This is Part 5 of a 7-part series featuring Pikes Peak Habitat Interfaith Build for Unity subcommittee members, who discuss their faith community’s involvement in creating an interfaith unity bench for 3rd IBU homeowner Jessica.
Feda Jodeh from the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs worked with her husband to decorate a board for the bench, burning blessings into the wood.
Our participation in building the bench is part of our duty in the work we do with the interfaith community. Contributing to this gift is a part of who we are as Muslims; giving a gift of any kind to the needy or orphans is incumbent on every Muslim, especially if it is a gift that can be put to good use.
Overall it was truly an honor to be able to give a gift that will last for decades to come and serve as a reminder of the love our interfaith community has for our homeowners.
The camaraderie we exemplify in the interfaith work we do bonds us through one common cause, for everyone to have a permanent place to call home. Coming together to build this bench proves that we as a community, from all faiths and walks of life, united together to prove this kind of interfaith work can be a reality amidst the divisiveness that is unfolding in our communities. It demonstrates that it is possible to bring people together to create a gift that reflects the unity and cohesiveness of the relationships we have built that span across various faiths.
“Our hope is that each time [Jessica] sits upon it or admires it, it serves as a reminder of the resilience and determination our interfaith community works tirelessly to embody.”
The piece that we designed was created by myself and my husband…. We chose to burn the words into the piece of wood so that it would last and not fade. The words we burned onto the wood piece were peace, home, welcome, love, may God bless this home, peace be with you, and blessings. These words have great significance because they are words that are used across many faiths and offer a reminder to the homeowner that they are finally in a permanent home, where they have safety, security, love and peace. These words are also a reminder to always be thankful to Almighty God for the blessings He has bestowed upon the family.
We trust that Jessica and her family will make excellent use of the bench. Our hope is that each time she sits upon it or admires it, it serves as a reminder of the resilience and determination our interfaith community works tirelessly to embody. Let her contemplate the commitment of our community towards realizing the shared aspiration and goal of providing everyone with a place they can truly call home.
We want to wish Jessica and her family all the best. May she and her family find peace, solace, and security as they begin their new journey in their new home. May the walls of their home witness the warmth and growth of love, kindness, compassion, and lifelong memories for many years to come. May God bless her home, Jessica and her family.
Read more about the IBU bench from Pikes Peak Habitat’s spring print newsletter! You can also read part 1 of this series, an interview with Jeff Mawhirter of Christ City Church; part 2, an interview with Jeff Ader of Temple Beit Torah; part 3, an interview with Kymm Hockman from First United Methodist Church Prairie Campus; and part 4, an interview with Stephanie Sparks from Grace & St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.
