Menu

Communication Builds a Stronger Park Hill

By Rev. Ian Cummins, Rev. Dr. David Bahr and Rev. Wolfgang Stahlberg

Members and clergy from seven different faith communities located in Park Hill gathered for a joint service on Sunday morning, September 11th, 2011. Pictured from left, they are: Rev. Ian Cummins, Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church; Imam Abdur-Rahim Ali, Northeast Denver Islamic Center; Rabbi Adam Morris, Temple Micah; Rev. Dr. David Bahr, Park Hill Congregational Church; Rev. Dr. Cindy Cearley, Montview Avenue Presbyterian Church; Rev. Wolfgang Stahlberg, Messiah Community Church; Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, St. Thomas Episcopal Church; and Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, House for All Sinners and Saints. The service was attended by 800 Muslims, Jews and Christians, including a delegation from Afghanistan hosted by the US State Department. The clergy involved met for months in advance to design a service that moved the gathered congregation from Tragedy to Chaos to Hope. Many in this group of clergy continue to meet, attempting to address the needs of the Park Hill neighborhood. The action circles to begin in October are another step in the attempt to create spaces for interfaith understanding to contribute to a more hopeful world. (Contributed Photo/Temple Micah)

Last September, a group of Park Hill faith communities took part in an interfaith service commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11. This year, that group wants to bring Park Hill neighbors together again through a series of discussion groups. These discussion groups, called Action Circles, are based on the book Healing the Heart of Democracy by Dr. Parker Palmer, author, educator and founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal.

In the book, Dr. Palmer outlines five Habits of the Heart that help make democracy possible. They are:

• an understanding that we are all in this together;
• an appreciation of the value of “otherness”;
• an ability to hold tension in life-giving ways;
• a sense of personal voice and agency;
• and a capacity to create community.

The interfaith communities believe that Action Circles around these Habits of the Heart are the positive next step toward a strong and caring Park Hill.

Starting in late October, these Action Circles will meet once a month for six months. Circles will be comprised of seven or eight people, and each discussion will focus on one of the five Habits of the Heart.

So whether you “label” yourself a Republican or Democrat, young or old, New-Age or atheist, Fundamentalist or just fun-to-be-with, this is a chance to sit with people who may seem very different from you and discover how much you actually have in common.

An informational meeting on the Action Circles will take place on Wednesday, October 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Park Hill Congregational Church (26th and Leyden). For more information, contact Rev. Ian Cummins at cummins@montview.org or 303-355-2095, ext. 103.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply