Church Holds First Forum On City Issues ‘Too Silent’ Church Hopes To Spark Fruitful Communitywide Discussion

More than 200 people gathered Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church to consider whether Spokane is a “good city.”

It was a powerful debut for City Forum, a monthly speakers program with the downtown church as host. Politicians, preachers and business people packed the auditorium for the luncheon.

The idea of a church-based speakers program was imported from San Diego, where First Presbyterian’s pastor, the Rev. Woody Garvin, used to work. Similar programs are running in San Francisco and Seattle.

Johnny Cox, a theologian and ethicist at Sacred Heart Medical Center, set the stage Wednesday by discussing the elements necessary for a city that lives up to its civic obligations.

A church is a logical place for such a discussion to start, organizers said.

“The church has been too silent,” said Pat Copeland-Malone, director of missions at the church. “And when we have spoken, it has been very late in the discussion and usually too negative.”

By considering the social issues Spokane faces in a monthly forum, CopelandMalone hopes to spark communitywide discussion.

City Councilwoman Phyllis Holmes attended for just that reason. “Any time we can have community dialogue - and I mean good dialogue, not contentious debate like we have where I come from - that is a positive thing,” she said.

First Presbyterian seemed a natural to sponsor such an event, Copeland-Malone said. With roughly 2,000 members, it boasts the largest downtown congregation and attracts influential politicians and business leaders.

“Our beliefs tell us that we are to engage in the day-to-day matters of the world,” Copeland-Malone said.

While the forums will be held at First Presbyterian, Garvin hopes outsiders will view the congregation as merely a facilitator. “We believe our calling is to be a servant,” he said.

The tone of the conference, according to organizers, is set in a quote from the book of Jeremiah in the Bible: “Seek the welfare of the city … and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

To that end, Cox outlined the key themes he believes are crucial to a “dignified community.”

It starts with families, he said.

Families are what define each of us, he said. Families that can accept diversity ultimately find unity.

“We have to have families that are open to the broader community,” he said. “Families whose commitment extends to an appreciation of unity with respect for diversity.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TUNING IN Wednesday’s City Forum will air on KPBX public radio today at 12:30 p.m.