Conversations on Sacred/Civic Placemaking: Exploring the convergence of civic engagement, community design and prophetic action
Presented by Sympara
Description: Amid the struggles of religious and civic institutions, third places are emerging on religious properties. These are spaces to work out what it means to be neighbors and citizens and even creators of more just, equitable and sustainable communities.
Is this a return to the church that doubles as town hall, the rediscovery of civil religion, or something else?
Placemaking, which is the art of designing public spaces and creating livable communities, takes on added meaning when it's sacred/civic placemaking. What does it mean for religious properties to be repurposed and reimagined with neighbors of other religions or no religious identification? What is the character of such places? And what promise do these places hold for the common good?
Conversations on Sacred/Civic Placemaking is a free Zoom series that explores these questions with religious leaders, community organizers, developers, social entrepreneurs, architects and others.
April 21, 2021, 1-2 p.m. ET: Sympara cofounder Daniel Pryfogle and board member Yonat Shimron, national reporter and senior editor for Religion News Service, will explore the trend toward sacred/civic placemaking and historical precedents. Register for the free Zoom event on April 21 here.
Future Speakers:
May 6, 2021, 2:30-3:30 p.m. EDT: Tim Soerens, cofounding director, Parish Collective; author of Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church Right Where You Are
June 15, 2021: Kat Turner, former senior warden, Church of the Resurrection, Alexandria, VA, which has built 113 affordable apartments on its property
July 27, 2021: Melissa St. Clair, senior minister, Heart of the Rockies Christian Church, Fort Collins, CO, which is pursuing a vision of collaborative development with three nonprofit organizations
August 19, 2021: Michael-Ray Mathews, cofounder and public theologian-in-residence, Sympara; deputy director, Faith in Action; host of the Prophetic Resistance Podcast