Welcome to a community designed to share how kindness and respect for animals is being embraced by a broad denominational spectrum of people and leaders of faith. The Animals & Religion Network Community is designed to provide information and resources, for you and your religious or spiritual organization, that illustrate our spiritual connection with animals and how this connection can be better understood and embraced in religious circles. More>

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Animals & Religion

"Animal-Friendly Faith Organization of the Month" Contest

June 29, 2008 : 7:34 AM

Does your faith organization embrace animals? Wish they would? Then you've come to the right place!

By Michelle Buckalew, Best Friends Multi-Faith Outreach Program

There are many churches, synagogues, mosques and/or temples in faith communities who extend their love and support to animals. Many faith leaders do communicate to their congregants the deeper, spiritual meaning that animals occupy in our lives.

If this is your experience, we want to hear from you! Starting in July, at the end of each month, a team comprised of co-authors of "A Religious Proclamation for Animal Compassion," will select the winning organization, which will then be featured right here on the Best Friends Animals & Religion Network Community!

There are a number of ways that your faith community might demonstrate this kind of compassion and love: By conducting animal blessings, starting an Animal Ministry to add dimension to its pastoral care offering, partnering with the animal welfare community to co-sponsor adoption events or fundraisers, hosting a bulletin board for the posting of animal-centric information, or rallying congregants to volunteer at the local animal shelter. The list is only as limited as your imagination!

If in fact your church, synagogue, mosque, temple or other faith organization extends its love and support to the animals, please tell us all about it so that others can do the same!

The result? Animal lovers will be making their way to faith organizations, who share their love of animals and the existing community will further come together in compassionate love and unity.

Is your faith organization a leader for the animals in the community? Do you want the animals to be represented and lifted up in your faith organization? Of course. So let's get started today!

What you can do:

1. Click on the POST A COMMENT icon below to submit your faith organization (or another you feel may qualify) and share your thoughts right here so others can be inspired.

2. Read and endorse, "A Religious Proclamation for Animal Compassion," and encourage friends and family to do the same.
Click Here

3. Encourage the leadership in your faith community to support and communicate the important spiritual place that the animals hold in our lives. Please click on our Animal & Religion Network Community RESOURCES tab for ideas. Click Here

4. Become involved for the homeless animals by partnering with your local animal shelters and including pet adoptions in your faith community outreach events.

5. Share this story and the Animals & Religion community with all those you know. Please include Animals & Religion website URL below in your emails/correspondence and link Best Friends Animals & Religion Network Community on your own websites.
http://network.bestfriends.org/religion/news/

Comments

September 2, 2008 at 9:27 PM
posted by: crittercollages

I would like to nominate First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City which has formed a new Animal Ministry as part of its Social Justice program. The Animal Ministry is open to both adults and youth, and as such is the first inter-generational social justice effort at First Unitarian. The group meets monthly, has been gathering signatures for the Religious Proclamation for Animal Compassion, is submitting monthly articles on humane issues to the Church Newsletter, and has planned out its goals and activities for the upcoming year. The group's first major event will be the presentation of a video on October 17 on the environmental and health consequences of a meat-based diet. This event will be held jointly with the Church's Environmental Ministry.

Debbie Goodman
North Salt Lake, Utah
crittercollages@msn.com

July 11, 2008 at 8:36 AM
posted by: michelle

For "Animal-Friendly Faith Organization of the Month," I would like to nominate Grace-St. Luke's in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee.

They bless the animals every year at special pet blessings around St Francis Day...with special certificates for the families and with lines of people with their animals that have reached around the block.

They have also even come to the Memphis Zoo for Memphis Animal Appreciation Day in conjunction with Tennessee Week for the Animals to bless the zoo animals and the adoptables who were there for the special day. They have donated offerings to the Memphis Humane Society.

Please scroll down to see October 4, 2005 photos of the Blessing of Animals at Grace-St. Luke's during 1st Annual Tenn Week for the Animals.
http://www.tennesseeanimals.org/photo.htm

Grace-St Luke's truly loves and cherishes animals...encourages respect for the animal kingdom. Julie Denman on the staff has been a joy to coordinate events with at this very special place of worship.
http://www.gslparish.org/

Grace-St. Luke's has a pure heart of compassion for the community and the precious animals.

Thank you.
Michelle Buckalew
michellebuckalew@comcast.net