Ecumenical & Interfaith
News Network - PCUSA

Shared Models

This page's models, strategies, and curricula have fostered ecumenical and/or interfaith relationships. They may or may not be used today by the organizations which are described. Contribute your models!  They may be examples pointing to "best practices" -- methods and processes that have proven to be especially effective in reaching desired objectives. Or they may be new and experimental efforts.

| Art building community | Reading Together | Understanding for children, youth | Sharing space |

| Abrahamic faith perspectives | Sacred hospitality | Church study series | Youth together | Prison ministry |

| Interfaith camping | School learning experiences | Meeting and empowering neighbors |

| Combating racism |

Art building community

An interfaith mural project

In Boston, several community organizations sponsored work on a mural whose creation brought together Muslim, Jewish, and Christian youth. The project was shaped over two years, with the actual collaborative art pieces being formed between October 2008 and February 2009 when they were unveiled for public viewing. Fifteen teens -- five from each religious group -- created the mural, focusing on commonalities and differences in their religions and giving attention to faith-based imagery. The youth had discussion among themselves and with visiting religious leaders. Organizations involved locally were Art Builds Community, the Islamic Society of Boston, the Center for Jewish-Muslim Relations,, Congregation Dorshei Tzekek, the Al Huda Society, and Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries; Interfaith Youth Core was one of the funders.

Creative arts to tell one's own story

In the ecumenical context of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches the story of a church leadership development task force was shared. The task force had asked small-church leaders in a Queens, New York, African-American neighborhood what their congregations could offer in response to a high school drop-out rate. Their answer was creative arts. Leaders said the arts are key to the development of children but schools were not encouraging them. Children receive other people's stories but do not have opportunity to tell their own story. The congregations planned a pilot project using story-telling, drama, writing, and music. Behind the project is Oliver Patterson, a retired professor of literacy and language at City University of New York (CUNY) and a member of the Reformed Church of America.

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Reading together

Muslim-Christian book club participation

Islamic Horizons magazine reports, "Book clubs are rapidly springing up across Muslim communities in North America as people discover the lifelong joys, the daily pleasures and the practical benefits of being part of a community that gathers to talk about literature." Women from the 450-member Presbyterian Church of Western Springs, Illinois, have joined with women from a nearby mosque for book conversations. Among the Presbyterian women are Carol Kellogg Stoub and Ann Beran Jones (pictured near left), the vice-moderator of the 214th General Assembly (2002). Book club participants improve their communication and listening skills. Finding participants is the hardest organizational task, according to one member; getting diversity (of ethnicity, religious knowledge, age, etc.) is key. It is important to outline the purpose of a club since differing expectations are a leading cause of strife; one person may expect deep conversation while another wants a little discussion but lots of general chatting. A shared love of books helps members to transcend their differences and in time can be expected to bring change in a community. Groups that rotate leadership give everyone a chance to develop leadership and group management abilities. The Presbyterian women announce the book club in the church bulletin, so that everyone is informed.

This information is from Islamic Horizons magazine, March/April 2011, pages 44-45.

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Understanding for children and youth

Walking the Walk

The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia (ICGP) now has five times as many participants in its high schoolers service/learning program, known as "Walking the Walk," as it had when it began five years ago. The name implies living out values, not just talking. Participants come from local schools, congregations, and communities and gather together 13 times annually for interfaith engagement, service learning and community building. The program has four segments, with related activities such as:

• Interfaith engagement -- visits to houses of worship, sharing ritual objects, question and answer time with religious leaders
• Creative reflection -- writing poetry, making music, creating mosaic tiles
• Service learning -- spending time with disabled adults, responding to book requests from incarcerated individuals, taking care of the earth
• Community building -- breaking down stereotypes, building bridges, forming relationships with adult mentors, a Day of Service together

The average Walk the Walk teenager spent 32 contact hours in the program, according to the summer 2008 update. . One alumna of the program said, “Walking the Walk changed my life! Before this experience, I respected my heritage and faith – but now I embrace them as 'my own.' This has helped me to challenge stereotypes and navigate some serious challenges in my life.”

