By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A coalition of faith leaders from across the city have joined together to tackle some of the biggest issues our region faces.
One Body Collaboratives, which unites more than 100 Christian churches for prayer and service work to transform the Rockford area, announced on Wednesday its Community Flourishing Initiative. The initiative will focus on different areas each year, and this year faith leaders decided to put their attention on mental health and racial justice.
“There are over 400 churches in the Rockford region. What if we work together as one body to address the major issues facing our region,” said Anisha Grimmett, a One Body Collaboratives board member. “No one church can bring city transformation on its own. But together we can.”
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Over the next eight months, One Body Collaboratives will host a variety of events designed to educate and connect faith leaders for action in the focus areas, Pastor Sonji Collins of House of God Church said.
“These events will also provide time for fellowship among our faith leaders as well as a time for covering our community in prayer,” Collins said.
The first event will be a panel discussion May 18 centered around mental health. That event is coupled with an expo on various mental health resources for the community. A panel discussion on racism will take place June 15.
“In terms of racial justice, that is not a one-year only focus,” Pastor LaToya White of Empowering Word Christian Center said. “Racial justice will be woven into everything we do going forward and will continue to be a focus area each and every year.”
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The initiative was announced at Empowering Word Christian Center, 4010 E. State St., after working behind the scenes for about a year. Faith leaders detailed the project and joined in prayer.
“We believe in the work and the kingdom impact a faith community will make by working together in these areas,” said Pastor Alvin White of Empowering Word Christian Center.
The idea was introduced in July 2021 during a faith leader breakfast hosted by Mayor Tom McNamara. Additional churches were then engaged and surveyed to help determine the annual focus area.
Mary Cacioppi, executive director of One Body Collaboratives, said the initiative can demonstrate the impact the faith community can have while working together. It also provides an opportunity for faith leaders to come together and learn from one another.
“And third, it creates a flourishing community as our faith community greatly influences every one of the flourishing outcomes of people in our city as well as the other pathways to that flourishing,” she said.
The diversity between the different denominations will be a strong asset for the group, said Norma Borrero, pastor of Life Church.
“To be clear, unity is not uniformity,” Borrero said. “The diversity that exists between us can be an asset as we work together, each bringing their unique giftings.”
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2022 Community Flourishing Events
Community Flourishing Focus Area Topic: Mental Health
Panel discussion: 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 18 at Forest City Church, 1280 S. Alpine Road.
Resource expo: 10:30 a.m. to noon at Forest City Church.
Community Flourishing Focus Area: Racial Reconciliation
When: 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 15. (Location to be determined.)
Additional events
More events centered around mental health and racism will be hosted throughout the year. Visit onebodycollaboratives.org for the latest updates.
“Be The Bridge” Book Club
One Body Collaboratives is also organizing a communitywide book club focused on “Be The Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation” by Latasha Morrison.
Pastor Peter Dibely of First Covenant Church said the churchwide book club will help the community gain a biblically-grounded understanding of restorative racial reconciliation.
“By committing to do this together, we create a pathway for the church in Rockford to meaningfully address the sin of racism in its various forms as it has existed in history and as it exists today,” Dibley said.
You can find the book at bethebridge.com or other booksellers.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.