This afternoon I participated in a Zoom call with Faith in Public Life, a national nonprofit with an Ohio cohort.  But rather than a strategy meeting, this was a memorial service.  After 20 years of “Advancing the moral imperative for a just, inclusive, and equitable country,” FPL is ending all programming and “sunsetting” as an organization.

I got connected to Faith in Public Life a decade ago through a newly formed monthly breakfast gathering.  We met in church and synagogue fellowship halls – clergy and nonprofit leaders getting to know one another, becoming better acquainted with policy issues that impacted the community, especially at a local and state level. 

Those connections formed just in time to be in place when Edith moved into sanctuary in our church building in 2017.  The clergy from FPL were key allies and regulars at events and press conferences.  FPL’s Dan Clark provided support, counsel, and media expertise throughout.  A takeaway from an FPL messaging training I still keep in mind:  Lead with values, not what you’re against.

That breakfast group still meets, although under different leadership.  Those clergy relationships are still part of the fabric of the interfaith community in Central Ohio.  CMC’s advocacy for immigrants and refugees continues in different forms.

As an organization, Faith in Public Life bumped up against big shifts in institutional philanthropy that have impacted many nonprofits.  (See a Sojourners article from last year about this.)  They are using the metaphor of “sunsetting” to describe their ending.  Along with that, I’m thinking about our recent exploration of compost.  A lot of good got photosynthesized through FPL.  A lot of nutrients got pulled up from the soil.  All that had a direct impact on me and Columbus Mennonite Church.  Those elements are now available to live in other forms.  And we’ll be part of that too.

Joel