(From the summer 2024 print newsletter) The past several months have been banner ones for Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity’s interfaith programs. Our February U.N. World Interfaith Harmony Week events, including the Interfaith Dialogue held on the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus, earned second place in the H.M. King Abdullah II U.N. World Interfaith Harmony Week prize competition. We’ve debuted our eight-part interfaith video training series, created as part of the White House’s Team Up bridgebuilding initiative, and we also launched our 4th Interfaith Build for Unity (IBU) with future homeowner Isxel.
On a more bittersweet note, Chloe Henry is leaving her role as Pikes Peak Habitat’s Faith in Action program manager. After completing the ordination process, her husband has accepted a position at a church in Texas.
“It’s been a true pleasure to be able to work with the IBU and the Apostles Build subcommittee members,” says Henry. “These are individuals who are deeply passionate about the builds that they’re working on and about serving individuals and families in our community, so it’s been a joy and a blessing to be able to learn from each and every one of them and to be able to pull from their professional, personal, and faith-based experiences to help drive the builds forward.”
Henry continues to work part-time through the summer, assisting with the transition as a new Faith in Action program manager is hired and steps into the role. She emphasizes that both subcommittees also remain active and will help guide this process.
“My family and I are really excited about this new opportunity in our life,” she says. “It’s also very bittersweet because we have so enjoyed the relationships that we had the opportunity to build here at Pikes Peak Habitat. However, we are really excited to see what this next season will look like for Pikes Peak Habitat and particularly for the faith programs, and we’re excited to cheer everyone on from afar!”
Interfaith Award
The second-place prize for the H.M. King Abdullah II U.N. World Interfaith Harmony Week competition includes a silver medal and $3,000, which will be presented at the Jordanian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on July 16.
In addition to Henry, Pikes Peak Habitat CEO Kris Lewis and Board President Eric Stolp are also attending the celebration. Habitat for Humanity International staff members Anna (Brandt) Castelli, U.S. faith engagement manager; Carley Ruff, senior director of U.S. government relations; and Peter Rumsey, director operations, housing and community strategy, will join them in Washington, D.C. In addition to attending the ceremony, the group will meet with the White House’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
“It’s an honor for our Pikes Peak Habitat affiliate and our work over the past year to be recognized, not only on the national level with the Team Up initiative but also at the international level with the World interfaith Harmony Week competition,” says Henry. “This award is a testament to the dedication of all of our faith-based partners, community organizations, and universities that we’re able to work with to make this event happen.”
Team Up Training Night
Catholic Charities USA, Habitat for Humanity International, Interfaith America, and YMCA of the USA partnered for the Team Up launch. As our contribution to the program, Pikes Peak Habitat created a series of eight training videos focused on our IBU and interfaith work. We held an event in April to introduce the videos, which are available on our website. IBU subcommittee chair Jeff Ader and members Feda Jodeh and Jeff Mawhirter, all of whom appear in the videos, shared their insights.
“I think a fringe benefit for me has been the friendships I’ve made amongst folks from different faiths,” says Ader, president of Temple Beit Torah. “You find out that the things that we disagree on are so minor compared to the things we agree on.”
“The responsibility has been huge, realizing how much the rest of the nation and the world is now actually paying attention to our little work here in Colorado Springs!” says Mawhirter of Christ City Church. “For me to prepare for the videos was interesting, because we’ve been doing this long enough that we’ve got good relationships and it’s just natural.”
Jodeh notes that it’s been meaningful for her community, the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs, to participate in interfaith work and provide a counter to negative portrayals of their faith. She invites “nonprofit and for-profit organizations, connect with us! Watch this video. See what it is that needs to be done in the community so that change can happen in the right direction.”
