National Convening April 4-5, 2024

Sponsored by: Partners for Sacred Places and the Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society at the University of Pennsylvania

Religious affiliation and worship attendance are changing in the US, and congregational leaders are reinventing the way they use religious buildings and properties. At the same time, civic leaders are rethinking community development, arts groups are seeking space to create and perform, and nonprofits are looking for crucial partnerships. How can collaborations among these groups enable all to flourish?

“Activating Hidden Assets” will constitute the nation’s first national gathering of leaders from these sectors, focusing on three questions:

• What is the role that America’s older sacred places play in the life and health of local communities, and how is that role threatened today?
• What new strategies can be developed to sustain the community value of sacred places and support the economic, cultural, religious, and social contributions they make to the lives of their neighborhoods?
• What can the National Fund for Sacred Places—which provides capital grants and other support for community-serving sacred places—tell us about the impact that philanthropy can have in supporting the value and sustainability of congregational assets and outreach?

Leaders from philanthropy, government, city planning and architecture, the arts, human services, academia, the media, and religion will engage in a full day of conversation and strategizing. The format will include plenaries with speakers and panels, small groups focusing on case studies and specific topics, video case studies, and follow-up steps.

Participating civic and religious leaders are invited to join Partners’ Board and supporters for dinner on April 4 for additional opportunities for discussion and relationship building. The evening will recognize Partners for Sacred Places’ 35th anniversary, and include a presentation by The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, and recognition of individuals and organizations that have advanced our shared understanding of the role that America’s older sacred places play in the life and health of local communities. Honorees are:

• The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
• The Rev. Dr. Christopher L. Coble accepting on behalf of Lilly Endowment, Inc.
• The Rev. Dr. Thomas Pike

On April 5 speakers and panelists will include:

• Dr. Nancy Ammerman, Professor Emerita, Boston University
• E.J. Dionne, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; author & columnist, Washington Post
• The Most Rev. Daniel E. Thomas, Bishop, Diocese of Toledo
• Dr. Mark Chaves, Professor, Duke University, Director of the National Congregations Study
• The Rev. Luis Cortes, Founder/CEO Esperanza
• The Hon. Sara C. Bronin, Chair, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
• Dr. Yusuf Ransome, Associate Professor of Public Health, Yale University
• The Rev. Dr. Christopher L. Coble, VP Religion, Lilly Endowment, Inc.
• Dr. Elizabeth Lynn, Project Director, Shifting Ground, Lake Institute
• John Bridgeland, Executive Chairman and CEO, More Perfect; Executive Chairman, Office of American Possibilities; CEO, Civic
• Dr. John J. DiIulio, Jr., Frederic Fox Leadership Professor of Politics, Religion, and Civil Society
• Bob Jaeger, Partners for Sacred Places

Dates:

April 4, 2024 – Dinner
April 5, 2024 – Convening

Location:

The Inn at Penn, 3600 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

The convening will include invited leaders from multiple sectors.

Lodging and meals will be provided for attendees. For more information, contact Katie Day at kday@uls.edu. Findings and presentations from the convening will be accessible here post-event.

Briefing Packet

Plenary Speaker:

E.J. Dionne, Jr. is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, cochair of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a syndicated columnist for the Washington Post, and university professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at Georgetown University. A nationally known and respected commentator on politics, Dionne appears weekly on National Public Radio and regularly on MSNBC. He has also appeared on News Hour with Jim Lehrer and other PBS programs.

Dionne began his career with New York Times, where he spent fourteen years reporting on state and local government, national politics, and from around the world, including stints in Paris, Rome, and Beirut. He has written or edited 15 books, including Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith & Politics After the Religious Right (Princeton University Press, 2009), One Electorate Under God?: A Dialogue on Religion & American Politics (Brookings, 2004), Sacred Places, Civic Purposes: Should Government Help Faith-Based Charity? (Brookings, 2001), and What’s God Got To Do With the American Experiment? (Brookings, 2000.) His best-selling book, Why Americans Hate Politics (Simon & Schuster, 1991), won the Los Angeles Times book prize, and was a National Book Award nominee.