Abby Stamelman Hocky is the ICGP executive director. Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church associate pastor Sherri Hausser (pictured above) is a member of the executive committee and the church is one of ICGP's funders.

Interfaith Youth Core, which partners with Walk the Walk is a proponent of the combination of talking and action for youth and young adults. It has piloted days of service as a component that can be used in local communities.

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Sharing space

A Presbyterian and a Jewish congregation

In a time when two or more congregations increasingly use the same building, synagogues and churches are sometimes sharing common space. In 1997, when the Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland was doing renovation in its building complex, it invited Bethesda Jewish Synagogue -- which shared its space -- to participate in the finances and in the renovation design and finance committees. Ownership remains with the PC(USA). A covenant states the basis for living together, and a new building is appropriately named Covenant Hall. Fresh dialogue was needed when there was a fracture in Presbyterian-Jewish relationships in the aftermath of the PC(USA) 216th General Assembly (2004) Susan Andrews (pictured), who had been moderator of the 215th General Assembly (2003), was then pastor of Bradley Hills (1989-2006). Out of the dialogue came a common statement they sent to the General Assembly Council (GAC). The current Bradley Hills pastor is David Gray. See the story as told by an Alban Institute writer. Read the brief advice about sharing space offered in a PC(USA)-produced brochure.

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Sacred hospitality

World Pilgrims of Atlanta

Even when it involves sightseeing, spiritual pilgrimage differs from tourist travel because it focuses on deepening the spirituality of the travelers. This is the premise behind the interfaith World Pilgrims of Atlanta who -- as Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others -- have made a series of journeys to Turkey, Morocco, Israel, and Jordan. The religiously and racially diverse groups learn from the unique dynamic experienced when people travel together. Caroline Kelly (pictured far left), associate pastor at Central Presbyterian Church, says, "None of us could have predicted the incredible sharing, laughing, crying, praying, eating, and loving we experienced. . .The real work of interfaith understanding has just begun."  After travelers return home, they become resources for dialogues, speaking events, and weekend immersion journeys within Atlanta. Early organizers of World Pilgrims included Presbyterian Jan Swanson and Plenum El-Amin, recently retired imam of Atlanta's Al-Islam mosque (pictured, near left).

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Abrahamic faith perspectives

A Jew, a Christian, and a Muslim speak of Jesus

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A church study series

Varieties of Religious Experience Lenten series

At St. Philip's in the Hills, an Episcopal church in Tucson, Arizona, a Lenten series on Varieties of Religious Experience offered a non- traditional Lenten program to its participants. St. Philip's in the Hills has a wide-ranging adult formation program. The offering during Lent gave them the opportunity to visit centers in their community for Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Baha'is, Hare Krishnas and other Hindus. Their series culminated with keeping the Great Vigil of Easter at their own place of worship. When they attended the worship at the Islamic center, they stayed afterward to talk with the imam and some of the mosque's members over a meal that gave them an opportunity to learn and to build relationships. Most of the series participants attended every encounter even though the schedule was varied. Each person said the experience was transformative. Some found they had been challenged to reflect more deeply on their faith as a Christian. Others felt they had been opened to new channels for reflection and prayer. Some also felt a desire to continue forging relationships across faith lines in the larger Tucson community.

An article on "God Beyond Borders: Interfaith Education and Congregations" by Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook is available to members of the Alban Institute at their web site.

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Youth together

Hands of Peace // Face to Face/Faith to Faith

Auburn Seminary's Face to Face / Faith to Faith program brings together teens from a variety of ethnic, religious, cultural, political, and socio-economic backgrounds in three troubled areas—the cities of Jerusalem, Belfast, and Capetown—and the U.S. They gather in the U.S. for two weeks in the summer at a New York Presbyterian campground, where they meet one another under the guidance of professional facilitators. There they engage in dialogue, team-building exercises, cultural activities, multifaith education, and communication skill-building. During the rest of the year, the teens from each area gather for follow-up meetings and projects, including the U.S.-based high schoolers. The year-long aspect of Face to Face/Faith to Faith involves internet access. Presbyterian minister Katharine Henderson, has played a key role in the development of the Auburn program. See the extensive material on the program available on the Auburn Seminary web site.

