(WASHINGTON, DC) — Mayor Vincent C. Gray today announced that he had appointed 26 people to his Mayor’s InterFaith Council, a body that will advise him and his staff on religious affairs and serve as a liaison between the Mayor’s office and the District’s faith communities.
“While the founders of our great country wisely chose to separate the structures of church and state, religious affairs are an integral part of the public life of any community,” said Mayor Gray. “I’m thankful that the District of Columbia has a large group of intelligent, committed and compassionate faith leaders who dedicate themselves to ensuring the well-being of all Washingtonians. These 26 leaders will represent DC’s faith community well.”
Rev. Donald Isaac, Executive Director of the East of the River Clergy-Police-Community Partnership, Inc., will chair the council. Rev. Dr. Christine Wiley, Co-Pastor of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ, will serve as vice chair.
The members of the council are Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig of the Washington Hebrew Congregation; Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld of Ohev Shalom – The National Synagogue; Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope, Vicar of Washington National Cathedral; Rev. Mario E. Dorsonville, Vice President for Mission at Catholic Charities and Director of Immigrant and Refugee Services at the Spanish Catholic Center; Rev. David A. Bava, Pastor of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church; Rev. Raymond Kemp, Coordinator of the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University; Mr. Michael D. Scott, Director of Government Relations, Archdiocese of Washington; Rev. Dr. Marcus E. Turner, Sr., Pastor of Beulah Baptist Church; Rev. Dr. Morris L. Shearin, Sr., Pastor of Israel Baptist Church; Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry, Senior Pastor of Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church; Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith, Senior Minister of Shiloh Baptist Church; Rev. H. Lionel Edmonds, Senior Pastor of Mount Lebanon Baptist Church; Rev. Joseph N. Evans, Senior Pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church; Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Senior Pastor of 19th Street Baptist Church; Rev. Kate Murphy, Pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church; Rev. Dr. Louis Shockley, Senior Pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church; Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler, Senior Minister of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ; Rev. Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness, Senior Pastor of Christ Our Redeemer African Methodist Episcopal Church; Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White, Senior Pastor of Brown Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church; Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, President of the Muslim Society of Washington; Rev. Susan Lee Taylor, President of the Founding Church of Scientology; Rev. Charles Hang-Jiang Koo, Senior Pastor of the Chinese Community Church; Rev. J. Dwayne Johnson, Senior Minister of the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington; and Rev. Clark Lobenstine, Executive Director of the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.