Interfaith

Interfaith

Building relationships with religious groups outside of Christianity. 

The Need

Every day, we work to address hate and polarization based on religious differences in our community through increased knowledge and expanded relationships. We address issues of social justice by creating a broader religious coalition that creates a multifaith moral voice to speak to the powers that be.

History

Social justice and interfaith work are interwoven. Through our refugee resettlement and social justice work we have helped to create a more diverse Minnesota which we are proud of. We owe it to our community to address the issues that emerge from increased diversity: need for greater cultural and religious competency and strong responses to bigotry. Everyone must feel welcome.

Significance

We have a social justice call from the scriptures, to live as neighbors.

Connecting directly with religious leaders from faith communities, we are relational and action oriented with a focus on building relationships, programs and initiatives for when we need to stand together. We are not trying to convert, but relate to each other as friends and partners in the work.

Why Now?

The average person within our congregations doesn’t know someone of a different faith. At the same time, religious diversity is rapidly increasing. Given that Christian religious culture dominates, we need to intentionally step into the unfamiliar spaces of our interfaith neighbors. We are often misinformed and carry stereotypes that need to be broken down. This begins with knowing someone of a different faith.

The Result

MCC offers increased awareness about our similarities and differences, strengthened relational ties, and congregations participating in social justice work together in the community. This creates a more unified moral voice around issues of shared concern and a decrease in the amount of ignorance and prejudice in the state.

Interfaith Programs