Another program, the Hands of Peace interfaith organization, provides opportunities for youth who are Jewish-Israelis, Arab citizens of Israel, and Palestinians to come to the northwest suburbs of Chicago for a two-week period, where they are joined by American teens of Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and other faith backgrounds. Youth are housed in 20-30 host family homes each year.

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A ministry of presence in prison and out

Parole Empowerment Partners

The New Mexico Council of Churches (NMCC) Congregation and Community Outreach program (CCONM) involves congregations in the lives of at-risk youth. The NMCC program's objective is to divert youth from involvement / re-involvement with the juvenile justice system, including reduction of multigenerational cycles of incarceration. It recruits and equips members of faith communities to serve as volunteers with community-based partners. Its Parole Empowerment Partners (PEP) program links youth soon to be paroled with mentoring teams who will support the youth toward accomplishment of his/her goals for completion of parole. Youth that may have had little positive adult presence in their lives are given the chance to relate to someone who is motivated by faith and humanity to care about them and their future, and to take action based on that caring. PEP provides training and ongoing support. The CCONM coordinator is Presbyterian minister Daniel Erdman (pictured).

Camp New Happenings

Camp New Happenings, an ecumenical ministry sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Illinois, says that the children of incarcerated parents are "invisible," with no government agency responsible for what happens to them. These "smallest victims of crime" -- pre-teen children of prisoners -- are enabled to spend a week-long outdoor experience in which there is love, learning, and fun. Episcopal dioceses across the country engage in this activity in collaboration with other faith communities.

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Interfaith camping

Alternate Spring Break

Thirty college students took a Jewish-Muslim Alternative Spring Break together by traveling to New Orleans, setting up a camp site together, then joining to work on flood-damaged homes. In the weeks before the trip, the 15 Muslims and 15 Jews had learning sessions together led by a Jewish student center project coordinator and a Muslim chaplain. They looked at identity and tradition, opportunities for alliance, and personal goals for the trip. Once in New Orleans, they shared in making the kitchen of their campsite kosher; on the Friday of the trip, Muslims prayed while the Jews sat behind them; they all relaxed on the Jewish Sabbath the next day. Since the return from the trip, the Jewish students have joined the Muslims in working toward a paid position for a Muslim chaplain and a permanent prayer space in the university setting.

This information comes from the web site of the KOACH College Outreach project of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, in an article by Lindsay Katona, who helped coordinate the trip.

See the description of the interfaith youth camp in the Tacoma area of Washington state.

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School learning experiences

Commitments for attendees at a major conference

Following the 2009 Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) conference, a series of commitments emerged and were posted on the web:

* Change the conversation: Carry the lens of religious pluralism with you wherever you go: respect for religious identity, positive relationships between religious communities, and common action for the common good. Strengthen your voice by learning the language of how your tradition supports interfaith cooperation. Share the idea of pluralism with those around you. Speak up when you encounter prejudice against a community.

* Start a Project : Organize an interfaith dialogue and service day for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Bring together a dialogue and service group in your school. Connect with others in your community.

* Transform your environment: Share your urgency with stakeholders and work together to create an action plan. Share IFYC hallmarks for effective engagement with leaders in your school's administration and studentbody. (These are found in the Bridge-builders web site, which requires a free sign-in.)

Two religious groups from two high schools

Two graduates of the Unity Program in which students of New York's Al-Iman School (Muslim) and the Abraham Joshua Heschel School (Jewish) participated created a ten-minute video from interviews with their educators and classmates. The program was developed by Abraham's Vision, a conflict resolution and transformation organization. The high school program involves students in experiences based in their home school, interschool gatherings, and field trips. Students engage in internal dialogue as well as in dialogue with previously unknown persons of another faith community. The students and educators have learned that, in their interactions, they must give attention to the marked differences in each community's styles of formulating and articulating thoughts.

