About Restoring the Soul

History & Accomplishments  |  Priority Social Issues of Boulder County  |  Organization  |  Board

History and Initial Accomplishments 2001–2003

(1) Summer 2001: Faith Communities Survey Conducted

In the spring of 2001 Terry Benjamin, Executive Director of the Emergency Family Assistance Association, convened an informal group of Boulder County religious leaders to discuss the possible local implications of proposed federal policy related to the involvement of “faith- and community-based organizations” in the delivery of various kind of human services. The upshot of these meetings was a decision to implement a survey of all Boulder County faith communities to assess their involvement in providing these services and their partnerships with local community agencies.

A consultant, Bruce Swinehart, was hired to design and implement the survey, which was conducted during the summer of 2001. 75 of 193 congregations (about 40%) responded, representing an estimated 23,000 members. Among the key findings were the following:

“Boulder County’s congregations are a significant and largely untapped resource for Boulder County’s human services system. Most provide some type of direct services, refer people to community resources, and/or support agencies and programs through volunteer activities and cash contributions.”

Virtually every congregation that responded to the survey reported offering some array of services to their members and/or to the general public, either directly or via referral to community agencies. The most commonly cited types of services fell into the “basic needs” category (i.e., food and shelter). In addition, 46 congregations (61%) coordinate volunteer or “community outreach” activities; 47 congregations (63%) support community agencies with financial contributions.

“Congregations work with an extraordinary number and variety of programs and agencies.”

A total of 232 separate agencies/programs were cited as partners in congregations’ human services activities or as beneficiaries of volunteer efforts and/or financial contributions.

“Most congregations expect that their level of involvement in human services will increase in the years ahead.”

About two-thirds of respondents (44 congregations) reported that their involvement in human services will probably increase over the next two years; one-third (25 congregations) expect that it will stay the same; only two respondents expect it to decrease.

“Many congregations expressed interest in better coordination and collaboration with each other and with human services agencies, including via the Internet.”

32 congregations (43% of respondents) indicated interest in receiving timely information about human services needs in the community and/or in coordinating their activities with other congregations and community agencies.

The following recommendations were made based on the survey results:

“Community planning sessions that include representatives of faith communities and human services agencies should be convened to develop strategies to improve communication, coordination and partnership, and to respond to congregations’ expressed desire for increased involvement.”

“Mechanisms should be developed to collect, update and share information about community needs and resources with faith communities on a regular basis. In particular, technology-based approaches should be explored.”

“Those congregations that indicated an interest in receiving additional information and technical assistance should be followed up with as soon as possible (these congregations might also be most interested in participating in the community planning sessions described above).”

“A mechanism should be established for ongoing communication and problem-solving between faith communities and human services agencies.”

(2) Winter/Spring 2002: Survey Results Shared with Faith Community and Agency Networks

Between February and April 2002, Bruce Swinehart and Terry Benjamin presented the survey findings and recommendations to several County networks of faith communities and human services organizations, including:

• Longmont Ministerial Association
• Boulder Valley Ministerial Alliance
• Human Services Alliance
• St. Vrain Community Council
• Boulder County Human Services Coordinating Council
• Southeast Boulder County Human Services Council

In debriefing and discussing the survey with these groups, it became clear that there was significant interest among both faith communities and human services agencies in working together to promote stronger, more sustainable partnerships on behalf of Boulder County’s vulnerable populations.

(3) Summer 2002: Steering Committee Convened

In order to develop a long-range strategic plan (and respond to short-term opportunities) for supporting effective and sustainable partnerships between agencies and faith communities, a steering committee made up of representatives of both groups was established in June 2002. The group included representatives of the following faith and community-based organizations:

• Boulder County Safe House
• Boulder Housing Partners
• Boulder Jewish Community Foundation
• The Shambhala Meditation Center
• Emergency Family Assistance Association
• Boulder County Advocates for Transitional Housing (BCATH)
• Lafayette Baha’i Community
• LifeBridge Christian Church
• Mountain View United Methodist Church
• Tango
• Tree of Life Presbyterian Church
• Volunteer Connection
• Workforce Boulder County

In addition to overseeing projects such as the development of a strategic plan and the “Restoring the Soul of Our Communities” conference (see below), the Steering Committee has acted as a clearinghouse for requests that have come in from community groups seeking to engage local faith communities. By working through these “real world” examples, the Steering Committee has increased the depth of its knowledge about the challenges and the opportunities that these partnerships offer.

