One of the reasons I love my job is that I get to work with such a diverse group of people. While not all faiths are a part of the Broome County Council of Churches, because not all are obviously not Christian. We do try to cooperate in an interfaith manner with all faiths in our programs and try to include these folks in our program and advisory committees.
Below is something I have worked on for a publication that is expressly interested in promoting Broome County as a great place to live:
"Churches, Synagogues, and Mosques are all a part of the tapestry that is religion in the Broome County area. Currently we have most major denominations of Christianity represented including a large concentration of Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Evangelical, Charismatic, and Episcopalian congregations. We also have Orthodox, Conservative, and Reformed Jewish Temples and two Islamic Centers that have practitioners of both Sufi and Shia forms of the Moslem faith.
"As far as the beliefs and practices of these congregations are concerned, they range from very traditional in both language and customs to somewhat eclectic and open to more modern forms of worship like praise bands or jazz vespers. The range of religious beliefs mirrors somewhat the range of practice from highly orthodox to very liberal, with just about every derivative in between.
"Historically, many of these congregations are the result of immigration that has occurred in our area in the last one hundred years as evidenced in many ethnic and cultural celebrations that occur annually. The beautiful copulas of many Orthodox and Eastern European Churches tower over some of our neighborhoods, creating a sense of history and depth. While some of the more modern churches meet in converted storefronts, schools, or look like office buildings that make religion more accessible and comfortable.
"Many of these congregations participate in dialogue with each other and are open to discussing differences in belief and practice. Most cooperate with each other in helping meet basic human needs in our community like food, shelter, clothing, and other issues. In short, the congregations of Broome County are both richly diverse and many are open to working with each other to create a great place for the people of Broome County to call home."
I really do like working with people of various faiths to create ways to help even the poorest among us to love calling Broome County a great place to live.
Peace and Towels
Joe
