BR’s Interfaith Federation Hosts

Sounds of CommUNITY Concert

By Sarah Forman

 

The Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge will host its 20th Sounds of CommUNITY Concert on Sunday, April 25 at 4 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Cathedral. 

 

The concert will feature music and dance from many different religious and cultural traditions.   Each participating individual or group expresses their faith in a unique way.   Past performances have included liturgical dancers, gospel choirs and cantors, just to name a few.

 

Ross Aguilar, senior at U High volunteered with St. Paul Lutheran Church on March 20. It was part of the Federation's Operation Red Stick Work Week.

“It is amazing to see people of many faiths coming together in this way for the last 20 years,” said Pastor Robin McCullough-Bade, executive director of the Interfaith Federation.  “We have always filled whatever venue.   We are hoping for a large turnout since St. Joseph’s Cathedral is quite large.”

 

Collaboration

Interfaith Federation was started in 1986.   It is a way for interdependent faith communities, made up of people of diverse races, faiths and economic situations, to join together for the benefit of the community. It originally was called The Greater Baton Rouge Federation of Churches and Synagogues, but that changed a few years ago.

 

“Our real mission is to find unity, justice and peace through interfaith cooperation,” said McCullough-Bade. “We are working together to build relationships between all congregations and when this happens, trust develops.”

 

The Sounds of CommUNITY concert is only one of the many programs sponsored by the Interfaith Federation.  

 

Prayer Breakfast

Each fall the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge brings locals together to pray for community support at their Community Prayer Breakfast.  A specific issue is focused on and a nationally-known speaker visits to discuss issues such as unity, justice or peace.  Last year the Federation welcomed their first Muslim speaker, and plans are in progress for this fall’s Community Prayer Breakfast.

 

The Federation is dedicated to joining people with diverse backgrounds so they can address issues that are too large to tackle individually.  “It is a way to lessen division in our community,” McCullough-Bade said. “People can move out of their comfort zone when they are given a chance to interact with others.” 

 

All traditions and beliefs of the participating religions are respected and welcomed, and the members get to see the faiths other than their own and they get to see different ways to worship first hand.

 

Different faith communities are always welcome to join the Interfaith Federation.   “The more participants the more we can accomplish as a community,” said the executive director.  Volunteers can participate with the Interfaith Federation even if their congregation is not currently involved.

Holy Grill

Interfaith volunteers help the community in other ways.   Thousands of meals are served by the volunteers to locals of Zion City at the Interfaith Federation’s Holy Grill.  For many, this is the only hearty meal they receive all day.  “Anyone is welcome to eat.  We are proud to say that we have had the same cook, Tonia Causey, for the Holy Grill for the past 20 years,” McCullough-Bade said.

 

An after school program was started by the Interfaith Federation as well.  The Kids Café provides tutoring to students in grades K-12.  The volunteers are certified teachers.  Along with free tutoring, the children are served a hot, nutritious meal.  Approximately 1,200 meals are served each month to children at locations in Scotlandville and Zion City.

 

The Federation also has Interfaith Caregivers who are volunteers that assist the elderly and disabled in the community by providing transportation for medical appointments, to pick up prescriptions or simply for companionship. “This program benefits the locals because it gives them the opportunity to stay in their homes and to remain more independent for longer,” McCullough-Bade said.

 

Active in the Community

The Interfaith Federation also helped volunteer teams coordinate recovery projects to help with the destruction caused by Hurricane Gustav through a campaign called Operation Red Stick.  The Federation coordinated a parish-wide Work Week from March 12-21 where volunteers got together to perform minor house repairs and yard work.   They hope to do more Work Weeks in the future.   Individuals and groups are encouraged to participate.

 

“We recently had a poverty forum where locals gathered to answer the question to how Baton Rouge needs to work together to reduce the number of children living in poverty in our area.  Each person was asked to come up with ideas and we discussed what we can each do day to day,” McCullough-Bade said.