Opportunity Details
TeamWorks: Interfaith Interactions: Exploring Faith & Community Impact (age 18+)
Join a TeamWorks team of volunteers for a series of done-in-a-day projects led by a Hands On Greater Portland TeamWorks Leader. TeamWorks offers volunteers the opportunity to make a slightly longer-term commitment to volunteering, delve into a topic or issue-area, and get to know other volunteers in the process.
Do you want to learn more about the practices and beliefs of other religious faiths? Are you curious how different faith communities are working to support the greater Portland community? Do you want to become more comfortable interacting with and volunteering for service opportunities hosted by different religious groups? Then join us for four weeks of exploring interfaith stewardship with this TeamWorks!
As we volunteer alongside a number of religious organizations, we will explore the following questions: What are the similarities and differences between the volunteer work of various faith communities? Do all religions define or prioritize stewardship in the same manner? How do people of different faiths interact with each other? Is it possible for people of different faiths to come together to serve a common purpose?
During this TeamWorks, we will hear from a staff member at Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, an interfaith organization that brings together dozens of different churches in Oregon and the Portland metro area. Then we will help sort and pack children’s supplies with Northwest Children’s Outreach, a Protestant Christian organization. A week later we will work alongside practicing Buddhists of the Dharma Rain Zen Buddhist Group restoring the wildlife area of an old landfill upon which they will later build a new Buddhist temple. We will explore why different faiths prioritize different areas of social and environmental needs. For our fourth session, we will help serve meals to the homeless with St. Francis of Assai Catholic Church. During session five, we will hear about the social advocacy and interfaith work that the Jewish Federation of Portland is doing in the community.
To wrap up the TeamWorks, our final dinner will bring us all together for a larger discussion on interfaith stewardship, what we have gleaned from our experiences, and an opportunity to share and learn about other faith-based organizations and initiatives in the Greater Portland area.
Please note: All TeamWorks members are asked to pay an administrative fee of $10 at the first project to confirm your participation on the team and help keep the TeamWorks program running. Scholarships are available upon request.
What is TeamWorks? TeamWorks teams consist of approximately 10-15 individuals, led by a Hands On trained volunteer leader, who commit to volunteering for every project in the series, so please carefully check the schedule below before signing up! Signing up for the FIRST session will sign you up for the entire TeamWorks. If you know in advance you'd have to miss one of the projects, let us know and you might still be eligible to join the team. Questions can be directed to Katie Keith, TeamWorks Leader, by using the "Email Opportunity Leader" link in the grey box at the end of the page.
TeamWorks Schedule:
Session One: Kickoff Dinner and Discussion with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon Staff Member
Sunday, July 21, 5:00 - 7:00pm; Downtown Portland
We will kick off this TeamWorks by sharing a meal together. We will introduce ourselves and learn a bit about everyone’s backgrounds -- religious or otherwise -- and what brought us to this team. Then we will have a staff member from the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon present about the organization’s role and impact in the community. Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is a statewide association of Christian denominations, congregations, ecumenical organizations, and interfaith partners who are committed to mutual respect and understanding. EMO brings together different faiths and advocates for justice and peace. We will have an opportunity to discuss EMO’s work and establish the framework for exploring the other religious groups we will be working with throughout the rest of this TeamWorks.
Session Two: Sorting and Packing Donations with Northwest Children’s Outreach
Northwest Children’s Outreach is an all-volunteer, Christian-founded and -led group that collects and distributes resources for needy children and their families. We will help them sort and pack collected items such as diapers, clothing, books, shoes, formula, cribs, car seats, and toys for children. We will hear about their mission and learn more about how their faith impacts the work that they do.
Session Three: Wildlife Restoration with Dharma Rain Zen Buddhist Group
We will certainly get our hands dirty this session as we work alongside members of the Dharma Rain Zen Buddhist Group to restore a former landfill. It will eventually be the site of a traditional Buddhist temple enveloped in a fabric of wooded areas, inviting paths, gardens and a small cluster of residential units. The temple and the site will be a public resource, with a variety of daily classes, events, and programs open to all. After our work is done, we will hear from a member of Dharma Rain and we will learn why environmental stewardship is as at the core of this Buddhist group.
Session Four: Serving Meals to the Homeless at St. Francis of Assisi
Tuesday, August 6, 5:00-8:30pm; SE Portland
Six days a week, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church serves an evening meal to an average of 300 people. We will help them serve this homeless community and then we will clean up afterwards. During this session, we will explore the history behind St. Francis and the beliefs of this specific parish. We will learn more about the history of Christianity and the adaptations the Catholic Church has had to make in order to cater to our modern society. Afterwards, we will then grab some dinner together and debrief.
Session Five: Social Justice and Advocacy Talk with Jewish Federation of Greater Portland
Thursday, August 8, 5:30pm-8pm; SW Portland
Session Six: Dinner and a Deeper Dive into Interfaith Stewardship
Wednesday, August 14, 6:00pm - 8:00pm; Location TBA
For our final dinner, we will meet for a potluck dinner and a discussion of the religions we did not cover with a special focus on Islam. Each of us will pull together print and multi-media resources to present on the religion we have researched over the course of the TeamWorks. We will take turns discussing what we have learned from our projects thus far and synthesize what we have gained from the program.
Project Requirements:
- Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older to attend this project.
Click "Sign Up" below to reserve your spot on the team! Need help signing up? Call 503-200-3355.
Age Minimum (with Adult): 18+, Minimum Age:18+
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