Changes for Congregations
Congregations across the country from Maine to Minnesota are repurposing their buildings to serve community needs. Through collaborations with housing developers, non-profits, Indigenous nations, and other organizations, congregations are able to expand their community outreach. Some congregations are selling their historic buildings and moving to new locations or merging with other congregations to continue their missions in different ways.
While the faith community landscape is constantly changing, Bricks and Mortals was founded to support congregations and ensure ensure that they have the knowledge, connections, access to resources, and advocacy they need to manage their properties, understand and address new realities that affect faith communities, build resilience, and take charge of their own destinies and legacies.
While religious affiliation in America is declining, with younger generations increasingly identifying as non-religious, the community support religious institutions provide shows that they remain vital. They account for a large portion of charitable contributions and services, particularly in urban areas. The decline in religious adherence has led to fewer volunteers and donations, but faith-based organizations continue to play a crucial role in addressing urban challenges like poverty, failing schools, and social disorder. In the South Bronx, the Brilla Public Charter Schools, inspired by classical Catholic education, have grown significantly as public school enrollment declines. Similarly, in Houston's Sharpstown neighborhood, the Saint Constantine School, rooted in Eastern Orthodox Christian faith, offers moral and academic education, attracting a growing number of students.
Inclusive Spaces
Houses of worship are striving to create more inclusive spaces for people within their congregations.
Many congregations may not be fully prepared to address racism, which can create a gap between clergy and leaders. A Thriving Congregations grant from Lilly Endowment enabled sociologists to interview over 150 church leaders about their anti-racism efforts, revealing key principles that may guide leaders in effective anti-racism efforts:
Friday prayers at mosques can often be challenging for some people with disabilities, particularly autistic individuals.Over the past decade, there has been progress, with organizations like Muhsen working to support Muslims with disabilities and promote inclusive practices in mosques. At an Islamic center in Virginia, with the help of a volunteer, a person with autism was able to attend prayers in a separate, quiet room, bringing immense joy and healing to the family.
Climate Change
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania is the first church in southwestern Pennsylvania to install solar panels. The solar installation has also significantly reduced their electric bills and has become an exciting aspect of the congregation's environmental stewardship.
In the almost three years since Hurricane Ida devastated Louisiana, faith leaders in New Orleans have begun seeking alternatives to reliance on energy companies due to frequent power outages. Community Lighthouse Project, an initiative to create solar-powered disaster response centers, was born in response to the hurricane outages. Community Lighthouse Project aims to establish 500 solar-powered centers statewide to ensure continuous service.
Faith communities in Gainesville are integrating environmental activism with their religious beliefs, emphasizing the moral duty to care for the Earth. Jim Harper found his religious community at the United Church of Gainesville through environmental workshops, leading the church to focus on environmental care as a Creation Justice Church. Sue Blythe's Baha’i faith guides her belief in "creation care," which combines religion with science to protect the environment. Ellen Siegel, a member of Temple Shir Shalom, says the synagogue plans to have a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050, and to construct a $50,000 carbon-sequestering garden. This is part of the Hebrew idea of “tikkun olam,” or repairing what is wrong with the Earth.
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