As Birmingham continues to evolve as a Multi Faith city, the need becomes greater for the different Faith communities to relate to each other and to the city at a variety of levels. As well as developing friendships and working together on common issues, it is important that the religious communities are able to contribute with substance to the pressing debates about the future of our city.  Faiths for the City is a project - initiated by the University of Birmingham Multi Faith Chaplaincy - which aims to bring together representatives of the different Faith communities, departments from the University of Birmingham and leaders from the City of Birmingham for a dialogue focused on specific issues related to the welfare of the city and rooted in a discussion of scriptural texts. The project comprises three phases: a launch at the University; four events in the city itself; cooperation with The International Summer School on Religion and Public Life 2008.

Phase 1:
The Project Launch Event (Click here to find out more)
 
Phase 2: This will consist of four events in which representatives of the Faith Leaders will be in dialogue with sectors of the city about specific areas of concern. This dialogue will be facilitated by University academics of the relevant departments.

Phase 3: Summer School 2008: The International Summer School on Religion and Public Life has agreed to hold its 2008 school in Birmingham as part of the Faiths for the City process. This will be a two week event probably in the last two weeks of July, that will involve 35 full time course participants plus a number of local part time participants. The summer school plans to engage with various inter faith projects in the city following up the various events that will have taken place over the previous months. It will be led by Prof Adam Seligman of Boston University with Prof John Holmwood Head of the Department of Sociology of the University of Birmingham.

Phase 4: Scriptural Reasoning: The University of Birmingham Multi Faith Chaplaincy is holding discussions with Prof David Thomas (Dept of Theology) and the Centre for the Study of Inter Religious Relations (CSIRR) on the feasibility of setting up Scriptural Reasoning groups in Birmingham for members of at list six different faith groups in dialogue (for more information on Scriptural Reasoning please visit http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/journals/jsrforum/gateways.html  ).

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Overall a Planning Group comprising key members of the project and advised by the Faith Leaders Group empowers an Executive Group to undertake operations on its behalf and execute those operations where appropriate through Steering Groups brought into being by the Planning Group.

1. The Planning Group for the Faiths for the City Launch Project was chaired by Professor Michael Clarke, Vice Principal of Birmingham University and comprised relevant academics and outside partners.  This Group met on a 6 weekly basis in the Senate Chamber of the University and was advised by the Faith Leaders Group, one of the main partners of the project. Agendas and papers for these meetings were prepared by Dr Toby Howarth on behalf of the Executive Group.

2. The Executive Group is chaired by Dr Toby Howarth who is supported by Fr Nicholas Lo Polito who represents the interests of the Multi Faith Chaplaincy and who is responsible for University liaison.  Ms Sajida Madni is responsible for operations and all details of conference planning.  The Executive Group has powers for co-option to ensure that at any stage additional skills may be imported to benefit the project overall.  The Executive Group is responsible for implementing the strategy of the Planning Group and securing an efficient economically viable and cost effective operation taking into account reputation risks and good future relationships between all the parties concerned in this project.  Additionally, the Chaplaincy provides administrative support in holding, accounting for and distributing funds.

3. Steering Groups – The Planning Group authorises the composition and setting up of Steering Groups for each of the three Phase II events.  It is anticipated that these Steering Groups will consist of representatives from the Faith Leaders Group, the relevant University Department of School and the relevant city organisation or commercial sector.  Once set up the Steering Groups are under the operational control of the Executive Group.