The Interfaith Center at Miami University provides opportunities for both students and the Oxford community to familiarize themselves with different religions.
The center’s director, Geneva Blackmer, says its mission is to bring people in the community of religious, spiritual and secular worldviews into one space. She divides that mission into three pillars.
Blackmer says the first pillar is inter-worldview dialogue and education, which serves to bring people together to learn about traditions, beliefs and practices.
This is done through panels and discussions, which are held periodically throughout the year, she says. Many of these events focus on learning and combatting things such as xenophobia and fear.
Blackmer says the second pillar is about building relationships. She says the center does this by creating spaces where people from different worldviews can come together. This is done through anything from service activities to events centered around shared common interests.
The third pillar is a social justice component, a way to look at societal concerns. The center’s programming looks at relevant unifying points like hunger, environment, racism and gender equity.
“We find that people of diverse religious, spiritual and secular worldviews often care about the same things,” Blackmer said. “How they arrive at that concern might be different.”
In the past few months, the Interfaith Center has focused on multiple topics ranging from the history of Jewish people in Eastern Uganda to sacred spaces and mental health.
According to Blackmer, the center’s programs are often chosen based on current cultural and community interests. She says that what people are concerned about and feel called to action for are deciding factors in topic choices.
“Sometimes it is a response to what’s currently going on in society,” Blackmer said.
The Interfaith Center is often able to put on these kinds of events with the assistance of community grants.
One recent event focused on mental health was made possible by the McCullough-Hyde Foundation, which launched a community health funding initiative in 2023.
The McCullough-Hyde Foundation’s executive director, Tyler Wash, said the Interfaith Center’s event was approved for funding because it was centered around mental health. The foundation lists mental health as a significant health need.
Wash said the Interfaith Center is a key community partner, and its mission assists the foundation’s overall mission for community health needs.
“The fact that they wanted to bring targeted educational opportunities around mental health through their lens to the communities that they serve specifically is exactly what we’re looking for in partner organizations,” Wash said.
Wash also expressed that success with the center’s broad mission was good for the foundation’s goals as well.
“They’re putting in the hard work,” Wash said. “If we’re able to come and provide a little funding to help them accomplish their goals, that’s a win for us.”
Blackmer said grant applications such as those of the McCullough-Hyde Foundation’s community program, are common for the center, especially from organizations with community interests.
“We do tend to apply for grants from community foundations or from foundations which focus specifically on interfaith or inter-religious work,” Blackmer said.
Blackmer emphasizes that sense of community, which is key to the center’s function. She says many organizations also use the space as an interfaith meeting space, an example of the center’s mission.
“We want it to be a community resource as well, so the more people can know about us, the better,” Blackmer said.
