- University News Archive - UA ��Ƶlogo

- University News Archive - UA ��Ƶlogo /news-archive/tag/little-rock-clergy/ UA ��Ƶlogo Tue, 23 Apr 2019 19:36:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Summit brings together city’s religious leaders to identify problems, find solutions /news-archive/2019/04/23/religious-leaders-summit/ Tue, 23 Apr 2019 19:36:26 +0000 /news/?p=74099 ...]]> ��Ƶlogo’s faith leaders share concerns about the city’s future. They see education, race relations, poverty, and mental health as among the many issues affecting the city’s residents and their congregants. Their concerns surfaced April 11 at the ��Ƶlogo Religious Leaders Summit organized by the ��Ƶlogo Congregations Study research project at the University of Arkansas at ��Ƶlogo. The summit brought together more than 50 religious leaders to discuss the major problems facing ��Ƶlogo, share research findings, and brainstorm ways that UA ��Ƶlogo researchers can inform and support religious leaders in their efforts to improve our city. “It was wonderful to see such a thoughtful and diverse group of faith leaders gather together to discuss how to move our city forward,” said Rebecca Glazier, associate professor in UA ��Ƶlogo’s School of Public Affairs and the the primary investigator of the . At the summit, faith leaders broke into a smaller discussions groups, facilitated by Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter, chair of the applied communication department at UA ��Ƶlogo, and discussed challenges facing ��Ƶlogo and their congregants and how can researchers help in the future. “We, as members of the clergy, have to get outside our sanctuary walls. It’s great to take care of those within the sanctuary, but we have to get beyond,” ��Ƶlogo Mayor Frank Scott Jr. told the crowd. “In these new times, it’s about education justice, economic justice, interpersonal justice. It warms my heart to be before you today and see so many faith leaders. At the end of the day, we’re all about people, about love – Muslim brother or sister, Jewish brother or sister, or Christian brother or sister. At the end of the day, we all love this city and each other and want to do good.” Aof the Religious Leaders Summit is available online along with the executive report of results from the . Although this year’s Religious Leaders Summit was a first, the ��Ƶlogo Congregations Study has been conducted since 2012 when 66 clergy from five churches were initially surveyed. In 2016, UA ��Ƶlogo partnered with the Clinton School of Public Service and expanded its survey to include 84 clergy from 17 congregations. The most recent report was based on a survey of 112 clergy and involved more than 50 UA ��Ƶlogo student researchers. Glazier said that the overall finding is that communities improve when congregations and nonprofits work together toward common goals. For example, many churches and nonprofits that provide food pantries for their clients could benefit by collaborating. “Looking at the feedback we received from the Religious Leaders Summit, we see our role as researchers as contributing in two important ways,” Glazier said. “First, researchers can help by studying topics that are particularly important to religious communities in ��Ƶlogo. Second, researchers can also contribute by looking at broader questions including how to facilitate collaboration and how to find long-term, systemic solutions.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette coverage of the summit can be found .

Rebecca Glazier, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at UA ��Ƶlogo, speaks at the ReligiousLeaders Summit on April 11 at UA ��Ƶlogo Downtown where members of the city’s clergy and religious leaders met to discuss issues affecting the city. Photo by Benjamin Krain

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