Interfaith Service Day

Interfaith Service Day 2023

On Sunday, August 6th 2023, Interfaith Service Day brought a diversity of people from religious, non-religious and spiritual groups together in fellowship and service to others. Service project volunteers worked side by side with others from different traditions in support of worthy community projects There were all day, anytime projects and projects with scheduled morning and afternoon sessions located both on the green and at offsite locations.

IWagePeace
Interfaith Service Day 2023:
"A Story of Interfaith Service"

A photo essay narrated by
Bruce A. Barrett
Founder and President

READ

"Service and Sacred Conversation Fill the Green"

by Allan Appel
New Haven Independent
8/7/23

READ

Crossroads Magazine
"Bringing Good News to Life"
Interfaith Service Day

Hosted by Fr. John Gatzak
8/13/23

WATCH

About Interfaith Service Day
Interview with Bruce A. Barrett

by Scott Harris
WPKN Between the Lines
7/31/23

LISTEN

2023 Service Day Projects and More

Cleaning our beaches

with Save the Sound

Sacred cemetery restoration

with Hebrew Burial and Free Loan Association New Haven

Preparing blessing bags

with ***Beth-El Center and* *Columbus House***

Transforming guns into garden tools

with Swords to Plowshares Northeast

Advocating for a humane prison culture

with Stop Solitary CT

Painting a giant 50 ft long billboard peace mural with a message

with IWagePeace

New Haven Friends Meeting (Quakers)
Regional Baha'i Council of the Northeastern States
Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church Madison
Saint John XXIII Catholic Parish West Haven
Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church Wilton
Saint Peter's Episcopal Church Milford
Shalom United Church of Christ New Haven
Spring Glen United Church of Christ Hamden
Temple Beth Sholom Hamden
Temple Emanuel Orange
Trinity on the Green New Haven
United Church on the Green New Haven
Woodmont United Church of Christ Milford

On Sunday August 7th 2022 in New Haven CT, Interfaith Service Day brought a diversity of faith and community groups together in fellowship and goodwill. Through this event we collectively sent the message that we are one people, that we have nothing to fear from our differences, and that in fact, our differences make us a strong, vibrant, and dynamic community. We can disagree on doctrine and theology while respecting, learning, and enjoying one another. To each and every one who joined together for this day of community service and celebration of our like-mindedness, thank you! Amen!

2022 Service Day Projects and More

Hebrew Free Loan and Burial Association

At the Jewish Cemetery, a team of a dozen volunteers raised 32 stone markers and cleaned another 10. Among the deceased they reflect as they bring hope and life. Thank you, Cemetery Restoration Crew! Thank you Paul Terman of the Hebrew Burial and Free Loan Association and thank you Rabbi Joshua!

Save the Sound

The “beach” bus was standing room only. A park along the harbor was cleaned of debris that pollutes the sound. This gallant group of forty removes 200 pounds of trash, a hub cap, a crumbling picnic table, over 2,000 bottle caps, and stopped over 2,000 cigarette butts from leaching harmful chemicals into our waterways. Three cheers for the forty volunteers on the Save The Sound team, led by Kristen Schick. Great Job!

Community Soup Kitchen

A jolly interfaith crew of twelve or more laughed and chatted away in the Christ Church dining room. It is hot, the mood happy and determined, fully engaged, lighthearted, spreading mustard on bread with turkey, cheese and making PB&Js. Great job Sandwich Team, and thank you Father Steven Holton and Christ Church for hosting.

Habitat for Humanity

At the Habitat for Humanity Warehouse, our service team worked hard in the heat with brutal scrappy yard work and a helmet cleaning team in the basement. They held themselves well, with good spirits despite the humidity. So cheers loudly for this noble crew and thank you Habitat for Humanity for hosting and helping us provide housing for those in need.

Christian Community Action

Twenty of our team boarded a bus to visit the New Hope transitional housing program. After a tour, many of our volunteers remained to paint and clean and help them ready the building. Those returning to the Green were excited and hopeful. Blessings and thank you Charmain Yun for leading the tour and guiding the work flow.

IWagePeace.Org

The billboard mural was hand painted by clusters of friends and strangers: painting a wheelchair, a person praying, someone leaping, the colors and the message "Serve, Pray, Heal" jumping off the canvas.

Afterwards , service project teams walked or boarded buses back to the New Haven Green to enjoy a pizza and salad lunch, hear reports from our volunteer team members, listen to interfaith reflections, and enjoy a live music performance.

“Gather around the pizza truck,” I called, (click on the photo to see!) and shouted and sang until those not fasting feasted long and hard, each marking this day in their own way by their traditions; for this is Tisha B'Av and for some a day of fasting.

Half of you, bless you all, tired from the hot work, returned home after lunch. Half of you stayed for reflections from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Baha’i traditions. Each separate voice connected to the whole. Thank you Rabbi Joshua Pernick from the Jewish Federation, Reverend Luke DeVolder from Trinity Episcopal Church on the Green, Imam Bilal Ansari, and Rachael Gonzales Ryan and your team.

A wind, wild and hot, grew and blew down the music stands, but the syncopations of the Afro-Semitic Experience kept on keeping on, bass plucking, saxophone humming, trumpet popping, the groove lifting our hearts as we painted the last corners of the billboard grateful for this time of joy as we served, prayed, and healed each other.

