Our Members InterAct Cleveland is now a coalition of more than sixty-five Baha'i, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Sikh and Unitarian Universalist congregations, faith communities, campus groups, and community organizations. Please click here to see a list of all our members. Our Board InterAct Cleveland currently has eighteen board members who are elected to three-year terms and represent the diversity of our members. Our Board of Trustees meets monthly to discuss the affairs of InterAct. Our Staff InterAct Cleveland's dedicated staff work to ensure the quality continuation of interreligious programming. In total, there is one full-time, three part-time, and two interns from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University on the InterAct Cleveland staff. Our Mission A revised mission statement was adopted in 2007: InterReligious Partners in Action of Greater Cleveland (InterAct Cleveland) promotes mutual understanding and appreciation of diverse religious beliefs and practices, as well as discovery of the values and beliefs shared by many faith traditions. InterAct Cleveland members actively engage with one another to help shape positive responses to the challenges and opportunities facing Greater Cleveland, including religious diversity itself.
InterAct’s primary constituency is its members and partners. We celebrate our commonalities, especially the shared value of caring for the most vulnerable in our society, and we honor our differences, developing and modeling the diverse relationships we believe are needed for a peaceful world, and growing in our understanding of our own and others' beliefs. We believe this is essential in our country, which has become the most religiously diverse nation on earth. InterAct’s business is equipping individuals to act on the mandates of their faith tradition to make a difference in the lives of those impacted by poverty. Its second constituency consists of those affected by poverty. Its programs are focused on hunger, homelessness, and mentoring many-barriered people as they move to economic self-sufficiency. While InterAct’s primary focus is on building understanding among faith communities, one of InterAct’s core values is to include the people with the problem in the planning toward the solution. Our Programs InterAct Cleveland's principal programs are interreligious worship and dialogue, including the partnership with national program Tents of Hope, an advocay group for Darfur; the Homeless Stand Down and other initiatives related to the challenges of living in poverty; the meals program, serving 1,000 meals each year; and other various programs that help educate and bring people together. Our History InterAct Cleveland dates to the mid-1970s when its predecessor, the Euclid University Cluster of Religious Institutions, organized to provide hunger relief to the residents of the Hough, Fairfax, and University Circle neighborhoods. The Cluster - nine congregations representing Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish faiths - incorporated as East Side Interfaith Ministries (ESIM) in October 1991 in recognition of the fact that hunger programs alone could not effect significant change. Reorganized and expanded as InterAct Cleveland in 1999, we have continued to support people who want to make changes in their lives, in their neighborhoods, and in the systems that hinder change. ESIM received the 1996 Isaiah Award for Human Relations from the Cleveland Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. This award recognized ESIM’s effectiveness in volunteer and community involvement in working toward the betterment of the Greater Cleveland community. ESIM also received the 1995–1996 Award of Achievement for Volunteerism from Northern Ohio LIVE. As summarized in the magazine, “ESIM is providing two major services to the Cleveland area: it is helping people in need, and it is bringing together diverse religions for the good of the community.” Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2006-2007, the InterAct Cleveland family now numbers between sixty and seventy congregations, faith communities, campus ministries, and partner organizations. They come from Baha'i, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Sikh, and Unitarian Universalist traditions, and include secular organizations who share our values. Anniversary plans include a benefit reception, dedication of the new Community Food Pantry building provided by the Cleveland Clinic, a series of visits to places of worship for various religions, and a special annual meeting in May. Our Sponsors InterAct Cleveland is supported primarily by annual pledges from congregations and faith communities, individual and corporate donations, and foundation grants. Please join our list of supporters by donating today and remembering InterAct Cleveland in your will. |
