A Community Services - Not-For-Profit Organization – A State of Georgia Corporation
Contact us at: info@augustavote.com
“Theology is not just about God. It is also about us. We live out of our understanding of who we are in relationship to God, to one another, and to the world” by the Growing in Faith
In 1998, The Reverend Christopher G. Johnson, the Reverend Doctor C. William Joyner, Jr. and Brother William (Gil) Gilyard gave birth to what is now the Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition, a powerful tool in the pragmatic approach to providing technical assistance and information to the religious and sacred community through the tenants of making sociology of religions, not just an academic endeavor but a moving force to engender positive constructs to foster clear understanding to the intricate and delicate link between the religious community and the environmental societies that it resides. Initially, the Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition only concerned itself with understanding and teaching the voters the importance and significance of the Augusta-Richmond County Mayoral Position and Responsibility. We began promoting and working on strategies to achieve 100% Voters’ participation in the elections and involvement in the Office of Mayor and its responsibilities under the new charter of the Consolidated Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia Government. The Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition community advocacy tools included the following: 1. Voters Registration,2.Absentee Voting, 3. Forums, 4. Telephone Operations, 5. ROBO Calling, 6. Mailing Campaigns, 7. Flyers and Poster Boards Printing, and Distribution, 8. Transportation to the polls early voting and on Election Day, 9. Poll and Precinct Workers, 10. Radio and TV Advertisements - PSA's, 11. Neighborhood Canvassing 12. Motorcade - Rallies – Celebrations, 13. Get-Out-To Vote Luncheons and Rallies, and 14. Social Media Communications.
After the 2000 United State Census, the Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition, saw the need to spread its ministry of technical support and community involvement with the entire civic and community programming apparatus. Under the continued leadership of the Reverend Christopher G. Johnson, Retired Pastor, of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition began to fill a significant void in helping the religious community to engage the socio-political entity as a means to achieve Voters Activism and Participation. The Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition started having its Pre-Election Luncheons at the Broadway Missionary Baptist Church, a venue where candidates would come and meet the religious leaders of the community. The Luncheons would include all candidates, partisan and non-partisan, regardless of political affiliations. A practice that is continued today!
In 2002, The Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition defined what membership and participation mean. Membership into the Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition is open to all individuals who subscribe to our mission and purpose. Membership is loosely defined because we do not expect every member to have one set of involvement nor one agreeable position. The challenge for membership is to hold firm a theological perspective that anything affecting humanity and society, whether religious, legal, political, social, psychological, economic, financial, discriminatory, medical or other entity is an interest of the Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition. The coalition work is carried out through Assignments, Committees, Projects, Study groups, Fellowships, Consortiums, and Panels. A person - member might subscribe to only one issue and may not agree with any other projects or positions of the Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition. “It’s the cause, not the organization that is paramount!” Our task is to inform, educate, and motivate citizens to vote and get involve!
The Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition, encompasses the collaborate relationship with the following religions and religious systems: Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Jehovah Witness, Unitarian Universalist Church, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, Wicca and some other Neopagan religions, Zoroastrianism, and Druidism. Due to our geography, a large number of Christian Churches help make up 90% of Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition base operations: African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Church of God in Christ, Greek Orthodox, Lutheran Church, The Deliverance Church, Church of Christ, Church of God, Assembly of God, United House of Prayer for All People, Seventh Day Adventist, United Methodist, National Baptist Church, Progressive Baptist, Southern Baptist, Presbyterian Church, USA, and non-denominational ministries. The Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition has person-members who do not belong to either religious affiliations but identify and unite with our cause. The territorial reach of the Augusta’s Interfaith spans throughout Georgia, South Carolina and portions of Florida.
In 2010, the Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition started sponsoring its Pre-Legislative Luncheon and its Post Legislative Luncheon with the Augusta Area Delegation to the Georgia General Assembly. Rev. Dr. Melvin Ivey, Pastor of the Greater Saint John Missionary Baptist Church, took the leadership role for the Augusta-Richmond County Initiatives as the work of the Augusta's Interfaith Coalition was called to expand its influence and operations to include many counties of Georgia.
In 2020, as we kicked off a new decade and the expanded growth of our services and support to more than seventeen counties in Georgia, as well as in the state of South Carolina, the name was changed to the Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition, CDC. We affectionately call ourselves the Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition
The Greater Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition currently have groups and committees working on several, vital Fellowships and Study Groups: Faith and Humanity * Immigration and Citizenship*Americans with Disabilities and Senior Services* Women of Faith At Work* Women of Excellence* Healthcare and Medicine* Poverty and Homelessness* Religion and Society * Ethics and Morality * Total Census Count Initiative * Civic and Community Relations * Spirituality and Psychology * Politics and Government * Economics and Financial * Law and Penalty * Education and Technology * Transportation* Get-Out-To-Vote GOTV and *Communications and Media. The Greater Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition collaborates with the National Interfaith Alliance, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, GLAHR, NOT1MORE, Area Agency on Aging, Black Against Blacks Crime Prevention, Georgia Legal Council, United Labor Council, National Get-Out-To-Vote, East Central Regional Hospital (Gracewood) Georgia Family Council, Augusta H.O.P.E., League of Women’s Voters, N.A.A.C.P, Democratic and Republican Parties The Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism and complacency in the CSRA – Central Savannah Regional Area and beyond.
What We Believe?
· We believe that religious freedom is a foundation for American democracy.
· We believe that individual rights and matters of personal conscience must be held sacred.
· We believe that religious and political extremists are a threat to individual liberty and democracy.
· We believe that anything affecting humanity and society, whether religious, legal, political, social, psychological, economic, financial, discriminatory, medical or other entity is an interest of the Augusta Interfaith Coalition.
· We believe that celebrating religious and cultural difference is the way to achieve a vibrant community.
Our objective: is to present an academic, intentional, pragmatic, reflective, scholarly, and theological discourse of religion and its influence, implication and involvement in society as a community service organization.
Check Out Expanded Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition History Here
