Thanksgiving Service: News Release
Local Interfaith Group Looks to the Future
Cedar Rapids — A small but growing number of faith leaders in Linn County are working together to promote inter-religious understanding and community cohesion. The Inter-Religious Council of Linn County held its annual meeting Thursday, December 4th, in the meetinghouse of one of the council’s members. The meeting format was new for the council, an experiment they hope to replicate in the future.
The annual meeting was held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse on East Post Road in Cedar Rapids, one of two local meetinghouses used by the 5 congregations of Latter-day Saints in Linn County. In addition to holding their business meeting to discuss the budget, review goals, and elect board members, the group gathered first for dinner and socializing. They ended with a local leader of the host faith, Joseph Miller, answering questions about the faith’s origins, structure, and tenets.
“This is great. We want to use this as a template, maybe quarterly, so we can all get to know each other’s faith better,” remarked President Alan Diehl near the end of the discussion session. Diehl added that, as a Secular Humanist, he recognizes the value that a diverse and pluralistic faith community brings to society. “The purpose of the separation of church and state is to improve the climate for all faith communities and others to prosper,” he commented during the post-meeting reception.
As board members and other guests conversed during the initial dinner, they found areas of commonality that make the Inter-Religious Council a home for understanding and friendship, according to Joseph Miller, who supervises 13 congregations in eastern Iowa as a lay leader among the Latter-day Saints.
The council hopes to expand its membership even as the group works to support positive messaging and respectful engagement between different religions and the secular community in Linn County.
Past-president Hassan Selim, Imam of the Islamic Center, commented on the event: “It is wonderful to be here and feel everyone coming together no matter what we believe.” He noted that the goodwill generated through the Inter-Religious Council and similar efforts is what is needed today.
The Inter-Religious Council plans to replicate this model at a different host faith every quarter and to invite interested members of the public to participate.
Linn County area faith communities are invited to learn more about how to join the council and contribute to the growth of interfaith cooperation in eastern Iowa. Visit irclc.org or see Facebook for information.
The mission of the Inter-Religious Council of Linn County is to promote understanding, compassion, and acceptance of each other and of our beliefs. The organization was formed in 1993, and its membership includes individuals from various faith communities, including Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Secular Humanist, and Unitarian Universalist.