Recruitment and Engagement Strategies to Start and Sustain Your Interfaith Work. Interfaith: Stretching further for impact

Transcription

1 Recruitment and Engagement Strategies to Start and Sustain Your Interfaith Work

2 Habitat s Interfaith is? a. Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical faiths joining together to end poverty housing b. Muslim, Jewish, Christian and other faiths joining together to end poverty housing c. Uniting all faiths into one: joining together to end poverty housing is how we demonstrate it d. Implying that one has to become a Christian in order to join with Habitat to end poverty housing

3 Interfaith IS NOT Watering down our Christian faith Leaving our Christian identity Syncretism (reconciling different beliefs into one) Ecumenical (denominations of same faith) IS Engaging two or more different faith groups in the mission of Habitat Providing leadership role in inviting faiths to work together to end poverty housing

4 Habitat s roots and center is in Christ. Our faith in Christ inspires what we do. As a Christian housing ministry, engaging faith communities in ending poverty housing is one way we do what we do. We remain Christian no matter who joins us.

5 Objectives Research and identify appropriate outreach strategies for engaging diverse faiths Establish an effective and sustainable interfaith council

6 Fast Facts on Religion What are the world s 4 largest religions by # of adherents? Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism What are the two fastest growing religions in the U.S.? Islam and Mormonism About what % of your partner families practice a faith other than Christianity?

7 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study Largest Non-Christian Group Varies by Region

8 Engaging the Interfaith Community 1. Identify faith communities 2. Know the history (find cultural informants) 3. Develop (wish) contact list 4. Initiate and build relationships How have you gotten to know faith groups in your community?

9 Religion as a Cultural System Religion forms our view of the world. We live out our view of the world.

10 Given a description of a Consider: religion, what could you do to make this faith group in your community feel welcome and a part of Habitat s affordable housing work? Marketing and Communications Volunteer Management Resource Development Construction Management Affiliate Operations Etcetera Be prepared to share your small group s top 3 answers. Activity

11 Who are these people? There s a group in our community that meets exclusively once a week. They seem to only socialize with each other or just within their families. Occasionally the group takes a meal together that symbolizes eating and drinking their leader, an age-old cannibalistic ritual. We only see them out in our community when they ask our kids to a week long summer program where they teach them stories of their faith and serve them punch and cookies.

12 "Jim Jones, David Koresh and Meir Kahane do not typify Christianity and Judaism in the eyes of the civilized West, but those same eyes are prone to see Osama bin Laden and Mullah Muhammad Omar as typifying Islam." Richard Bulliet, The Case for Islamo-Christian Civilization

13 Avoiding Stereotypes Understand everyone is different Listen, listen, listen Be self critical

14 Habitat for Humanity/Ezra Millstein Interfaith Council An Operating Committee What operating committees do you have? How do operating committees help your affiliate? How are they sustained?

15 Interfaith Council An Operating Committee Exists to direct and develop the affiliate s interfaith effort for advocacy and action on decent, affordable housing.

16 Setting up an Interfaith Council Building relationships Extending invitation Exploratory meeting Interfaith formation meeting Regular meetings and activities as planned by the Council Toolkit

17 Strategic Board Commitment and Alignment Mission/Vision focus, clear goals Common/Core principles Engages a wide community Product/Program Connection with families served Demonstrated value to families Reflects values and skills of council and community Effective, streamlined procedures SUSTAINABILITY Personnel Care and feeding (concrete appreciation) Recruiting the right people Individual commitment to volunteer and invite others Empowered to do the work Term limits Financial Speaks for itself

18 Additional Resources My.Habitat.org type interfaith in the search box Interfaith Toolkit available on My.Habitat.org Upcoming webinars stay tuned to the US Office News Make 9/11 an Interfaith Build Day!

19 Make 9/11 Interfaith Build Day!

20 Thank you! This training was made possible by the generous support of the