Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association plans to launch Family Promise
July 13th, 2008
By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR
The newly formed Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association plans to launch Family Promise – a program that helps the homeless find shelter and employment – as a functioning ministry starting in the fall.
Between eight and 10 houses of worship are already getting involved through the association, which is taking more of a tack toward social issues, said Dr. Tom Tift, worship director at First United Methodist Church.
Family Promise, he said, is a national program that works with homeless families. “We plan to launch that as a functioning ministry in September.”
Dr. Tift said the association, formed a year or so ago, is dealing with more social issues under the leadership of the Rev. Andrew Sherman from St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton, who founded the group, and Rabbi David Steinhardt of B’nai Torah Congregation in southwest Boca Raton.
This is the second interfaith organization to be formed among Boca Raton clergy. The newer group began about 18 months ago at an interfaith panel at St. Gregory’s that included Rev. Sherman, Rabbi Steinhardt and the imam from the Islamic Center of Boca Raton.
For more than a year, participating clergy have been meeting once a month to discuss issues. The two lead clerics said they hope to expand the database of members.
A number of houses of worship in Boca Raton have interfaith dealings with other individual centers. Ebenezer Baptist Church and Temple B’nai Israel have been holding joint gatherings and sponsoring an interfaith Thanksgiving dinner for more than 20 years.
Also, Temple Beth El, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church and First Presbyterian Church conduct a program called Shared Care, which provides day care for the elderly.
Several temples and churches also support Boca Helping Hands, which provides food and financial assistance for the needy.
Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at dking@bocanews.com.
| 
