kailash Sharma, Deacon John Gerke, and Bishop Wayne Smith, spoke after each Ukrainian account and offered wisdom and prayers. Representing Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism, each had messages of unity, responsibility, love for one another, and the importance of working together for peace and justice.

L-R: Nazly Mamedova, Ukrainian American Attorney, Cincy4Ukraine; Inayat K. Malik, M.D., Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati; Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas Sr., Second Episcopal District, CME Church; Bishop William Smith, Diocese of Southern Ohio; Acharya Kailash Sharma, Chief Priest, Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati; Sasha Naiman, Ukrainian American Attorney, Board Member, Jewish Community Relations Council; Deacon John Gerke, Archdiocese of Cincinnati;and The Very Rev. Owen Thompson, Dean, Christ Church Cathedral.
Credit: C.K. Wang, Esq.

“For one hour I was as close as I could be, spiritually, to the suffering people of Ukraine,” said Chip Harrod, EquaSion’s Executive Director. “I was in the company of other persons of faith, of many faiths, who likewise wanted and needed this closeness and this opportunity to demonstrate our unity of concern and support.”

The evening ended with reverence for those who have died in the war. Before the final prayer in honor of the fallen, Dean Owen Thompson led a moment of silence for those who have been lost.

Watch online: Cincinnati’s interfaith vigil for peace in Ukraine.

If you are interested in donating to Ukrainian refugees, donations can still be made to Matthew 25: Ministries, which is currently shipping aid to Ukraine and to the surrounding areas to help people impacted by the conflict through these links: Matthew 25: Ministries online donation page, Matthew 25: Ministries’ list of items needed: https://m25m.org/disaster/ukraine22/. Donations benefit Matthew 25: Ministries and their work with the Ukraine Crisis. Enter the word “Ukraine” in the Special Purpose field of the online form and 100% of your donation will go to their Ukraine relief work.

Learn more about Cincy4Ukraine, a charity founded by Ukrainian Americans residing in Cincinnati that ships donated items to Ukrainian citizens still in their country.

From Darkness to Light: Mosaics Inspired By Tragedy

At Cincinnati Skirball Museum through May 8, 2022

From Darkness to Light: Mosaics Inspired by Tragedy is the brainchild of Susan Ribnick, co-chair of the Austin Mosaic Guild in Austin, Texas. Just days after the horrific white supremacist terrorist mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018, where eleven people were killed and six were wounded, Ribnick was inspired to use her skills and passion as an artist to help her heal. She reached out to fellow mosaicists and brought together 18 artists of diverse faiths and backgrounds from around the country and the world to create a collection of mosaics that react and respond to the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States. When the pandemic took hold, and this exhibition was delayed, Ribnick expanded her reach, doubling the number of artists and works to the meaningful total of 36—the numerical equivalent of double chai—or life in Hebrew. The mosaics in the exhibition evoke themes ranging from antisemitism and injustice to hope, resilience, and peace.

Exhibition installation, February 2022
Snowdrops, Rachel Davies, Dunblane, Scotland, slate aventurine, recycled ceramic mosaic, 2021

Artist Rachel Davies felt a personal connection to the Tree of Life massacre: “Snowdrops are often thought to be a symbol of strength, purity and hope. I live in Dunblane, Scotland where snowdrops are one way of remembering the 16 children and their teacher who were killed by a gunman in 1996. I have created these Snowdrops not only as a way to remember the victims of gun violence, but as a symbol of hope and strength for the communities who are left to cope with the consequences of such events.”

From Darkness to Light: Mosaics Inspired by Tragedy is made possible with support from the Ohio Arts Council, InterfaithCincy, The Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue of Xavier University, ArtsWave, and the David and Barbara Kalla Fund of Schwab Charitable.

The Skirball Museum is located on the historic Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 3101 Clifton Avenue, 45220. The museum is open Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 am to 3 pm and Sundays 1 to 4 pm. Proof of vaccination and masks are required. Reservations are recommended by calling 513.487.3231 or emailing awheeler@huc.edu. More information is available on the museum website, http://csm.huc.edu.

First Lutheran Celebrates 180 Years in Cincinnati

December 8, 2021, a group of forty Lutherans gathered in Washington park to commemorate the 180^th anniversary of the first worship service of First English Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1841. The commemoration was not held in the historic 1895 building located at 1208 Race Street because the 130ft tall bell tower structure has been deemed a danger to the community, an issue First Lutheran is working actively to address. The first group of only eight people in 1841 were without a building as well and were uncertain about what their future together might look like.

Congregational histories are often told, and romanticized, by “historians” of the congregation who are called upon to write something for an anniversary booklet. These booklets are distributed to members and contain pictures. This makes them likely to survive the passage of time in a special box or drawer in someone’s home or a congregational archive. The people who “lived” the history are long gone when these commemorative booklets are dusted off generations later and read by nostalgic eyes.

