Forty-two years ago, in a village south of Paris, a French-Canadian created a home where the mentally disabled could live in dignity and where others could learn from them the value of sharing and acceptance. There is now a worldwide network of these communities called L’Arche, the French word for Ark, a symbol of hope. More →

March 13, 2015

The rate of HIV infections in America is rising for young gay men. Groups like the Chicago-based Night Ministry are meeting them where they are, offering free testing right out of a van on the street. “Churches have been powerful communities of support for people living with HIV,” says Matt Richards of the University of Chicago Medicine’s community programs. “On the other hand, churches have often been a primary driver of really shaming, stigmatizing, inaccurate messages about HIV.” More →

May 16, 2014

“Peace requires that we nurture each other…you have to live with this community ethic where you recognize…that we are deeply interconnected,” says Rev. Otis Moss III, senior pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. More →

December 20, 2013

Most Hispanics in the U.S. still call themselves Catholic, but more and more are joining Protestant churches, especially the younger generation. The explosive growth of the Protestant Hispanic population can be seen in places like New Life Covenant Church in Chicago, which draws more than 17,000 worshipers every week. More →

December 6, 2013

“Priests generally do not talk about it. And most dioceses in the United States have no services, or very limited services, for victims of domestic violence,” says Father Charles Dahm, who is leading a campaign in Chicago to change that. More →

August 2, 2013

“Do I believe there’s a problem with some sectors of the community that are vulnerable and susceptible to violence? Absolutely. I wouldn’t deny that…The largest antidote, cure if you will, to any concern about radicalization and violence associated with it is meaningful, critical engagement.” More →

July 3, 2013

It doesn’t make moral, ethical, or fiscal sense, according to Cook County sheriff Tom Dart, to house people who are mentally ill in jails and prisons. More →

June 21, 2013

“These schools are the jewels of their neighborhood, and we need to save them,” says Susan Work, president of Holy Family Ministries in Chicago. More →

March 2, 2012

In Chicago, a dynamic young Muslim is working to help solve a problem many religious believers have — how to relate to people of another faith tradition. Eboo Patel is an Indian-American, a Muslim, a sociologist, and the founder and leader of the Interfaith Youth Core, active now on some 50 American campuses. More →

November 30, 2007

In the 1970’s, Evangelical Pastor Wayne Gordon moved into a high-crime area of Chicago. Members of the community told him they wanted to start a church, so Gordon founded the Lawndale Community Church. More →

September 14, 2007