See the building blocks on which Abraham's Vision are based. The general curriculum outline is posted online but gives little sense of the programmatic interactions involved in it. See the Abraham's Vision web site, which is rich in its information content. Read the student blogs for insights into what has affected them.

A high school required course
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When Charles Haynes of the First Amendment Center was called in to help the schools in Modesto, California with an issue confronting them, he suggested that the word "tolerance" would be problematic since it seems to imply mere acceptance. Instead, Haynes simply worked to get agreement on a principle -- that all students, regardless of belief or lifestyle, have a right to be safe at school. A short time later, a small group of teachers developed a religion course for ninth graders with methods motivated by the same spirit. And, in the San Joaquin Valley -- home of religiously conservative Christians but, now also, of people of a variety of religions -- the Modesto school district made a world religions course a high school graduation requirement.

The Modesto experience suggests some strengths others could emulate:

• Provide teacher training. The biggest problem in teaching religion is not parent objection or the law, but the feeling of teachers that they are not prepared. Modesto teachers are given 30 hours of instruction and also occasionally get together to share what they are doing.
• Understand that neutrality can mean more than silence. Modesto seeks to adopt fairness by allocating the same amount of instructional time for each religion, with an optional section of the curriculum on non-believers.
• Work with parents and religious leaders. The district asked religious leaders to review what they had prepared.
• Consider the course something that is needed, just like history.

Researchers have now identified what they consider some flaws: not enough attention to the negative aspects of religion; no guest speakers.

This information comes from Teaching Tolerance magazine, Fall 2007.

See also CBS news report on Modesto's course. See too the ABCs of teaching religion in schools: maintain neutrality, keep it academic, teach about the faith behind holidays, focus on respectful inquiry.

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Meeting and empowering neighbors

Compassionate listening

The Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Group of Los Angeles, California is dedicated to compassionate listening, which it describes as its "method and goal." They say, "We listen compassionately to the person telling her or his story. Where they were born, what it was like growing up, when they first became aware of 'the other side,' how they've interacted or fought with them, what (if anything) has changed them, and more." Their plan is to meet once a month, each time in a different home, to listen to one person's story. When they have listened without interrupting and the story is complete, they ask questions about things they have not understood or about things about which they would like to hear more. Afterwards, they share food and chat.

Face to Faith

An innovation in Omaha, Nebraska, brought the concept of speed dating to interfaith encounter. About 40 people gathered in a rock club and bar were briefed on the rules, which included no proselytization. They then engaged in a round robin series of timed conversations of five minutes' length for an hour. One participant said the occasion was “a fabulous way to get to know like-minded young adults who really value talking about cultural, religious and faith differences.”

Speaking Across Differences  

"Speaking Across Differences has brought Arab and Muslim new immigrants and citizens into dialogue with long time residents of other faiths and ethnicities. The intention is to encourage people to make a "disciplined decision to listen to what somebody else has to say." The program is a function of the Dialogue Project. See a Speaking Across Differences sample agenda on its web site.

When 150 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Brooklynites gathered for a Speaking Across Differences program, they broke into pairs after they had eaten and chatted together. There followed a structured conversation:

• What is your first name? Tell your partner something about its language of origin, its meaning, and your personal story related to it.
• If you are a longtime resident, what was your first encounter with an immigrant (or what is changing in the neighborhood)? If you are an immigrant or new to the neighborhood, what early experience with long-time residents (or about coming to the neighborhood) can you share?

Partners were each given two minutes to respond to the questions. Afterward, several members of the audience told others about the experience of their partners. Next, a theater team played their own stories plus stories of others from the group.

