INTERFAITH COUNCIL CONTINUES ITS WORK OF BUILDING BRIDGES
The Rapid City Area Interfaith Council continues to honor its mission of building bridges of understanding through service to the wider community. Representatives from a variety of different local faith groups serve on and work with the Council, including those from several Christian denominations as well as Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu communities.
Current IFC President Rich Bensinger, Pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Rapid City, emphasizes the importance of being “open to all faith traditions.” Guest speakers from various faith communities have been educating the Council about their faith traditions. Consequently, he says, “As we understand each other and look for the intersections in our shared values, we are able to work together despite the differences in our practices.”
President Bensinger shares three important goals of the IFC:
- To foster understanding and collaboration between different religious groups, promoting peace, respect, and shared values.
- To sponsor collaborative projects, community service, and dialogue that bridge divides and build a more inclusive society.
- To promote religious and cultural literacy through extracurricular activities.
“We also believe,” he says, “it’s important that our elected officials and governmental agencies and committees hear the concerns and voices of people of faith in their deliberations.”
Focus areas for 2025 include awareness and advocacy of relevant political issues; awareness and advocacy of religious freedom; coalition building and strengthening; community service and outreach. As the IFC identifies community needs in these areas, specific activities will be planned.
President Bensinger says that “all of the activities of the Interfaith Council are aligned towards actions of some sort. We don’t just sit and contemplate the challenges of life in our community; we work to put our faith into action.”
An example is the event sponsored and planned by the IFC for Interfaith Global Youth Service Day held on May 3 at the First United Methodist Church in Rapid City. Over 60 youth and youth leaders participated in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities to benefit local nonprofit organizations. President Bensinger notes that this event “showed the hearts of the youth for the underprivileged, and the willingness to put their love for others in action.”
A large group of youth ages 12-18 from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attended the event. For more information on the IGYSD, see the article “60+ Rapid City Youth Serve Together.”