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 Faith Table/ 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.
Fifty-five community members participated, representing more than ten religious or faith traditions.
Panel Discussion
After the opening remarks, Feda Jodeh, Pikes Peak Habitat’s interfaith program coordinator, posed questions to three panelists with varying perspectives of the Interfaith Build for Unity (IBU).
- Jeff Ader, board member and IBU subcommittee chair
- Jessica, 3rd IBU homeowner
- Alex St. Clair, Pikes Peak Habitat construction supervisor, who often works with IBU volunteer groups on the construction site
First, Feda asked each panelist how the IBU has affected their perception of people with different faith traditions.
“Participating in the IBU has been a transformative experience,” said Jeff. “It has shown me that while our practices and beliefs may differ, our shared humanity and values—compassion, justice, and a commitment to the common good—unite us. Working side by side with people of different faiths has also deepened my respect for other traditions and broadened my appreciation of the ways we can learn from one another. It’s a humbling reminder that diversity is a strength. And when we come together to address shared challenges, we can create solutions that are richer and more inclusive.”
Jessica shared similar thoughts. “Essentially, it was a reminder that everyone put on this planet has a similar goal: Do well, be successful, and have an abundant life,” she said. “No matter what faiths or beliefs you have, we can all come together to build affordable homes for humans in need.”
She added, “Can you imagine if we always came together for so many pressing issues? We would be a voice to reckon with!”
Alex said, “It has confirmed my belief that there is love and goodness in everybody.”
Feda asked Jessica about her experiences working on her future home with individuals from diverse faith communities.
“What surprised me was the ability for everyone to put their differences in beliefs aside, to find a common ground that affordable homeownership should be accessible for everyone,” Jessica said. “No matter their opinions, their beliefs, or their religion, the interfaith community has been beyond supportive and understanding.”
Alex also shared his thoughts about participating in IBU volunteer days.
“What happens is a beautiful thing. You have a lot of people come together, putting love and energy into a project that’s going to help somebody have a better life, a more affordable life, and that’s just amazing,” he said. Later in the discussion, he noted, “An IBU day, it’s motivated out of love and selflessness, and it just has a different feeling and it’s special.”
Jeff said his involvement with the IBU “confirms that most human beings have the same goals, and even though we verbalize our beliefs differently or we may pray to a God under a different name, we all want the same things. We all want to be respected. We all want to have a decent place to live. We all want to have a sustainable and secure food source. We want just a good, secure life, and I think that it doesn’t matter what religion you believe in or what your faith tradition is; we all share those common goals.”
He serves as part of the faith-based leadership for the Colorado Springs Police Department, and he shared insights from that role. “When I see where the majority of crimes seem to come from, it tends to be communities that don’t have access to a secure food source, communities that don’t have access to affordable, sustainable housing,” he explained. “So if we can take care of secure housing for people, I think that solves a lot of the criminal behavior that we see. Why don’t we spend our money on building houses for people, as opposed to putting money into law enforcement, prisons, and spending so much time dealing with crimes that we wouldn’t have to deal with if everyone had a respectable, sustainable, affordable place to live?”
Jessica also spoke to the lack of affordable housing and how that impacts families. “I’m involved in many communities that are gauged for low-income families in the Colorado Springs and surrounding areas,” she said. “More and more, I’m hearing of whole families being without a safe and affordable place to live. I see that people are uprooting their whole lives and relocating just so they can try and keep a roof over their head.”
She added, “This is not just an issue in Colorado. This is in America. This is not a need or a want. Affordable housing is a must.”
Table discussions and Unity Bench
After the panel, interfaith dialogue participants spent about 45 minutes in facilitated conversations at their tables. Pikes Peak Habitat staff members had assigned participants to tables with the goal of creating spaces where people from various faith traditions could share and listen. Questions focused on affordable homeownership and the strengths that interfaith approaches can offer.
Finally, IBU subcommittee member Jeff Mawhirter took the stage. Participating IBU congregations had decorated boards with thoughts, prayers, and blessings. Representatives brought the boards onstage, where Mawhirter and others assembled them into a bench. The completed bench will be presented to Isxel, the 4th IBU future homeowner, at her home dedication Feb. 22. At the same time, ground will be blessed for the 5th IBU home dedication. Future homeowner Amanda and two of her children also attended the dialogue event, where they thanked supporters and participants.
After the event’s conclusion, participants could contribute thoughts and blessings to boards for the bench. In addition, everyone left with a flyer filled with Action Steps to follow up on ideas and inspiration from the dialogue.
