Nashville Habitat also has held interfaith dialogues as well as interfaith worship services — involving Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Christian clergy — at Congregation Ohabai Sholom, a Nashville synagogue better known as the Temple.
Mustafa, a future Habitat for Humanity homeowner, poses while working on a project in the Nashville area in August 2022. Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville
The Temple first became involved with Habitat when a past president of the synagogue wanted to get congregations involved in a social action project, said Rabbi Shana Mackler, who also serves as a senior scholar. The Unity Build began with three congregations and now involves nearly two dozen.
“We have stayed involved largely because people love direct action projects, and because it gives us the opportunity to connect with other houses of worship and religious communities in doing good, meaningful work,” she said.
For Lauren Brooks-Gregory, the interfaith service at the Temple is one of the most important aspects of the Unity Build. Brooks-Gregory, who is 40, said she first became involved in Habitat as a teenager and learned about the Unity Build through her Calvary United Methodist Church, where she grew up.
The church has long been a supporter of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville, which has helped 1,000 families become homeowners.
Lauren Brooks-Gregory. Courtesy photo
She said the interfaith service sets the tone that everyone involved is committed to the same goal — putting a roof over a family’s head.
Brooks-Gregory took over as a volunteer coordinator for the Unity Build in 2022 and said she wants to build on the legacy of those who came before her. In her role, she works alongside the point people in each congregation — who are responsible for raising funds and finding volunteers. She said there’s room for congregations small and large to get involved.
She hopes the interfaith work of Habitat will become even more intentional in the future. A former youth pastor who now does training for an electrical contractor, Brooks-Gregory said strengthening relationships between people of different faiths takes intentional effort and planning — especially in trying times.
“The effort to get along is ever-changing,” she said. “It just looks different right now. But the struggle has always been there.”
Brooks-Gregory said she loves the way Habitat puts people in motion to get something constructive done, while they get to know each. That provides space for understanding, she said.
“Let’s practice interfaith dialogue. But also, hand me that two-by-four.”
This article originally appeared here.