First Lutheran is often lifted, appropriately so, as a progressive faith community. Reverend Abram Reck visited Cincinnati in September 1841 and witnessed firsthand the devastation brought about by recent riots that were rooted in the efforts of the anti-abolitionists to put an end to the work of abolitionists. Rev. Reck committed to starting a congregation that could support the work of abolitionists. What is not reported is that it was not until 1953, 112 years later, before the first African American member was welcomed.

First Lutheran Church, Cincinnati, Ohio | From the Collection of Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library.

January 12, 1870, was a significant day in First’s history. It was on that day that the congregation voted to amend its constitution making women full voting members. Clara Baur, founder of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, was a member at the time. Her name shows up in the archives as a Sunday School teacher, children’s ministry volunteer and financial supporter. We can be confident that when the 1895 church was constructed, her expertise in music earned her a seat at the table with the architects and engineers during the design process. The acoustics of the progressively designed structure affirms that. The story of how women like Clara shaped the First Lutheran community are passed down, but what remains missing, after 152 years, First has yet to Call an ordained female pastor.

First’s progressive nature has helped it to successfully navigate several contextual shifts. One example occurred on March 3, 1950, when the newly arrived Reverend Miller boldly stated that the congregation would not leave OTR, like so many others, but would rather find a way to serve the new residents of the neighborhood, even if they were not Lutheran. The story that is not told, and perhaps should be since it increases the conviction it took to make the statement, is the story of Pastor Lutton who had just left. Pastor Lutton served First through Depression and War. He watched the congregation decline to the point of closure. The Church Council Minutes tell the story of his dedication. His departure came only when his physician told him he needed to do so or else it would kill him. He moved to Arizona where a few short months later he died.

Faith communities, whatever the tradition, are a mixture of sorrows and joys and are at their best when they faithfully name and claim both.

February 20, marked the 180^th anniversary of First Lutheran’s incorporation, and more importantly its continued purpose of sharing the love of God. We look forward to sharing this good work with all the faith communities in Cincinnati.

Pastor Brian Ferguson

New Nonprofit Collaboration to help Faith Communities be more Environmentally Engaged

‘Faith Communities Go Green’ supports sustainability in faith-based organizations

CINCINNATI, OH – February 1, 2022 – Two regional nonprofits are collaborating on a new environmental initiative. Green Umbrella, the largest collective action environmental organization in the region, and EquaSion, the largest interfaith organization in the region, have formed a new collaboration to support regional faith communities in their efforts to be more environmentally sustainable. The new collaborative is called Faith Communities Go Green.

Faith Communities Go Green, originally an Impact Team within Green Umbrella, was founded to partner 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.

“This collaboration is another way that we are living out our mission of ‘Compassion through Action,’” said Chip Harrod, executive director of EquaSion. “Actively working to prioritize the health of our environment is essential to prioritizing the health of our communities. We are grateful to Green Umbrella for contributing its leadership and guidance to this initiative.”

EquaSion is a non-partisan civic organization supporting interfaith dialogue and collaboration. It works to develop educational and community service programming to foster greater understanding, respect, compassion, inclusion, and engagement for all people and faith communities in Greater Cincinnati and beyond. EquaSion sponsors the Cincinnati Festival of Faiths and A Mighty Stream (to address racism) and many smaller interfaith projects.

Green Umbrella serves as the regional sustainability alliance of Greater Cincinnati, with hundreds of member organizations and individuals passionate about enhancing the environmental health and vitality of our region. Green Umbrella leads collaboration, incubates ideas and catalyzes solutions that create a resilient, sustainable region for all where sustainability is woven into our ways of life. Green Umbrella oversees the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit, the Cincinnati 2030 District, Tri-State Trails, Great Outdoor Weekend, the Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council, the Common Orchard Project and several other collaborative teams focused on environmental quality and climate change issues.

“We are excited to support Faith Communities Go Green as it matures as an interfaith collaborative. Bringing EquaSion into the work will be key to its ongoing success,” says Ryan Mooney-Bullock, executive director of Green Umbrella. “Thanks to the passion and hard work of the committed volunteers of the team, individuals of all ages from 15 religions/denominations and over 50 congregations are in dialogue and planning interventions to help religious communities step up their environmental stewardship. There is so much more growth to come as congregations learn how to start talking about and acting on their care for creation values.”

The new collaboration will combine the strengths of the two nonprofits with the work that has been done over the last year by Faith Communities Go Green to engage communities from all the faith traditions in our region to work more effectively to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. All faith traditions have caring for creation and the natural world as part of their doctrine. How they actually live this moral imperative is the question Faith Communities Go Green will help them address. Combining the extensive interfaith network of EquaSion and the expertise and resource base of Green Umbrella will provide the Greater Cincinnati region with a new powerful moral voice working on behalf of the environment. For more information visit Green Umbrella at www.greenumbrella.org or EquaSion at www.equasion.org.