Stark County Interfaith Coalition

YOUR INVITATION: How to Nourish Nonviolence?

As an interfaith community in Stark County, how are we called to nourish nonviolence? How do our common beliefs lead us to stop fear, mistrust, hatred and violence across many current divides?

You are invited to help us create a collective nonviolent voice in our community by joining us for this first official meeting of the Interfaith Coalition of Stark County.

You might be familiar with the Interfaith Coalition of Stark County through activities in 2024 and 2025, such as our Wear Orange events at Centennial Plaza, prayerfully protesting gun violence, or the workshops held last year at St Paul's Episcopal Church, Christ the Servant Catholic Church, and the Islamic Society of Northeast Ohio - North Canton Mosque, or if you attend the local Pax Christi chapter, you have heard about our efforts.

Why the first official meeting? We created a website interfaithcoalitionstark.org to let people know who we are; we formed a governance Council and by-laws, a non-profit structure to create a growing nonviolent presence in our community.

While our focus has been to come together with believers of all faiths to stop gun violence, we are increasingly concerned with the violence and violent rhetoric spreading through our country today.

Please join us:

Sunday, November 9, 2025, 4 p.m.

Zion's Temple Church of God, 1103 Seventh Street NE, Canton

We are pleased to have Dr. Nicole (Niki) Johnson as our speaker, Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Peacebuilding & Social Justice Program at the University of Mount Union. She will address the intersection of social justice and faith.

The event is free. Dinner will be provided. Pastor George Lancaster and his team will serve as our host. Our hope is that you will become a member of the Interfaith Coalition of Stark County at this meeting. Annual membership dues are $20 to help fund future activities aligned with our vision and mission. Our newly approved bylaws define a "member" as an individual who supports our vision and mission, not as a representative of a congregation or organization.

RSVP by October 31 to: interfaithcoalitionstark@gmail.com

Bring a friend, and please forward this invitation to your fellow congregants and friends in faith. We look forward to being together with you on November 9.

If you are unable to attend but want to become a member, please contact us at interfaithcoalitionstark@gmail.com to make arrangements.

Peace,

Interfaith Coalition of Stark County Council members

Lynne Dragomier
Sherice Freeman
Marilyn Thomas Jones
Father Edward Keck
Rabbi David Komerofsky
Pastor George Lancaster
Darin Nissley
Mustafa Ozguler
Pastor Marilyn Roman
Rabbi John Spitzer
Dan Toussant

Coalition Member Honored

Dr. Larry Bove (center) was honored as a member of the Criminal Justice Committee of the Stark County NAACP at its annual Freedom Fund dinner on October 17, 2025. The committee received the President’s Award for its service to NAACP.

Larry, Walsh University professor emeritus, helped create and is an active member of the Interfaith Coalition of Stark County. With him at the dinner are Marilyn Thomas Jones and Dan Toussant, both members of the Coalition’s council.

National Night Out 2025

We were grateful to connect with many families, police departments and the Stark County Sheriff's department at National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at beautiful Jackson Township Park. Thank you to all law enforcement officials who took our safe storage signs to use in your departments and outreach events. Safe storage saves lives. Our children depend on us to keep guns out of the wrong hands.

Wear Orange Prayer Service and Community Event

Members and friends of the Interfaith Coalition gathered together for a powerful and beautiful Wear Orange prayer service and community event on June 5 at Canton Centennial Plaza.. A special part of the program was the launch of our Safe Storage campaign, encouraging the secure storage of firearms to prevent tragedy including accidental injuries and deaths, suicide with firearm, and theft of firearms that are then used in crimes. The first sign was presented to the Canton Police Department; others were presented to area churches, synagogue and mosque.

The signs are available for an offering of $10 each to cover the cost of production. Contact intefaithcoalitionstark@gmail.com.

OUR COMMON GROUND -- Building common bonds in the Interfaith Community to form collective political will.

Let us confirm our common beliefs as reason for our collective political will against gun violence.

Can we agree that:

• Our Scriptures proclaim God's word and will.
• There is but One God who is Sovereign over all.
• God is creator of all.
• This makes everything and everyone sacred.
• God created human beings in God's image and likeness.
• Our purpose is therefore to reflect our Creator God.
• God hears the cry of the poor and marginalized.
• God is loving, forgiving, and merciful.
• God is Love and Peace.
• Life is sacred, sin is forgivable, and mercy is demanded.

Each of our faiths sponsor: Peace over violence and love over hatred, bigotry and prejudice.

With this as our common theological ground:

We stand against gun violence as it goes against our faith in the Creator's purpose and intent.

It threatens God's sacred life.

The signs are available for an offering of $10 each to cover the cost of production. Contact intefaithcoalitionstark@gmail.com.