Growing Compassion In Fort Worth

By Sharon Cliff

Fort Worth, Texas—  Maybe you’ve heard Fort Worth called Cowtown, or “Where the West Begins” but have you ever heard of Compassionate Fort Worth?

“Fort Worth remains one of the fastest growing large cities in the U.S., and maintaining a strong spirit of compassion, tolerance and respect is important,” said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.

Last year, the City Council adopted a resolution affirming Fort Worth’s support for the International Charter for Compassion. The Mayor’s Faith Leaders Cabinet, whose members include those of Jewish, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, LDS, Hindu, Muslim, and non-denominational faiths, brought the charter forward.

“Compassionate Fort Worth is a stewardship committee of faith leaders from several different churches that are working together to identify service opportunities and events that can spread the message of compassion within the city,” said Brent Petersen, a member of the Fort Worth Mayor’s Faith Leaders Cabinet, who has worked on the committee since its inception last fall.

“It is a volunteer driven thing, but with the blessing and support of the Mayor and the city council,” said Petersen. Petersen currently serves as a counselor in the presidency of the Texas Fort Worth Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Of the 240 full time missionaries in the Texas Fort Worth Mission, 40 serve within Fort Worth city limits.

Compassionate Fort Worth recently held its first public event, a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Compassionate Fort Worth garden plots at Congregation Ahavath Sholom. Food from the Compassionate Fort Worth beds will be donated to SafeHaven and Jewish Family Services.

The groundbreaking ceremony was followed by an interfaith meeting. “There were approximately 175 people from many different faiths. Everyone brought canned goods that were donated to the Arborlawn Methodist Church food pantry to help families in need,” said Petersen, “Community events and organizations like this bring people from different backgrounds together in a common purpose and helps us to understand our differences while at the same time reinforcing the things we have in common.”

The next Compassionate Fort Worth public event will be held May 9, 2015,  from 10:30-3:00 pm at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center. The “Compassion Abounds Fort Worth Hunger Project” is looking for up to 1,000 volunteers to help package 250,000 healthy meals for children. For more information as the date nears, check the Compassionate Fort Worth page on Facebook.