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Faith-based community organizing
The
Missionary Oblates are members of Interfaith
Funders (IF) which is a network of nine
faith-based and two secular grantmakers
committed to social change and economic
justice: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America’s Domestic Hunger Program, One Great
Hour of Sharing Fund of the Presbyterian
Church USA, Catholic Campaign for Human
Development, Unitarian Universalist Veatch
Program at Shelter Rock, Jewish Fund for
Justice, Dominican Sisters of Springfield,
the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate,
and the Claretian Social Development Fund.
The Needmor Fund, the New York Foundation,
and the Marianist Sharing Fund are associate
members. Interfaith Funders incorporated
and received 501(c)3 status in 1997.
The Oblates
have been active supporters of faith based
community organizing (FBCO) for more than
twenty five years and continue to see it as
a very tangible and practical way to
implement the Catholic Social teaching and
to realize the JPIC mission in local
communities. A number of Oblates and oblate
institutions are actively involved in local
faith based community organizing projects in
their areas. Specific projects are
highlighted below!
What is faith based community organizing?
Faith
communities that are engaged in community
organizing identify leaders from their
communities through a patient process of one
on one interviews and training. In the very
same process they uncover the hopes and
hurts and anger of their members and
strategically and creatively they respond
together. With the guidance of trainm3ed
professional organizers clergy, leaders and
community members develop strategic plans
for action and build relationship with an
ever widening network of faith communities,
unions, community organizations and schools.
Most FBCO
groups are affiliated with one of the
regional or national training networks of
FBCO: Pacific Institute for Community
organizing (PICO), Industrial Areas
Foundation (IAF), Gamaliel Foundation,
Direct Action and Training
Research Center (DART), Regional
Congregations and Neighborhood Organizations
Training Center, InterValley Project, and
the Organizing leadership and Training
Center.
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