CALVERT INTERFAITH COUNCIL
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Calvert Interfaith Council is an unincorporated association of clergy and lay representatives from different congregations or houses of worship in Calvert County, Maryland. THE PURPOSE OF CIC IS FOUR-FOLD: 1) To provide a means of communication with and among the various religious congregations of Calvert County. 2) To provide for continuing education of the clergy in areas of pastoral concern. 3) To coordinate common efforts of congregations on behalf of the poor and to provide better social services for those who are in need of assistance in Calvert County. 4) To facilitate interfaith gatherings and civic events which support the spiritual and social well being of the people of Calvert County, Maryland. Upcoming Meeting Dates in 2010: The next CIC meeting will be changed to Tuesday, February 16th at St. Nicholas Lutheran Church. All are welcome. Fellowship at 9:30 a.m. and meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. The 2010 slate of officers will be introduced and voted upon. CIC Officers for 2009:
About CIC Meetings: Regular meeting date is the second Tuesday of each month. The CIC meeting is held at a different location each month. Clergy and/or representatives from various congregations volunteer to host the meetings at their places of worship. Details of upcoming meetings can be found on this website. Each meeting begins with the clergy or representative of the host (place of worship) sharing a brief (20 to 30 minutes) presentation on their faith tradition. This is followed by a business meeting to discuss and share information on relevant issues in our county. Most meetings are from 9:30 to noon. Refreshments are provided by the host place of worship.
Activities that CIC members sponsor: The Annual International Day of Peace Celebration* The theme of this year’s celebration was Building a Peaceful Community. It took place on Sunday, September 20, 2009 beside Calvert Library in Prince Frederick. The p rogram included:
Click on the picture to see some of the highlights of the International Day of Peace celebrations of past years.
Other Activities that CIC members support: Project ECHO: ECHO (Ecumentical Council for the Homeless) is supported by several places of worship in Calvert. It is a nonprofit agency that provides emergency assistance to homeless people in our community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.ECHO offers a safe, sober place to stay overnight to homeless men, women, and children on a short-term basis. The new shelter has a capacity of 40 beds. Clients are required to actively pursue goals for housing, employment, treatment, education, etc. as needed. Meals are also provided; dinner is supplied by vounteers each evening. Safe Nights Program: Churches in Calvert will once again take turns in sheltering the homeless throughout the winter months (Nov – March). The Safe Nights program is dedicated to protecting the homeless from the cold by providing shelter in a clean and safe environment. The program is a consortium of Calvert County faith congregations that are dedicated to a compassionate response to homelessness in Calvert County. We share a common goal of reaching out to help those who need it the most.Thirty Calvert County Churches/Congregations are participating in the Safe Nights of Calvert County Program.Mary Ann Zaversnik from St. John Vianney is spearheading this project.For more information: www.safenights@sjvc.us
Main Street, Prince Frederick MD
End Hunger in Calvert: October has been declared End Hunger Month in Calvert. Chesapeake Church is coordinating an effort to collect food for the food pantries (which all have been running low). There are more and more people needing help. Chesapeake Church will provide the food bends and an End Hunger banner for those places of worship wishing to participate.
Environment Ministry: Trinity UMC is spearheading an effort to establish an effective coalition of faith communities working together to restore the Patuxent River to a pristine state. Contact: Rev. Charles Harrell at Trinity UMC, Prince Frederick. Patuxent Habitat for Humanity: Patuxent Habitat for Humanity (PHH) is dedicated to providing decent affordable housing in Calvert and St. Mary's Counties. It builds houses and sells them to qualified families at cost with no down payment and 30 year interest free mortgage. The cost is minimized by accepting donated land, building material, and volunteer help. The homeowners are required to help build their own home by working 200 hours of "sweat equity" for each adult in the family. Since 2003 PHH has built 9 homes serving 35 children, 4 in Calvert County and 5 in St. Mary's. 2 are currently being built in St Mary's and 3 are planned to start in Calvert early next year. PHH also operates a "Re-Store" in Lexington Park which sells building materials donated by builders and lumber and hardware stores at approximately half the retail price. You can help the PHH by organizing volunteers to help build houses or perform administrative help, arrange fund raising, provide lunches for builders, or keep PHH in your prayers. 12 local churches have joined together to formed an "Apostle Build" to build Habitat Houses. TurnAbout Café is a Fair Trade Café, Bakery and Gift Shop committed to serving Calvert County and surrounding areas by providing training and employment opportunities to underemployed people (with a focus on empowering those with special needs and circumstances). They use and sell fair trade items, train their employees and give them a “living wage”. TurnAbout Cafe is sponsored by All Saints Episcopal Church, along with Broadview Baptist Church and Garrett Music Academy. They are looking for other churches and business to help sponsor this effort. Contact: Pam Klink, Executive Director, turnaboutinc@verizon.com
Voices of Calvert Series: This dicussion series is sponsored by the Calvert Library Prince Frederick along with several other organizations and faith groups including Rev. Ken Phelps from All Saints Episcopal Church and the Community Mediation Center. It comes on the heals of the successful Civil Discourse for a Sustainable Calvert series. The goal is to foster understanding and to discover common values in order to nurture a sustainable community in Calvert County. Guest speakers will share their stories to stimulate and inspire open discussion. The discussions are will be held on the first Thursday of the month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Prince Frederick library. Trained facilitators from CMCC will help lead the discussions. For more information, contact Robyn Truslow, Public Relations Coordinator Calvert Library, rtruslow@somd.lib.md.us
Calvert Interfaith Council P.O. Box 878 Prince Frederick, Md 20678 |
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