Who We Are
History
It was in the spring of 1994 and a community organizer by the name of Michail Curro came to Ann Arbor with a vision to create a new alliance of religious congregations that would address some of the social issues in our county. Working closely with Rev. Harvey Guthrie, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Ann Arbor, and Rev. Roger Prokop, St. Thomas Catholic Church, Ann Arbor, Mr. Curro proposed a gathering of religious leaders to test the viability of his vision.
In June of 1994, some twenty-five leaders came together to consider the proposal of using the model of UNISON, "United Now In Serving Our Neighbors,"as a means of organizing religious congregations for social ministry. Those present that day were from a wide variety of religious traditions, many meeting each other for the first time. During the rest of the summer and fall, conversations continued in formal planning sessions and in informal dialogue.
Two things became evident. First, the community organizing model was not of much interest to those leading religious congregations. Already deeply involved in social issues of one kind or another, adding another layer of organization that was much more complexed than single congregational programming attracted little interest on the part of those original clergy. Second, those participating in several of these meetings noted that little was known about those sitting at the same tables. And not only were strangers meeting each other for the first time, but those same religious leaders were representing religious traditions that were not well known to those sitting at those same tables. What emerged was an interest in a dialogue format that would allow religious leaders and their religions to become better acquainted.
By February of 1995, an organization called the Ann Arbor Interfaith Alliance was formed with a vision statement that focused on building bridges of understanding and friendship. Both Ann Arbor and the wider county are made up of people from a wide variety of religious backgrounds and faith traditions. Other than a couple of informal gatherings, interfaith dialogue was hard to find. Where could Baptist, Buddhists and Baha'is come together to learn about each other? And in the same sense, where could Muslims, Methodists and Mormons come together to learn from each other. This alliance was formed to help meet both of these needs.
Under the leadership of Michail Curro, Director, and Rev. Harvey Guthrie, chairperson, the AAIA began to meet monthly in both a daytime expression and an evening expression, with more professional religious leaders gathering in the daytime and more lay and volunteer leaders gathering in the evenings. From these simple beginnngs, relationships were established and a structure developed that in the first two years brought about participation of approximately twenty congregations, two dialogue groups, an annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration, an Earth Day Statement with an accompanying environmental service project, the hosting of Dr. Hans Kung, the issuing of a statement condemning the burning of Black churches in the south, the shaping of a response to a KKK visit to Ann Arbor and a written constitution and bylaws to serve as a framework for fulfilling a mission: that of "building bridges of friendship and understanding" across religious lines.
In the fall of 1997, the Ann Arbor Interfaith Alliance began to negotiate with the Greater Detroit Interfaith Round Table. Wanting to learn from older inter-religious groups and have support for these new ventures, the Alliance asked the Detroit Round Table whether an affiliate relationship could be established. Under the leadership of a new Executive Director, Rev. George Lambrides, a dialogue was established with Dr. Daniel Krichbaum of the Detroit group and members of the Coordinating Committee of the Alliance. After several meetings, the decision was made for the Alliance to become affiliated with the the parent organization of the Detroit Round Table, The National Conference for Community and Justice. Within the year, the Alliance changed its name to the Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County, a name that has served it well since 1998. Though there are other interfaith organizations in this county, the Interfaith Round Table specializes in helping people deepen their understanding of their own faith tradition while at the same time building bridges of understanding and friendship with people of different faith traditions.
Since 1998, new programs have been added such as the Annual Interfaith Youth Retreat, an Interfaith Adult Retreat, an Interfaith Fundraising Dinner, an interfaith trip to Israel, interfaith services for prayer and meditation that have focused on places of war and conflict around the world, and many daytime and evening forums on a broad variety of topics and subject material, some religious and others of a non-religious nature. Active congregations now number thirty-five, with attendance at the day forums about 20 to 30, evening forums about 15 to 50.
Back in 1997, Dr. Hanz Kung stated in an early Round Table event, "There will be no peace amoung the nations of the world until there is peace among the religions of the world." Today his statement is part of the reason why the Interfaith Round Table exists. It is not enough to just tolerate people of other religions. Moving beyond tolerance to a deeper appreciation for the religions of other people and the people that practice them will help build a better world for us and for future generations.