Increasingly, various faith communities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area are reaching out to one another - seeking to identify their commonalities and to better understand their differences. The Interfaith Bridging Initiative supports that process. By publicizing events of interest to interfaith communities, by collecting pertinent resource information, and by providing the space for thoughtful writers to reflect on difficult issues, we seek to provide support for those individuals and groups who are exploring new integrations of their uniquenesses and their collective callings.

The Interfaith Bridging Initiative (IBI), is a three year pilot project, launched in the summer of 2006 by the Mall Area Religious Council (MARC) and the Minnesota chapter of the Parliament of the World’s Religions (P.O.W.R.).* A contribution from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities provided the seed money needed to plan a Bridging Retreat for the autumn of 2006. The Human Rights Center at the University of Minnesota agreed to co-sponsor and co-host the retreat. Soon thereafter the Otto Bremer Foundation provided a three year, $10,000 grant. IBI’s objective is to create a self-sustaining infrastructure that will facilitate communication and cooperation among Twin Cities metropolitan area organizations committed to fostering interfaith understanding.

Currently, the following individuals constitute the executive committee of the Interfaith Bridging Initiative: Rev. John Chell, Ira L. Gordon, Rev. Paul Jacobs, Ms. Jane Johnson, and Paul Strickland.

Interfaith Bridging Initiative

IBI is a non-profit organization directed by a five person executive committee and funded by donations from readers like you and by a grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation. The mission statement of the Interfaith Bridging Initiative is as follows:

To serve as an agent for enhanced communication, cooperation, and understanding among interfaith leaders and individuals committed to doing interfaith work.

There are two kinds of interfaith organizations:

(1) organizations whose members - constituents of various faith communities - come together to better understand one another’s religious beliefs and practices.

(2) organizations whose members - constituents of various faith communities - come together to work toward common public policy, ethical, and artistic goals.

The following are the principal areas to which IBI is currently devoting time, energy, and monetary resources:

• Publication of Interfaithings, an electronic quarterly newsletter/ journal so as:
• To explore issues of pertinence to interfaith understanding.
• To publicize interfaith events, projects, and resources.
• Maintenance of www.interfaithings.org a website that contains:
• Archives of the newsletter/journal Information regarding interfaith events, projects, and resources.
• Links to other websites of interfaith interest.
• A chat room where individuals are invited to post ruminations, questions, answers, etc.
• Support for activities/organizations that foster increased interfaith understanding and for activities/organizations that bring faith communities together to pursue public policy, ethical, and artistic goals.
• Support for the Twin Cities Interfaith Network (TCIN), an organization, initiated with help from IBI, that brings together leaders of organizations working toward increased interfaith understanding.
• Hosting retreats and colloquia that energize, train, and empower interfaith leaders and other individuals seeking to deepen their engagement with various religious world views and practices.

It is to be hoped that, as you find Interfaithings to be a useful tool in efforts to broaden your horizons and to make new connections, you will consider making a donation to our cause. With your help, we can and will continue to address interfaith needs not only in the coming months but in the coming years as well. To make a donation: