(RNS) — We live in uncertain and disturbing times. That’s not stop-the-presses news to anyone who pays attention to what’s going on in our world these days, I know, but it’s true. And it’s worrisome, because all this uncertainty clouds our ability to respond as thinking, caring Americans to the many troubles that plague our world today.
The reason for this, I’m convinced, is that we as individuals and as a society have become less mindful and increasingly more uncertain about matters of faith. Faith in a higher power, faith in something bigger than ourselves and even faith in each other — they all seem to be slipping away.
So, if you’re asking me what you can do to help our country get back on track, I’ll tell you to look inward, and then to look next door and then down the street and across town. That’s where you’ll discover all the ways you might make some sort of meaningful difference in your community.
I’ll likely also tell you about my first book, which I wrote more than 25 years ago, when I was still in Congress — “Courage Is Contagious: Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the Face of America.” I wrote that book as a way to inspire people to open their generous hearts and be the change they wanted to see in their part of the world.
Then I’d tell you about a guy named Bob Freeman, a Nebraska attorney who was following a dream that he was convinced could absolutely change the world, if only he could get others to buy into it. That dream laid out a detailed plan in which he would help his community build an entirely new synagogue, one standing beside an entirely new church, and that church in turn standing next door to an entirely new mosque.
Only it wasn’t just an idea. In 2005 it was a crazy idea to see three disparate and sometimes conflicted faith communities sharing a dynamic interfaith compound in the center of town.
The Tri-Faith Center on the Tri-Faith Commons campus in Omaha, Neb. (Photo courtesy of Tri-Faith Initiative)
Over the years, Bob pitched his vision to just about anyone who’d listen. While he got some strong support, others saw the idea as far-fetched, if not impossible. Nevertheless, he persisted for more than 15 years until his idea took on some traction and then even longer until everything fell into place.
Now, all these years later, Bob can proudly point to Omaha’s Tri-Faith Center, home to three distinct houses of worship representing Jews, Christians and Muslims, all built on a beautiful, 38-acre integrated campus. Not only are Temple Israel, Countryside Community Church and the American Muslim Institute neighbors, but they share programs designed to bring the three communities together in fellowship and joint opportunities for service and worship.
That’s the short version of the Tri-Faith community that blossomed from Bob Freeman’s big dream from long ago. There is more to the story in my new book, “Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future.” I wrote it because I’ve come to believe that the good works we do in service of our faith, alongside people who join us in that work, can fundamentally change the world.
Bob’s story is a prime example of this: an individual thinking beyond himself to make a meaningful difference in his part of the world. His idea is just one of many ways our faith and our faith communities can be leveraged to lift us to a higher plane.
Think of the exponential power to be found when we walk common ground with our brothers and sisters, and when we reach out our hands, together, to bring others along with us. That’s the power of spiritual inspiration that lies waiting inside each of us, ready to be of service as we seek to repair the uncertain and disturbing world around us.
“Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future” and author John Kasich. (Courtesy images)
(John Kasich is the former governor of Ohio and author of “Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future.” The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of RNS.)
