Baltimore Interfaith Coalition - Declaration Against Violence

On Thursday, May 27 about 50 religious and community leaders representing the Baltimore Interfaith Coalition gathered at the New Huntington Baptist Church to unveil the group’s Declaration Against Violence and launched a “Fifth Sunday: Violence to Virtue” program.

The declaration was another bold step by the coalition, which was formed in 2009, and seeks to address the "culture of violence" in Baltimore. The declaration looks to shake up the status quo in Baltimore, which the coalition said has “become ensnared in a covenant with death.”

“The evil inflicted upon our community can be overcome by the faith, morality and spiritual vision that are our heritage to be reclaimed,” the declaration said. “The time has come for a renewed effort to recognize the truth of our situation, to be brutally honest in studying its causes, and to forge a new community-wide commitment to a more creative and effective response.”

For more information on the Baltimore Interfaith Coalition, visit the website at www.baltimoreinterfaithcoalition.com/.

The goal of the “Fifth Sunday” program is to partner faith communities with the state’s attorney’s office to stress the importance of values in teaching children how to build community.

Churches, synagogues and mosques across the city are asked to collect funds at each fifth Sunday service of a month, which occurs four times this year. The money will support youth-oriented activities in partneship with the state’s attorney’s Office of Juvenile Justice forums.

For more information on the Baltimore Interfaith Coalition, visit the website at www.baltimoreinterfaithcoalition.com/.