Interfaith Service Day came in partnership with Jerusalem Peacebuilders and was made possible by a generous donation from the Episcopal Church in Connecticut and with the participation of 17 faith community partners:

- Trinity Church on the Green New Haven
- The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven
- Muslim Coalition of Connecticut
- Christ Church New Haven
- Regional Baha’i Council of the Northeastern States
- St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Madison
- Woodmont UCC Milford
- Congregation Mishkan Israel Hamden
- St. Peter's Episcopal Church Milford
- Congregation Beth-El Keser Israel New Haven
- St. Matthew's Episcopal Church Wilton
- Dixwell Avenue Congregational UCC New Haven
- Episcopal Church at Yale
- First Presbyterian Church of New Haven
- First United Church of Christ Milford
- OASIS Multi Church Youth Ministry
- St. Mark’s Episcopal Church New Canaan

The 1st Interfaith Service Day on August 8th in New Haven was a wonderful success. Twenty-two Israeli and Palestinian youth plus 125 local volunteers of all ages brought our size to over 150 in attendance. We completed seven community work projects. We enjoyed Fire Engine Pizza Truck! Mayor Toni Harp inspired us with her gratitude for our work. Thank you WPKN Radio Something, Channel 8, Channel 12 news, and the New Haven Independent. Thank you everyone who volunteered and supported our efforts. Truly, “We Are All In This Together.”

2019 Neighborhood Care:

Nine volunteers filled bags of trash and planted flowers around the neighborhood of Saint Raphael’s
hospital and Masjid Al Islam. They also enjoyed a lively discussion at the Mosque learning about Islam.

2019 Beach Cleanup:

Nineteen volunteers joined Save the Sound at Criscuolo park. They filled 8 bags of trash, removing 397 Cigarette butts, 100 straws, 46 plastic bags, 3 diapers and countless human made garbage from the beach. Well done!

2019 Feeding the Hungry:

Ten volunteers made over 200 sandwiches and then handed them out to the needy. The energy of this group was contagious as they walked downtown New Haven distributing food. Christ Church lead the team and taught volunteers about the daily soup kitchen ministry that feeds over 200 people every day.

2019 Cemetery Restoration Interfaith Service Day

2019 Cemetery Restoration:

A dedicated team of nine volunteers led by the cemetery chair of the Hebrew Burial and Free Loan association raised 30 sunken head stones. This was hard work!

2019 Apartment Painting:

As they learned the many differnent ways Christian Community Action Agency serves the community , a dozen volunteers painted the interior of future affordable apartments on Winchester Avenue. The crew was lively and joyful as they painted, laughed, and got to know one another across cultural differences.

2019 Habitat for Humanity:

Under the oversight of an experienced Habitat for Humanity rep, our service day volunteers learned and worked to assist in the construction of an affordable home in New Haven.

2019 Painting for Peace Interfaith Service Day

2019 Painting the Peace Billboard:

Under the artistic direction of muralist Russell Rainbolt, many dozens of guests kept streaming by and joining our teams to paint the 50 foot peace mural on the New Haven Green. .Our hand painted mural was posted on a Connecticut interstate highway. Read More

2019 Firehouse Pizza Interfaith Service Day

2019 Fire Engine Pizza:

Volunteers circled back to the New Haven Green from their various project locations (by foot or by IWagePeace private bus transportation) to collectively enjoy a pizza lunch and commraderie.

IWagePeace is a Connecticut 501(c)(3) not for profit that inspires and educates Americans about peacemaking through creative interfaith gatherings, community service projects, public displays of art, and more. Our work is made possible by your spiritual and physical presence. We hope you'll join us.

Thank you for being part of the IWagePeace community.

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381 Highland St.
West Haven, CT 06516

Save the Date!

Interfaith Service FestivalSunday, August 4th 2024

Interfaith Service Day 2023

2023 Service Day Projects and More

Cleaning our beaches

with Save the Sound

Sacred cemetery restoration

with Hebrew Burial and Free Loan Association New Haven

Preparing blessing bags

with Beth-El Center and Columbus House

Transforming guns into garden tools

with Swords to Plowshares Northeast

Advocating for a humane prison culture

with Stop Solitary CT

Painting a giant 50 ft long billboard peace mural with a message

with IWagePeace

Palestinian Israeli Experience (PIE)

with Jerusalem Peacebuilders

Affordable Home Construction

with Habitat for Humanity

Feeding the Hungry

with the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen

Sacred Conversations

with Jerusalem Peacebuilders*

Meeting House and Crypt Tours

with Center Church on the Green

A Billboard Peace Mural Museum

with IWagePeace

Our Slogans:

- We are all in this together.- We do not need to agree on everything to work together for justice and peace.- We will not let the perfect become the enemy of the good.- Humor doth the heart like good medicine.

2023 Interfaith Service Day Partners

Interfaith Service Day 2022

Watch Interfaith Service Day 2022 in action: with "A New Wave Rolling" original music composed and performed by Bruce A. Barrett, IWagePeace Founder/President

2022 Service Day Projects and More

Hebrew Free Loan and Burial Association

At the Jewish Cemetery, a team of a dozen volunteers raised 32 stone markers and cleaned another 10. Among the deceased they reflect as they bring hope and life. Thank you, Cemetery Restoration Crew! Thank you Paul Terman of the Hebrew Burial and Free Loan Association and thank you Rabbi Joshua!

Save the Sound

Community Soup Kitchen

Habitat for Humanity

Christian Community Action

IWagePeace.Org

The billboard mural was hand painted by clusters of friends and strangers: painting a wheelchair, a person praying, someone leaping, the colors and the message "Serve, Pray, Heal" jumping off the canvas.

Swords to Plowshares Northeast

Afterwards , service project teams walked or boarded buses back to the New Haven Green to enjoy a pizza and salad lunch, hear reports from our volunteer team members, listen to interfaith reflections, and enjoy a live music performance.

Watch: WTNH News 8 Coverage