Faith
Moving beyond siloed operations, Springfield's diverse faith traditions provide an essential community foundation. This overview traces our 25-year regional journey, highlights our shared service impact, and explores growth opportunities.
History of the
Interfaith Collaborative
The Interfaith Alliance of the Ozarks has a rich history spanning over 25 years. It was originally prompted into existence in February 2001 following the hate-motivated vandalism of a local cemetery, where swastikas were spray-painted on headstones. Local leaders—including Rabbi Rita Sherwin, Reverend Ken Chumbley, and the head of the Council of Churches—gathered to clean up the site and establish a foundational presence of mutual support. Originally set up to build trust, provide mutual aid during crises, and foster understanding, the Alliance grew to include members from over 20 diverse faith groups, meeting monthly to undertake projects like cleaning Cherry Street.
Route 66 Parade - Build Better Together - Building Bridges for a Better Springfield Interfaith Float - Construction Road Theme
Provided by the Interfaith Collaborative
Monthly Planning Meetings
Provided by the Interfaith Collaborative
Among the early Alliance activities that deserve to be remembered are its courageous acts of solidarity and community education. When the local Islamic Center faced vandalism, the Alliance organized a rally of support. Before local synagogues had security, Alliance members stepped up to provide physical security during Shabbat services following threats. They also marched in the MLK Parade carrying interfaith signs and hosted public Q&A panel discussions to bridge cultural divides.
Parallel to this grassroots work, the Have Faith Initiative was sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prompted by an initial Zoom call of roughly 30 faith-based organizations whose members felt a strong, urgent desire to assist with virus control and crisis recovery, the City of Springfield and "Philanthropy Row"—the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, and United Way of the Ozarks—stepped in to help lead it. Co-chaired by Reverends Jenn Simmons and Bob Roberts with Deanna Carpenter serving as Community Organizer, the group held virtual meetings weekly for two years. What began as a vital lifeline during a terrifying time blossomed into massive service efforts, distributing over 110,000 masks and cards for healthcare heroes, sewing sleep sacks, and delivering 20,000 food bags for the unsheltered.
Faith Discussions in the Ozarks - hosted at Missouri State University
Provided by the Interfaith Collaborative
Following the height of the pandemic, the Have Faith Initiative transitioned to quarterly leadership luncheons connecting congregational leaders with city and county officials, including Mayor Ken McClure. This success—alongside signature public events like the Ozarks Festival of Faiths, Faith & Blue police collaborations, and Election Night prayers—paved the way for a natural evolution.
The decision to officially merge the Interfaith Alliance and the Have Faith Initiative into a unified Interfaith Collaborative took place in 2025, born from their overlapping visions and complementary strengths. Each group brought distinct assets to the table: the Interfaith Alliance brought decades of deep, grassroots inter-tradition relationships, theological trust, and a proven history of standing together against hate. Meanwhile, the Have Faith Initiative brought robust civic partnerships, large-scale event organization, and an expansive network of leadership across a wide array of faith groups and city agencies.
Together, they formed a powerful, unified collaborative dedicated to serving Springfield's most vulnerable populations and fostering lifelong community connections.
Interfaith Collaborative volunteers assembled 90 bags filled with treats, heartfelt cards, and gift cards to celebrate the dedicated staff at Missouri Department of Social Services’ Children’s Division during Employee Appreciation Week.
Provided by the Interfaith Collaborative
2026 report
Springfield's faith communities are serving side by side, powered by more than 25 years of interfaith partnership, a quick response when storms and crises hit, and steady support for food pantries, shelters, and front-line workers. The opportunities ahead are just as clear: widening the circle to include more congregations, supporting leaders stretched thin by polarization and burnout, and building understanding across traditions.
highlights
opportunities
highlights
Support for Front-Line Workers & Food Security
The Interfaith Collaborative members rapidly mobilize resources to support the practical needs of front-line community care workers, strengthening community connection.
