From Religions for Peace
FEATURING A MEMEBER OF THE RFPUSA RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY
Religions for Peace USA is the most broadly based religiously represented Interfaith organization in the United States. The communities and traditions that make up the family of RFPUSA come in all shapes and sizes, each bringing its own traditions and legacies to the table and making the sum greater than the collective parts.
One such community is the United Church of Christ. Beginning this month and featuring the UCC, RFPUSA Connect will profile member religious communities. This offers us a chance to highlight the deep diversity of the member communities even within broader categories of “religious traditions.”
Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, minister for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations at the UCC, notes that, “As a church that is committed to inclusion and diversity, the United Church of Christ acknowledges the growing pluralism of the world in which we live and continues to participate in dialogue with different religious traditions.”
The interfaith movement and interfaith work in itself are of prime importance to Rev. Thompson and the UCC at large. “The importance of learning about each other and finding ways in which we can come together across religious lines that have been used to divide is the key to strengthening our communities and helping us to find ways toward peace in the world.”
In a recent video put out by the UCC, notions of community, welcome, and diversity are highlighted: these are the values that ground and guide much of the interfaith movement.