Cleveland Religious Leaders Launch We Believe

Movement advocating for inclusion, compassion and social justice goes STATEWIDE.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

May 17, 2006 (Cleveland, OH) – Religious leaders today joined together at the Cleveland Play House to launch We Believe—Cleveland – taking the faith-based movement for compassion, inclusion and social justice statewide. The inaugural event marked the group’s shared commitment to speaking as a unified voice of faith representing the diversity of Ohio’s religious communities, and ensuring that religion is not co-opted by voices of intolerance and division.

More than 100 Cleveland religious leaders, including pastors, priests, rabbis, cantors, imams and active lay leaders have committed to the movement. “Embracing diversity is accepting our differences without concluding that either one of us is wrong,� said Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle, Senior Pastor of Antioch Baptist Church. We Believe participants are ethnically and racially diverse, men and women, conservative, moderate and liberal on the theological and political spectrum. They have in common a shared faith commitment to calling on society and public officials to address critical moral issues of the day: education, housing, poverty, health care, inclusion, regional equity and child welfare.

“We have a responsibility to search for common ground,� said Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., Senior Pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. “The fact of over 50 million Americans without healthcare and without access to basic medical opportunities to improve their quality of life is itself, a frightening weapon of mass destruction. The abandonment of quality, desegregated public education and young adult initiatives deigned to help prepare a generation for public service and humanitarian commitment is one of our great failings as a Nation.�

“In keeping with the character of America and of Ohio, we represent diverse faiths, traditions, and backgrounds, but we share an understanding of God as One who loves, unites, and embraces, not as one who rejects, divides, and excludes,� said Rabbi Richard A. Block, Senior Rabbi of The Temple - Tifereth Israel. “We see religion as demanding that we pursue justice, practice compassion, and respect the values and beliefs of others, even those with whom we may differ, rather than trying to enshrine our particular views in law. And we regard the Constitution's separation of church and state not as hostile to religion, but as the surest guarantee of religion's flourishing here, in all its rich variety.�

“The launch of We Believe in Cleveland is a significant moment in the growth of this statewide movement,� said We Believe Columbus leader Rev. Timothy C. Ahrens, Senior Pastor of First Congregational Church, who came from Columbus to speak at the Cleveland launch. “We hope that other cities and towns in Ohio join as well. As Ohioans, we stand to speak truth with love to the issues of our day. We need to enter the public square focused the moral issues of poverty, jobs, education, and health care for all Ohioans.�

Following the successful launch of We Believe Ohio in Columbus, local clergy and lay leaders, convened by NCCJ’s Interfaith Task Force since August 2005 around issues of social justice and religious pluralism, were inspired to broaden the movement. We Believe—Cleveland now enjoys broad-based support from many organizations, including InterAct Cleveland, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, American Jewish Committee—Cleveland, and the National Council of Jewish Women.

The Very Rev. Tracey Lind, Dean of Trinity Cathedral, and Rev. McMickle presented the group’s powerful mission statement, which proclaims a commitment to justice, diverse religious expression and the common good. The organization considers the inclusion of religious traditions and perspectives critical to the creation of informed public policy, while respecting the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state.

Rev. Dr. Kenneth W. Chalker, Senior Pastor of the First United Methodist Church, and Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, presented the group’s next steps:
• Bearing public witness to our belief in compassion, inclusion and social justice.
• Educating our congregations on moral and social issues facing Ohio, including education, child welfare, poverty, health care, inclusion, regional equity and housing. Specifically, we will:
o Support and encourage participation in the NOAH Regional Equity Summit, “The Summit for Ohio’s Future� (May).
o Support and encourage participation in InterAct Cleveland’s Forum on Pluralism and Civility (June).
o Host an educational event on the TEL/TABOR amendment (this Fall).
• Engaging members of our congregations in the democratic process, including voting.
• Working with other communities across Ohio to continue to build a statewide movement for compassion, inclusion and social justice.
• Promoting civility and respect for all, especially during this and every electoral season.

Other participants at the event included Pastor Max Rodas, Nueva Luz, Church of the Nazarene, who opened the event with prayer; Rev. Dr. John C. Lentz, Jr., Senior Pastor of Forest Hill Church Presbyterian and Rev. George Hrbek, co-Director of Advocacy for Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, who joined in answering questions from members of the media; and Kuldeep Singh, Sikh Youth Federation – USA, who closed the event with prayer.

CONTACT: Kara Patterson, (216) 347-5002, KPatterson@nccjneo.org or Laura Mimura, Laura_J_Mimura@KeyBank.com (216) 689-3786