ORLANDO, Fla.—A group of mostly 20-something young adults, representing various faiths, will work together to serve the homeless in downtown Orlando, Fla., this Sunday—offering food, clothing and hygiene kits to people in need.
This interfaith event, drawing individuals from Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim backgrounds, is a response to President Obama’s United We Serve initiative and comes at the end of Interfaith Service Week, Aug. 31 through Sept. 6.
United We Serve is a nationwide initiative that began this summer to meet community needs and make service a way of life for all Americans. So far, volunteers nationwide have participated in more than 3,000 projects. This “Summer of Service” will culminate on September 11, 2009, a National Day of Service and Remembrance, but United We Serve will be ongoing.
According to the Volunteering in America study, released recently by the Corporation for National and Community Service, 35.9 percent of all volunteers volunteered through religious organizations. As these different groups begin to work together, they multiply their results.
A growing number of evangelicals are now seeking common ground for the common good. Among them is Sean Cooper, 36, Northland, A Church Distributed’s minister of service and equipping, who will be participating this Sunday along with a group of college-age students from the church.
“It’s a really big deal for me to get to know someone of another faith who has the same interest in working towards social justice in our community,” Cooper says. “I hope that this opportunity to serve together presents more opportunities to tackle significant issues in Orlando.”
The interfaith event will take place this Sunday, Sept. 6 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Masjid Al-Haq, 545 W. Central Blvd, in downtown Orlando.