(4) Fall 2002/ Winter 2003: Partnership Workforce Boulder County

The first stream of federal funding related to the President’s “Faith-Based and Community Initiatives” came through the US Department of Labor in the summer of 2002 in the form of a $1.3 million grant to the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children for the purpose of promoting partnerships between faith communities and workforce agencies. When the Director of Workforce Boulder County, Tom Miller, became aware of this program he approached the BCFCI to explore how we might be able to work together to capture whatever opportunities it might afford to our local communities.

A successful grant proposal was then written to CFFC’s “Workforce, Faith, and Community Works” initiative to support our local partnership; the Volunteer Connection agreed to serve as the fiscal agent for the proposed project. The grant funded:

• The development of a comprehensive database of local faith communities;
• The development of a communication infrastructure (probably an e-mail listserve and mailing list; possibly a design for a web site);
• Recruitment of 3-5 local faith communities to pilot a “family mentoring” project to expand WFBC’s “Project Work Together” program from a one-on-one model to matching a family with a community of caring people that can meet a wide range of needs.

(5) Spring 2003: “Restoring the Soul of Our Communities” Conference

The BCFCI hosted a conference entitled “Restoring The Soul Of Our Communities: An Interfaith Conference On Community Engagement in Boulder County” on March 14, 2003, which was attended by about 150 people. The purpose of this event was:

• To encourage and strengthen effective partnerships between Boulder County faith communities and human service agencies.
• To invite all types of faith communities to work together toward the common purpose of creating stronger, more caring communities through partnerships with community agencies and programs.
• To gather information about the kinds of support faith communities might need to create and sustain effective partnerships with community agencies.

The conference content included the following topics:

• How service to the community is related to the practice of religious faith according to several traditions.
• Boulder County trends regarding religious and community engagement.
• Current patterns and anticipated future trends regarding local faith communities’ partnerships with community agencies.
• Keys to success in developing and sustaining partnerships.
• How several local partnerships have overcome challenges and created success.
• Plans to create sustainable mechanisms to support local partnerships.

Participants provided input into our strategic planning process via facilitated roundtable discussions exploring many different models of successful partnerships, and information was collected about their interests regarding future training and networking opportunities.

(6) Spring/Summer 2003: Brown-Bag Luncheon Discussion Series

Following up on the interests expressed by conference participants, we scheduled a series of monthly “brown-bag luncheon” meetings, which combined opportunities to receive information from a knowledgeable speaker, build skills, and network with other faith and community based organizations.

• April: Volunteer Management
• May: The Economic Facts of Life for Working People in Boulder County
• June: Creating a Culture of Community Engagement within Faith Communities
• July: Funding Opportunities: Federal/State/Local, Public and Private
• August: Restorative Justice

(7) Summer 2003: Database and Communication System Established

Through the WFCW grant described above, we hired a part-time staff person to assist us in developing an extensive database of information about 193 Boulder County congregations and their partnerships with local human services agencies. It was anticipated that once completed, this database, together with an electronic communication network, would enable us to quickly and efficiently link up congregations’ resources with community needs. We expected to also be able to use this system to keep interested faith communities informed about opportunities for building their capacity and forming partnerships to support effective community engagement.

(8) Current Era

In December 2003, Bruce Swinehart stepped back from his position as consultant and the Steering Committee decided it was time to formalize certain aspects of the project. In January 2004, a part time director was hired to further the activities of the project. Tania Leontov, who had served as a volunteer representative of the Shambhala Center to the Steering Committee became Project Director. (See Organization.)

The project which had been formerly known as the Boulder County Faith Initiative was formally named “Restoring the Soul: Faith and Community Partnerships.” An identity program was completed, vision and mission statement and strategic plan updated.

An Advisory Board was formed, most members of which had served on the Steering Committee.