How does economic disparity, public education, and homelessness connect to shalom? I have begun to learn that they are not only connected but actually inseparable.

Food insecurity causes a host of detrimental effects, so much so that in 2017, the city of Louisville identified limited food access as a root cause of long-term health problems, and the city’s refugee community and other vulnerable populations are no exception. Here’s what we’re doing about it.

What do you have to do to get a bunch of teenagers out of bed at the crack of dawn during their summer vacation? Would you guess the answer is giving them a way to serve their community? Last Saturday we gathered together to help Habitat for Humanity for a day of interfaith community service. We started bright and early, and right on time as the doors opened we had 21 high school and college students ready to get to work. All together we had 36 Muslim, Jewish, and Christian friends, and one Hindu.

The world seems to be going mad. If you go by what the news reports, the situation is pretty bleak. Particularly when it comes to relations between Christians and Muslims. But what we hear on the news is not the whole story.

After the cleanup effort organized in response to recent vandalism at a Louisville mosque, this video was put together by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's office. We are proud to be part of efforts like this to promote peace and cooperation for the common good in Louisville and cities around the country.

On September 16th, members of a Louisville Islamic Center arrived at the mosque to find it vandalized with disturbing messages spray-painted across the building.The malicious act, presumably intended to cause division in the community, actually had the exact opposite effect. Just two days after the vandalism nearly 1,000 Louisville residents from all faiths, including over 100 from the local Jewish community, gathered to stand in solidarity with the mosque and help paint over the graffiti.

Last spring, I had the privilege of facilitating the launch of a group we would later begin calling "Multi-Faith Friends for the Common Good."For each of the last three months, we have spent an afternoon harvesting produce at a non-profit community garden, with all the produce being donated to the North Carolina Food Bank.