The Dialogue Project says that dialogue is "a balance of advocacy and inquiry." Advocacy they define as reasoning with supportive data. Inquiry, they say, involves a suspension of reason that exposes one's mental models and gives another person a window to one's self. They say good dialogue requires each person to contribute, even if with only half-formed ideas; in a good dialogue, participants stay with it even when their beliefs are challenged.

The description of the Brooklyn program was formerly posted on http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/032207/opl_8647594.shtml

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"Hear Our Stories, Know Our Names”

“Our society tends to be more and more separated by economic class,” says Dolores Vail, [Maine Council of Churches] Economic Justice Program Director. “What is lacking is a meeting place where we can find common ground. That is the beginning of loving our neighbors as ourselves — recognizing people as being ‘our neighbors’ in the first place.”

The Maine Council of Churches’ drama about homelessness, “Hear Our Stories, Know Our Names,” written and performed by Mainers who have been or are homeless themselves, fulfills this need by bringing people from widely different backgrounds together, helping us recognize one another as neighbors. It is a first step to building sustainable communities in which no one is hungry, cold, jobless, or homeless. The Council’s goal is to bring this important story about homelessness to every part of the state.

More than fifty congregations have made possible over thirty performances from York to Bar Harbor, seen by thousands. Betty Wurtz, of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, was part of a collaborative effort by seven churches that brought a performance of the play to the Theater Project in Brunswick. Betty describes this experience as one that was particularly meaningful. “Most intriguing of all is hearing people who are homeless speak with their own voices about their experiences. I helped make the performance in Brunswick happen and that was most meaningful to me.” Betty believes that coalition-building is one of the Maine Council of Churches’ most valuable contributions to the state. “Working together, the Council bridges gaps to make things happen in the Legislature and in the community. When churches and others do this together they succeed, and I appreciate that.”

This article is taken from the Maine Council of Churches’ April 2006 Newsletter, with permission. For more information, send an e-mail. To read a newspaper report, click here.

Taking Heart

A joint program of the Minnesota Council of Churches (MCC) and the Muslim American Society of Minnesota is designed to bring Muslims and Christians together in a low key setting of food and conversation. Called "Taking Heart," it seeks not theologizing but telling stories that can reach the heart. The program has used discussion starter cards at tables and an ABC news story video about a store clerk refusing to serve a Muslim customer. It has participants who have worked in a soup kitchen together or have written a joint letter to the editor. Its biggest challenge is people who say they are too busy to attend!  MCC unity and relationships staff person Gail Anderson speaks about networks being formed. “So then, if something horrible does happen, that net will hold the community together.” The program, which has brought people together in neighborhoods, is now expanding into the workplaces where there is a multicultural workforce.

Amazing Faiths dinners

A book, The Amazing Faith of Texas by Roy Spence, provided inspiration for the Amazing Faiths of Houston project, gathering small groups in homes to share a meal, their faith, and exploration of their common values. A centralized organizational system receives registrations of participants, arranges for grouping to achieve maximum diversity, and prepares brief guidelines. Each group has a trained facilitator present. Specially designed dialogue cards derived from the Spence book were the earliest stage toward leading the conversation; special dialogue questions continue to be the foundation for participants' explorations with one another. Planners recommend a simple meal with specific restrictions -- no alcohol or pork, a vegetarian option.

Note: Another small home dinner experience of dialogue --  MultiFaith Tables of Eight -- is described on the web site of the MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio. Yet another organization, Common Tables has established a service whose goal is simple: get different people together, and have them eat dinner. The process is simple. Those wishing to participate sign up by internet, pay a small administrative fee, and are then assigned table-mates from their geographic region. Over the next six months, they dine together, each taking a turn at playing host. The only rule is that table-mates come from different backgrounds.

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On this web site:

Local Action: more highlights on things that are happening

Shared Models Archives: previously published Shared Models, page 1 and page 2

On the PC(USA) web site:

Interfaith Toolkit: a flexible set of resources, including a section on Models that work!

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© 2006 Ecumenical & Interfaith Network - PCUSA