Some wonderful interfaith and community-supported justice and service ministries have been emerging in the city of Calgary recently. We Christians have an opportunity to work with and serve many people who once existed outside our usual vision for mission.
The new venture I speak of is called the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good (CACG), and my congregation, St. David’s United Calgary, has been a founding and supportive member for almost three years.
Similar organizations to the CACG have formed in Vancouver and Edmonton, and we hope the idea, which first surfaced in the United States, will soon catch on in other parts of Canada.
The objectives of the CACG include the creation of a network of diverse religious, non-profit, labour, ethnic and service groups that seek meaningful relationships with each other while also reaching out to the community. By harnessing people-power, members hope to transform Calgary by addressing the systems, policies and underlying causes of issues such as poverty and injustice. The CACG also cultivates leaders who promote healthy civic life and address key concerns facing our city.
Currently, the alliance includes numerous denominations (Anglican, United, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Unitarian, United, Moravian), several Jewish communities, labour unions and multi-ethnic social service organizations.
We do not consider various levels of government (civic, provincial and national) to be adversaries, but rather as allies in the process of implementing legislation that supports the most vulnerable and oppressed.
What this means for my congregation, for example, is a focus on the particular needs of seniors, as well as improved relations with a local Indigenous community, the Stoney First Nation at Morley, Alberta, west of our city.
Face-to-face encounters and in-depth communication are important first steps in the building of just relations. Listening events engage those most affected by injustice in teaching and leadership roles. We must constantly be reminded of who teaches and who learns. In the past, privileged persons with good hearts have made ill-suited decisions for the underprivileged. To be effective today we must change our ways of doing things.
On October 17th of this year, close to 600 people from our representative organizations came together at Knox United Church downtown to formally found our alliance. The attendance numbers and many presentations made it a powerful evening. Our mayor and representatives of three levels of government were profoundly impressed by the nature of our combined efforts.
CACG Founding Assembly, Knox United Church. Photo by Robert Massey
A few weeks later, as city council was planning to make more cuts in our civic budget, including the low income transit pass which would impact about 66,000 vulnerable citizens, we changed the conversation at City Hall and helped to insure that the cuts were only half of what many were advocating.
CACG members at Calgary City Hall
During the past two years, my congregation has not only contributed to the CACG, but it has also benefited from the experience of other groups because of it. The reach of our connections is much greater and more effective than was possible had we remained confined to our own particular denominations or faith traditions.
In the next year, we will be adding mental health/addictions, social isolation and environmental concerns to our program research efforts. We plan to expand current attempts to improve the quality of life for our seniors and to support particular recommendations of the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.
Not all our efforts have proven successful, and we expect to learn from our mistakes as we travel in new political territory. Forging ahead together, it is both heartening and inspiring to work alongside determined citizens in our community, eager to share resources with those who need it most.
For more information or to get involved, visit Calgary Alliance for the Common Good.
Photos courtesy of CACG
