On Sunday, Feb. 2, Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity hosted our 4th interfaith dialogue, “United We Build: Together Building Homes, Building Lives,” in collaboration with the Pikes Peak Inter Faith Coalition (PPIFC) and Together Colorado. The dialogue, part of our annual U.N. World Interfaith Harmony Week celebration from Feb. 1-7, took place at Berger Hall on the UCCS campus.
The event included a panel discussion, facilitated conversations at tables, and assembly of the Interfaith Build for Unity (IBU) unity bench.
Fifty-five community members participated, representing more than ten religious or faith traditions.
Opening Remarks
Victor Reyes of the BodhiMind Center opened with an interfaith prayer. Then Dr. Jeff Scholes — UCCS chair of the philosophy department and director for the Center for the Study of Evangelicalism — welcomed participants to the university.
“I think it’s just remarkable, wonderful, especially in this day and age…making much more explicit the interfaith aspect of what Habitat does for what I consider to be one of, if not the, major domestic crisis in our country, which is housing shortage,” he said.
He also spoke about interfaith initiatives at UCCS: establishing an Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, in collaboration with local faith communities, and starting a Religion and Nonprofit Certificate. Students need to complete an internship to earn the certificate, and Scholes shared the hope that they can intern on Pikes Peak Habitat’s construction site.
Next, Rev. Dr. Vaughn Mcternan, a PPIFC board member, welcomed participants. “We are a group of people from Colorado Springs who come from different faiths and backgrounds,” she explained. “We have a goal and a vision, and that is to provide opportunities for people in our community to learn about and get to know one another across faith and across cultures.”
She noted how the dialogue — and Pikes Peak Habitat’s construction work — align with PPIFC’s goals.
“What we have learned at PPIFC is that interfaith unity comes about best when people get to know one another face to face, and when conversation and connection take place on a personal level,” she said. “This connecting occurs in dialogues like this one today, and even more so when people share a project like building a home with Habitat for Humanity. So we at PPIFC enthusiastically welcome the opportunity to build interfaith unity while building houses.”
Following her remarks, Rev. Paula Stecker spoke on behalf of Faith Table, the local branch of Together Colorado, which she described as “a non-partisan, multi-racial, multi-faith organization, a community that’s building people power to make sure that we can bring human dignity to the center of public life in Colorado.”
She said, “We partner with Habitat for Humanity because we care about decent housing for everyone, regardless of where you come from, what language you speak, where you work, what your faith is, who you love, and what your political persuasion is. We just think everybody deserves a decent home.”
She acknowledged elected officials at the dialogue and noted the importance of working together across differences to find solutions to the issues facing us. “The relationships we can build as members of the community will be the ground on which we can build the Beloved Community,” she said.
Read Part 2: panelist discussion and unity bench.
