URGENT: Proposed ordinance will cost houses of worship $1000-10,000 annually
The stormwater management plan itself is good and required by law—houses of worship should support it.
The Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium is very concerned about the fee that will fund the plan, however. The Monroeville houses of worship collectively will be charged perhaps $200,000-250,000 each year beginning January 1, 2019—about the same as the Monroeville Mall. Over the first five years of the plan, houses of worship will be required to pay more than $1 million dollars.
Houses of worship depend on donations for the good work we do. Monroevil...
MIM issues an “Interfaith Call to Love”
Interfaith Call to Love
We, as persons of faith, join together with our brothers, sisters, neighbors, and strangers, knowing that we are fundamentally and foundationally called to be persons of love. We are called to love the divine in which we gather to worship. We are called to love one another. And we are called to love all of creation.
Most often our expressions of love have required little effort. We have made our predominant expressions of love toward those who love us first, have reciprocated our love, or look, speak, act, and worship like us.
Howev...
MIM and Monroeville Public Library partner to host “Sanctity of Life” panel
Dozens of interested community members joined the religious leaders of MIM this week for a panel discussion on "the sanctity of life," followed by a time of Q&A. Religious leaders spoke from their own traditions about concepts such as the value of human life, how to protect human life and what makes life holy.
The panelists included:
Dr. Salah Almoukamal, Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
Rev. Buena Smith Dudley, African Methodist Episcopal Church
Deacon Michael Kelly, St. Bernadette Catholic Church
Harilal Patel, Hindu-Jain Temple
Rabbi ...
Trib: “Series exploring Monroeville’s religions, interfaith dialogue through March 14”
The Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium and member congregation Monroeville United Methodist Church were featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Series exploring Monroeville's religions, interfaith dialogue through March 14
By Emily Balser | Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, 8:27 p.m.
About 40 people came to Monroeville United Methodist Church on Monday to learn about other religions as part of the church's new series, “Understanding the Religions of Monroeville.”
“My hope is to help build understanding and build bridges of respect,” said the Rev. Ed ...
Trib: “ACLU, ministerium happy with Monroeville’s moment-of-silence decision”
The Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium was featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
ACLU, ministerium happy with Monroeville's moment-of-silence decision
By Emily Balser
Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, 8:09 p.m.
Updated 20 hours ago
Political and religious leaders in Monroeville say they anticipate positive changes from the municipality's decision to replace prayer at its council meetings with a moment of silence.
Even the American Civil Liberties Union, which threatened a lawsuit on behalf of a resident who complained to the group, said it is pleased that ...
Post-Gazette: “Monroeville Council to start meetings with moment of silence”
The Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium was featured in an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Monroeville Council to start meetings with moment of silence
January 12, 2016 10:31 PM
By Deana Carpenter
Starting next month, Monroeville Council meetings will begin with a moment of silence and not the Lord’s Prayer, which had been recited at council meetings in the municipality for nearly five decades.
Council voted down an invocation ordinance Tuesday tonight that would have called on various community religious leaders to lead council in prayer prior to ...
Trib: “Monroeville Council drops meeting prayer”
The Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium was featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Monroeville Council drops meeting prayer
By Emily Balser
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, 11:00 p.m.
Updated 15 hours ago
Monroeville officials decided Tuesday not to move forward with a proposed ordinance that would have allowed local religious leaders to open meetings with an invocation.
Instead, they unanimously decided to go with a moment of silence to begin council meetings in place of a prayer.
The moment of silence was suggested by the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium, ...
TRIB: “Pittsburgh-area religious leaders fear Trump remarks fan intolerance”
The Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium and its member Dr. Salah Almoukamal were featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Pittsburgh-area religious leaders fear Trump remarks fan intolerance
Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guests gathered for a campaign event at Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on Dec. 5, 2015, in Davenport, Iowa.
By Natasha Lindstrom
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, 11:04 p.m.
Western Pennsylvania religious leaders spanning Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist faiths convened an ...
MIM responds to Monroeville Council prayer controversy
The Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium has issued the following statement in response to reports that the Monroeville Council may face legal action over its practice of beginning council meetings with the Lord's Prayer:
December 4, 2015
Dear Mayor Erosenko and Members of the Council,
As member congregations of the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium, we believe that the power of prayer guides each of us to live our values. As a diverse community, we also believe that no single tradition’s prayer represents all of the religions of Monroeville. Therefore, we ...
