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Pastors opening doors to all — at the Dayton Mall

Brice Thomas, pastor of Journey Ministries, and Julie Olmsted, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, stand outside of what they hope will be Common Grounds Interfaith Community Center in the Dayton Mall, between JCPenney and The Food Court on the second floor. The interfaith community center has the possibilities to provide a health clinic, counseling and religious workshops, among other community outreach services. On June 6th from 10:30-12pm, inside the space at the Dayton Mall, Rev. Thomas and Rev. Olmsted will have a introduction for possible partners.

Teesha McClam Brice Thomas, pastor of Journey Ministries, and Julie Olmsted, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, stand outside of what they hope will be Common Grounds Interfaith Community Center in the Dayton Mall, between JCPenney and The Food Court on the second floor. The interfaith community center has the possibilities to provide a health clinic, counseling and religious workshops, among other community outreach services. On June 6th from 10:30-12pm, inside the space at the Dayton Mall, Rev. Thomas and Rev. Olmsted will have a introduction for possible partners.

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By Meredith Moss, Staff Writer 3:17 PM Friday, May 29, 2009

MIAMI TWP. — If two local pastors have their way, folks in the Miami Valley will soon be able to shop for mutual understanding at the mall.

The Rev. Julie Olmsted and the Rev. Brice Thomas are excited about their idea of starting an Interfaith Community Center at the Dayton Mall. They’re calling it Common Grounds.

The two are planning to involve others when they host “Come and See” open houses on June 6-7 in the mall’s Community Room.

The Rev. Olmsted and the Rev. Thomas, both United Church of Christ ministers, envision programs at the new center ranging from worship and classes to yoga and meditation. They picture book clubs and discussion groups, interfaith concerts and recitals, and access to information on a wide range of Miami Valley spiritual communities.

“Our invitation is for all spiritual communities; whether believers or agnostics, conventional disciples or skeptics, those of all gender identities and sexual orientations, all races and cultures, all classes and abilities, those who hope for a better world and even those who have lost hope, to gather with us in the creation of something new and unique in the Miami Valley,” the Rev. Thomas says.

A minister at Journey Church in Lebanon, he says he has focused his ministry on tearing down religions barriers that inhibit Christians from being in relationship with other religious communities and the world.

If spiritual communities come together and share their stories, he believes, “there could exist greater harmonies between religions and greater respect for one another’s belief systems.”

“Ultimately, that respect hinges on the awareness that we all believe in and worship the same God,” the Rev. Thomas says.

The Rev. Olmsted, who writes faith columns for the Dayton Daily News and leads Trinity United Church of Christ in Miamisburg, says once you “get it” about religions, “it is so freeing.”

“As much as we love our Jesus, we recognize and honor those whose love centers around other sacred messengers and traditions,” she says. “We stop trying to prove who is ‘right’ and try more just to live our teachings and thereby bless the world as Christ did.”

The challenge of interfaith understanding, she says, is whether we can live our religious teachings, not just with those with whom we agree, but more importantly, with those with whom we have our most fundamental differences.

The Rev. Olmsted says the new center could become a “hub” for doing good that might incorporate education, service, outreach and “celebration of our common ground, our humanity.”

The two have chosen a mall location because “everyone goes to the mall.” They’re hoping to get various faith communities to sign on as ministry partners, affiliates and sponsors, pledging funds ranging from $50 to $500 a month to pay for rental space, programming, outreach and — eventually — a salary for the Rev. Thomas.

“It’s not about harmonizing our belief systems,” he says, “but creating respect for a diversity of religious practices.”

Faith & traditions

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