ARKANSAS

One of TIA's first state Alliances, The Arkansas Interfaith Alliance (AIA), continues to grow and prosper. With over 300 members, AIA has had a busy year, convening two statewide meetings and conducting significant community programming. The AIA members collectively set goals for the Alliance's upcoming year last spring. Members expressed concern about Arkansas' new "moment of silence" legislation and the Arkansas political climate among many other issues. Members determined this year they would continue building the network, monitor issues, and build a clearing house on important issues research and speak out on "hot button" issues.

The AIA also takes seriously the charge of patterning a new public dialogue. To this end, the Alliance sponsored a "leadership" meeting to react to the Christian Coalition's release of the "Contract with the American Family." Held at the local ABC affiliate station, the attendees included representatives from liberal, moderate and conservative religious and political view points, as well as members of the local press. The group responded to the Christian Coalition's "Contract" by identifying areas of common concern among the participants. Sub-groups took these identified areas, such as family values, prayer in school, etc., and made presentations to the AIA steering committee. These presentations are now becoming the model for a public forum on family values which will attempt to bridge differences and identify common ground.

The AIA is also exploring the idea of creating "Interfaith Response Teams" that will offer communities involved in crisis situations mediation services around hot button issues like racial conflict, abortion, public school curriculum, etc.

CALIFORNIA

TIA is proud to announce that the Center for Ethics and Social Policy at the Graduate Theological Union at UC Berkeley, the largest seminary West of Chicago, will take on organizing an Interfaith Alliance in Northern California as a project of the Center. The Center will provide a framework for Northern California under which local alliances can grow. The Center will convene leadership to respond to radical religious right initiatives, organize public education forums, and provide academic resources to help Alliances across the country comment on and participate in the current values debate.

In southern California, TIA Board member Rev. Leonard Jackson is helping the national staff explore beginning a southern California Alliance. There has been great interest in a southern California Alliance and we expect to see one started by the end of the year.

GEORGIA

Local religious and civic leaders are organizing an Atlanta-area Interfaith Alliance, which they hope will serve as a basis and model for a statewide effort. On August 21, Ken Brooker Langston, our Director of Education will visit and speak to a group of interested persons at the Cathedral of St. Philip Episcopal Church. The Atlanta group hopes to announce the formation of an Atlanta Interfaith Alliance by early fall.

FLORIDA

The Interfaith Alliance of Central Florida is sponsoring a community wide introductory meeting on September 7th. National board member Dr. Albert Pennybacker will address the group, and choirs from Rollins College and local churches will perform for the event.

MISSOURI

An interfaith group called the People of Faith Alliance (POFA) has formed in the St. Louis area. Dedicated to the same basic goals as The Interfaith Alliance, this group is presently expanding its membership and planning future events. At one recent event, Ken Brooker Langston spoke to a group of 125 people about TIA's mission, goals, and activities. The group was very receptive to the idea of working more closely with TIA, and of considering the possibility of future affiliation. Not wishing to duplicate POFA's efforts, TIA has encouraged its members and supporters in the St. Louis area to join POFA and to contribute to its important work.

PENNSYLVANIA

Over 170 members of the local clergy and lay leadership attended a TIA introductory meeting in Philadelphia last spring. TIA Board member Dr. Gardner C. Taylor addressed the crowd and delivered an inspiring speech which answered the question, "Why must the faith community respond to the radical religious right?" The event was a tremendous success and launched a Philadelphia-based organization called the Interfaith Alliance of Southeastern Pennsylvania. TIA - SEP has already gained a public presence by quickly moving to condemn anti-semitism in a local school board. TIA - SEP is now planning its first public forum in late October which will address the relationship between religion and public life. TIA - SEP plans to highlight how current political leaders balance the two in their careers. The conference will also address: What were the religious principles guiding the founder of the United States as they crafted The Constitution and the Bill of Rights? And what are the spiritual values which undergird our present responsibilities to the communities of family, neighborhood, state, and nation?

Word of the successful Philadelphia meeting is spreading and giving TIA organizing opportunities across the state. The Republican Future Fund, which is helping mainstream Republicans fight the radical right, is working with Pittsburgh clergy and TIA-SEP to organize an introductory meeting in September.

TENNESSEE

An Interfaith Alliance in Nashville has formed around countering the radical right and is planning to become a member of The Interfaith Alliance. Ken Brooker Langston, our Director of Education, spoke to the group on a recent trip to Tennessee and reports they would be a great addition to the Alliance network. They will be holding their first community wide meeting to introduce the concept of TIA on September 11 and 12 after which they intend to announce the formation of the Nashville TIA. We are excited about our new southern addition!

VIRGINIA

TIA's first statewide alliance formed last fall in response to the misuse of religion by the radical right in the U.S. Senate race between Chuck Robb and Oliver North. They have conducted educational outreach activity throughout the state and are planning a statewide "values conference." TIA will assume the role as a convener to lift up analternative faith-based voice to the radical religious right. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for February 1996 and TIA is seeking support from many Virginia institutions including the Richmond Theological Consortium, Virginia Council of Churches and the Virginia Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

WASHINGTON STATE

After months of planning and hard work, The Interfaith Alliance of WashingtonState reaped great reward with a state-widemembership kick-off and press announcement on May 22, 1995. To the surprise anddelight of local alliance members, over 600 people jammed the large meeting room atFirst United Methodist Church in Bellevue. National Board members Dr. AlbertPennybacker and Dr. Joan Brown Campbell were guest speakers at the event and Dr. Campbell addressed the crowd on "Saying No to Intolerance in the Public Debate." Dr. Campbell's speech was met by a standing ovation and attendees left energized to begin organizing state-wide. Since the kick-off, TIA of WS has welcomed ten new chapters into what has become a statewide movement.

Prior to the membership kickoff , TIA of WS had been actively educating its membership about the radical right. TIA of WS regularly sponsors forums and brings in guest speakers from a broad range of backgrounds, (lawmakers, educators, civil libertarians). The Alliance is also monitoring and tracking local radical right personalities and organizations.

To respond to widespread extremist activity in Washington, TIA of WS is planning to present a public voice at targeted governing board meetings. "Faith Plurality Teams" will be sent to these meetings to insure that the radical right is challenged when they try to represent the "Christian" or "Religious" view on public policy initiatives. The TIA of Washington is also planning to develop a campaign "Code of Conduct" which they hope campaigns will sign onto this fall.