The Religion Communicators
Council is an interfaith communications organization working to promote peace
and fellowship while spreading the good news.
The longest running interfaith communications organization in the
United States, the Religion Communicators Council (RCC), has chapters across
the country that meet regularly and promote “excellence in the communication of
religious faith and values in the public arena and encourage understanding
among religious and faith groups,” according to the RCC website.
In Nashville, the RCC Chapter meets every other month to promote its
ideals through conversations about what is in the news and how to spread more
religious messages – the good news—a tradition that began this year. “People of
faith have influence,” says president of the Nashville Chapter, Rev. Brian
Fesler, who pastors the Church of Scientology, “We all need to step out and
speak up because the good news, of which there is an abundance, tends to be
overshadowed.”
The chapter began the year hearing from Mohamed Shukri-Hassan, the
Program Director for the American Muslim Advisory Council and member of the
Mayor's New Americans Advisory Council, who described programs both organizations
are doing to help promote understanding and tolerance, a timely message. Next RCC members visited Ibis Communications
where they met and heard from MaryAnne Howland, its president and founder.
Howland described how the name Ibis comes from the bird of wisdom, as she
described her commitment to serving organizations of goodwill.
The next visit for the chapter was to the American Center for Outreach
where members had a chance to talk with and learn from Paul Galloway, the
organizations new director. The American Center for Outreach is a non-profit
organization formed to address bigoted legislation at the State Capitol, mainly
against the Muslim population.
RCC members were glad to learn about ways to care for the environment
on World Environment Day at the Church of Scientology, where guest speakers
discussed neighborhood community gardens and best practices for planting
trees. Following this meeting, the RCC
co-hosted an event for International Friendship Day, also at the Church of
Scientology, where a diverse crowd discussed stereotypes and ways to overcome
them.
Following Friendship Day, the RCC executive board met and decided to
change the focus of meetings to be more interactive for members. Thus the group
introduced a new bi-monthly breakfast meeting where the RCC could take up hot
topics in the news, fellowship, and discuss promoting tolerance and peace among
all peoples. They were able to hold two such meetings this year, first at
United Methodist Communications, then at the Islamic Center of Nashville.
Nashville’s RCC chapter is preparing for an even greater 2016 with its
new style of meetings taking center stage to help members learn new ways to
promote the good word. RCC is open to members from all denominations, and the
Nashville group includes Baha’is, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Scientologists,
Hindus and more. For further information
about the RCC or their next meeting, visit www.religioncommunicators.org.
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