A primary example is providing 90 appreciation bags for the Children’s Division during Employee Appreciation Month, offering direct encouragement to staff in demanding roles. Furthermore, faith groups act as the vital backbone for local agencies; even when individual organizations cannot host a food pantry on-site, they routinely bring in 40,000-pound truckloads of food to stock local pantries like Crosslines and Least of These.
The Festival of Faiths & Grassroots Partnerships
Interfaith Collaborative members build deep, cross-cultural relationships through shared major events. The Festival of Faiths encapsulates this dual focus, providing a visible platform for shared values featuring an Interfaith Choir and Prayers for Peace. This relational development extends into grassroots service, with participating congregations uniting to host Back to School bashes, support NAACP events, and assist families through community-focused programs at the Drew Lewis Foundation. Meanwhile, local community gardens maintained by member groups donate over 4,000 pounds of fresh produce annually to Ozarks Food Harvest.
Crisis Response & Low-Barrier Aid
Disaster response and low-barrier aid reliably bring different faiths together fast. Following severe storms in West Central Springfield in April 2026, faith organizations partnered with Convoy of Hope and Harvest on Wheels to distribute over 15,000 pounds of groceries and serve as lunch sites for utility crews and displaced neighbors.
Critically, the Interfaith Collaborative serves as a vital cross-sector bridge for Springfield’s housing crisis, most notably through the Crisis Cold Weather Shelter network—where religious and spiritual communities partner with local community action partnerships to contribute vital volunteer hours, operating the Safe Parking program and daily sack lunch efforts while asking not "Whose project is this?" but "How can we help together?”
Beyond this specific shelter network, faith communities serve the wider safety net, providing essential physical spaces, volunteer power, and financial support. Many of the region's non-profits are either directly established or actively operated by faith-based organizations, while religious and spiritual communities supply the volunteer and donor support that assists the broader non-profit ecosystem.
This grassroots engagement of physical space, volunteer hours, and donor support is a consistent and significant part of how the local outreach and social service network currently operates.
Expanding Community Involvement and Required Resources
The mission of the Interfaith Collaborative is to cultivate a thriving, inclusive community where every individual is free to live out their faith and values. Fulfilling this mission successfully requires a significant increase in faith community involvement, which inherently demands dedicated operational resources, funding, and structural backing. Expanding this community engagement directly addresses opportunities for growth: as more individuals and diverse groups participate, underlying misunderstandings are naturally neutralized, which actively reduces political and cultural polarization. Faith-based organizations currently serve as frontline workers across much of the region's outreach and non-profit infrastructure. When this contribution isn't visible to the public, it becomes harder for the community to fully understand faith's role in regional care.
Navigating Polarization and Building Leadership Resources
Addressing political and community polarization is an urgent concern identified by the Interfaith Collaborative. Polarization frequently spills into faith spaces, causing rifts. Compounding this issue is severe leader burnout, leaving faith leaders stretched thin trying to guide groups through divisive times with limited operational backup. The Interfaith Collaborative has a critical opportunity to establish supportive networks where leaders share the operational load. When major faith leaders model how to work well with others despite differences, they set a powerful example, teaching everyday members how to interact with neighbors and co-workers with kindness and listening, allowing polarization to diminish organically.
Broadening Participation and Overcoming Misunderstandings
The landscape of attendance is shifting post-COVID, with uneven participation trends and shrinking volunteer bases. Underlying misunderstandings about other traditions often create barriers, causing people to view others as outsiders. Furthermore, while smaller groups seek collaboration, larger congregations with robust ministries may hesitate out of a desire to protect distinct institutional brands. This opens the door for profound social and relational development. The Interfaith Collaborative’s goal is not a theological melting pot, but a dynamic coalition where working together lifts and honors each distinct faith. Meaningful progress means pooling resources to support existing experts—such as schools, neighborhood associations, and non-profits—moving away from isolated institutional visibility toward community-need-driven service that benefits the entire city.
