Shalom Intefaith Project

The Problem:
What does a religious community do when it encounters people having difficulties in their lives such as job loss, financial concerns, housing issues, and medical needs? The answer, in the Northern Brookhaven area, is often to turn to Shalom Interfaith Project. The project coordinates the efforts of 11 different religious congregations and communities to assist people in accessing resources that will help them obtain such life resources as:
     Housing
          Nutrition
                Employment
                     Medical care
                           Social assistance
                                Transportation
and to work with them to achieve long-lasting solutions that ensure common well-being and improve quality of life.

Program Origins
In 1997, several clergy from area religious groups gathered to discuss how local communities of faith could work together to provide a coordinated, effective response to people in need. They recognized that by working together, they could respond in ways beyond the abilities of any single congregation or community.
As faithful people, we believe God asks us to participate in realizing God's vision of shalom for our world. Shalom is a Hebrew word meaning "fulfillment, wholeness, well-being, and peace." It characterizes a way of living that ensures that all people, especially the most vulnerable, have the resources needed for a decent quality of life. Shalom Interfaith Project participants conscientiously work in partnership with those whom come to our religious communities seeking assistance, respecting the dignity of all.

Working Together
Currently, eleven religious communities work together to support Shalom Interfaith Project:
     Christ Church Episcopal, (631) 473-0273
     First Presbyterian Church of Port Jefferson, (631) 473-0147 
     Mt. Sinai Congregational, United Church of Christ, (631) 473-1582
     North Shore Jewish Center, (631) 928-3737
     Setauket Presbyterian Church, (631) 941-4271
     Setauket United Methodist Church, (631) 941-4167
     St. James Roman Catholic Church, (631) 941-4141
     St. Paul's Lutheran Church, (631) 473-2236
     Society of St. Francis, Little Portion Friary, (631) 473-0553
     Temple Isaiah, (631) 751-8518
     Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stony Brook, (631) 751-8336

All pledging religious communities have a voice and vote in Shalom Interfaith Project's monthly administrative meetings, working toward consensus on decisions. Other religious groups are welcome to join the project, and those who work with the project are always happy to advise religious communities in other locations on setting up their own similar programs.

Clergy or religious leaders within the communities in the project group refer people in need to a trained social worker who assesses their needs, provides counsel to the religious communities on the best ways to assist, and makes appropriate referrals to governmental and charitable organizations. The social worker works part time throughout the year and sees clients by appointment only at First Presbyterian Church.

Because the social worker is assessing the needs of those in our community, the social worker can advise all participating religious communities on the root causes of need in our area. This helps the communities work collectively to address these needs and their underlying concerns. The communities are also developing covenant groups of willing volunteers within each participating religious community to provide services that people in distress need but that are not typically provided by other organizations.

Fiscal Structure
The work of the Shalom Interfaith Project is supported by donations from member congregations and communities and grants from religious bodies. Shalom Interfaith Project is an incorporated, not-for-profit organization, and all donations to the project are tax deductible. To make a donation to the project, write a check payable to Shalom Interfaith Project and mail it it:

Shalom Interfaith Project
The Rev. Jeff Geary
c/o Setauket Presbyterian Church
5 Caroline Avenue
Setauket, NY 11733
 

Main and South Streets, Port Jefferson NY 11777 office: (631) 473-0147

Email: Pastor@PJPres.org    Office@PJPres.org   Webmaster@PJPres.org