Spring Break
Campus Ministries to use grant for interfaith dialogue
Erin Fischesser
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: Campus
Miami University Campus Ministries may have one more reason to smile.
The Campus Ministry Center has received a grant of $8,100 that will be split with Sinclair Community College, Clark State Community College and Central State University.
The grant; presented by the Synod of the Covenant, a governing body of the Presbyterian Church; will be used to fund their new program, titled "A Season of Nonviolence: Practicing the Vocation of Peace Building through Interfaith Dialogue."
According to Reverend Harry Bolen, a representative of the Miami Campus Ministry Center, the grant will be used to train students on all four campuses to participate in diverse conversations of understanding and support among various religions.
According to the Synod of the Covenant Web site, the grant was just a portion of $75,000 that was given to 10 different ministries as part the New Covenant Grant Program, a program funded by money from shared congregational missions.
The site also said the grant is designed to encourage new or revitalized ministries.
Bolen explained that Miami Campus Ministries, Sinclair Community College, Clark State Community College and Central State University are part of the Miami Presbytery that meets two to three times per year. The Miami Presbytery applied for the grant after learning of the opportunity through the Synod of the Covenant network.
Bolen said that each school would receive $1,000 to pay for staffing, programming, travel and costs of a joint retreat to be held at United Theological Seminary in Dayton Feb. 27. The featured speaker at the meeting is to be Amy Greenbaum of Miami's Hillel program.
"We will start with the Golden Rule, because every religion embraces some form of it," Bolen said.
From there, Bolen said that organizers hope not to focus on dogma, but instead to concentrate on the similarities between the religions.
According to the Synod Web site, the goal of the conference is to provide students with skills and opportunities that will strengthen their own traditions of faith tradition and give them the tools to interact with people of different faiths.
The Campus Ministry Center has received a grant of $8,100 that will be split with Sinclair Community College, Clark State Community College and Central State University.
The grant; presented by the Synod of the Covenant, a governing body of the Presbyterian Church; will be used to fund their new program, titled "A Season of Nonviolence: Practicing the Vocation of Peace Building through Interfaith Dialogue."
According to Reverend Harry Bolen, a representative of the Miami Campus Ministry Center, the grant will be used to train students on all four campuses to participate in diverse conversations of understanding and support among various religions.
According to the Synod of the Covenant Web site, the grant was just a portion of $75,000 that was given to 10 different ministries as part the New Covenant Grant Program, a program funded by money from shared congregational missions.
The site also said the grant is designed to encourage new or revitalized ministries.
Bolen explained that Miami Campus Ministries, Sinclair Community College, Clark State Community College and Central State University are part of the Miami Presbytery that meets two to three times per year. The Miami Presbytery applied for the grant after learning of the opportunity through the Synod of the Covenant network.
Bolen said that each school would receive $1,000 to pay for staffing, programming, travel and costs of a joint retreat to be held at United Theological Seminary in Dayton Feb. 27. The featured speaker at the meeting is to be Amy Greenbaum of Miami's Hillel program.
"We will start with the Golden Rule, because every religion embraces some form of it," Bolen said.
From there, Bolen said that organizers hope not to focus on dogma, but instead to concentrate on the similarities between the religions.
According to the Synod Web site, the goal of the conference is to provide students with skills and opportunities that will strengthen their own traditions of faith tradition and give them the tools to interact with people of different faiths.
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