REFLECTIONS ON THE INTERFAITH ALLIANCE ON POVERTY
PRESENTED AT FIRST THURSDAY MEETING, JUNE 4, 2020
CAROL TURNER
CO-CHAIR OF INTERFAITH ALLIANCE
Who are we as the Interfaith Alliance and where are we going? We are a people with big hearts and that’s why we are in pain now. We are action-oriented people. We are a group with circles of levels of involvement. We are people from many diverse faith communities but also some individuals who have no formal faith affiliation.
In January 2015 I was inspired by a sermon preached by Rev. Greg Neel at Westminster in which he challenged congregants to think outside our usual patterns and step into the unknow in our faith journeys. That’s what we have tried to do in the Alliance. Thank you to all who have participated and especially to those who have assumed leadership positions during this stage.
I find myself asking: What can we as the Alliance do more effectively? What we are engaged in is a marathon, not a sprint. We must take time to learn- to reflect- in order to be able to act more effectively and sustainably. I remember how in a course on strategic planning that I once took at PSU, the faculty member took a glass to illustrate many service- oriented organizations/groups. He then began to pour water into the glass. We watched as the water reached the top of the glass and watched with our mouths open as he continued to pout- with the water overflowing onto the floor below. It was a clear illustration that in most organizations and non-profits- more is asked of them than can be done- you cannot do it all. There are a multitude of human needs.
What we have to do is focus on our core mission and decide what actions best advance that mission. What can we do that is unique- that we can do “better”, more effectively than other groups? The first third of what one pours into the glass should be the core function; the second third is what directly advances that mission; and the third portion consists of other things that might be done but which have less priority in terms of the mission. We in the Interfaith Alliance need to take time to understand what we’re doing and deal with the differences that inevitably arise among us. We also need to learn to be an effective ally of groups directly impacted by poverty and oppression.
“Interfaith” is the commonality that brings us together. In the book of Hebrews. “faith” is said to be our confidence in what we hope for coupled with conviction of things not seen. Or as Martin Luther King Jr. said, “faith is taking the first step when we don’t see the full staircase.”
Thanks to all of you for your willingness to take this step. God bless you.