By Mary Frances McCarthy
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 4/29/04)

More than 30 people gathered last week at Annandale United Methodist Church to share ideas and gain insight about how they, and their religious communities, can better help the less advantaged.

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) held an organizational meeting to try to reinvigorate a chapter in Northern Virginia (NOVA/VICPP). While the organization seeks to engage people of all religions and approach legislators from a social justice perspective, it will take more organizing to become the "Interfaith" center, as about 90 percent of the people who gathered last week were Catholic.

Gail Goodridge, coordinator of NOVA/VICPP, said in her opening address that the purpose of the evening was to "celebrate strength with diversity, talk about how to be more effective," and to "strengthen the Northern Virginia VICPP identity."

"We are a small organization with a large voice," said Disciples of Christ Rev. Doug Smith, executive director of VICPP. "We come at every issue from a clear path, saying, "What is the moral imperative this law addresses?"

Smith reminded VICPP members to be careful not to be labeled as democrats or republicans, but as compassionate people looking for fair and just legislation to protect people of all walks of life. "We are an organization of vision," he said. "We’ll take the voices of the caring and raise them to dispel the silence of those who are inadequate."

Smith encouraged members to create relationships with their legislators. He reminded them that everyone has the power to fire their representatives in the same way they hire them.

"Help us give permission to your legislators to push the party line," he said. "Think of how you can be an agent for change in this community and this state."

Also speaking at the meeting was Rev. Henry Brinton, pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church and frequent contributor to The Washington Post’s weekend Outlook section.

Brinton said people of faith work for justice in two ways, by looking outward and looking forward.

Instead of becoming concerned with themselves, a congregation should be concerned with their community and how they can minister to them.

"People in outward looking congregations tend to live their faith for peace and justice and working for all of God’s people," Brinton said. "Churches that have this outward focus are very attractive to those looking for a community to join."

Brinton also encouraged a healthy tension between those like Abraham who look backward, at cultural preservation, and those who are forward thinking, like Moses, ready to lead people out of Egypt and liberate them.

"Both sides voice important themes," Brinton said. There needs to be a balance between the truth of God and Grace of God.

Rabbi Jack Moline of Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria emphasized the issue of looking outward. He said that relationships are "what we as religious communities are supposed to be best at." He encouraged NOVA/VICPP to create personal relationships that become institutional relationships.

"We bring to that forum a very strong voice, a voice of many people," said Anne Murphy, director of Parish Social Ministry for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. "It’s about more than just us and our tax bill every year. Bring together men and women to work for the common good and be the voice for the voiceless."

Issues on the agenda for VICPP this year are reducing poverty and help the working poor, extending healthcare to all Virginians, protecting the welfare of at-risk children, reducing homelessness and increasing the availability of truly affordable housing and abolishing the death penalty.

In closing, Father Gerry Creedon, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, asked, "What happens next?"

He encouraged center members to ask their faith leaders to pray for the needs of the center. He also emphasized the need to get more faith communities involved with NOVA/VICPP.

"We’re the start, the seed," he said. But he recognized the large number of Catholics present and said that the center needs to intentionally reach out and encourage more protestant, Jewish and Muslim members to join so that the Northern Virginia chapter can be truly "interfaith."