Three Faith Groups Launch Journey to New Campus; Deeper Respect

February 26, 2009

Author: Joe Bjordal

Source: Episcopal Life Online

http://www.episcopal-life.org/81803_105480_ENG_HTM.htm

In Omaha, Nebraska, the children of Abraham are on a bold journey together. They are out to show the world that members of the three Abrahamic faiths -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- can work together, trust and accept each other, counter misunderstanding and fear, and even co-exist on an interfaith campus.

The TriFaith Initiative of Omaha is a partnership of Temple Israel, the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska and the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture. Officially launched in late 2006 after years of discussion, the organization is now experiencing momentum with the recent hiring of an executive director and with its first public event slated for March 27, which will bring national faith leaders, including the Episcopal Presiding Bishop, to Omaha.

The organization's primary purpose is the creation of three new houses of worship, all located together on an "interfaith" campus, in the rapidly growing area of west Omaha, the nation's 42nd largest city with a population of nearly 433,000. Also proposed for the campus is a center for interfaith collaboration and learning.