People of different religious faiths must recognize their obvious differences and find areas where there is agreement, then build on that.  This was the message from Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, speaking before the Fishers Multi-Faith group Thursday morning at Launch Fishers.  The breakfast session focused on how a group of clergy, representing a number of belief systems, can come together on some issues and make a difference.

The mayor asked members of the group to give him ideas, and they did, on a wide range of subjects.  There was discussion of the suffering among the civilian population in Gaza.  One African-American minister expressed that young people in her congregation do not feel safe talking about race in their local high school.  There was talk of morality and how that plays into the discussion.

One member of the group said sharing a meal can be a way to start a conversation.  Perhaps having people gather and not talk about religious beliefs or politics, but get to know each other’s personal story and family first.

Mayor Fadness did say he tries to stay out of what he describes as “culture wars” despite weekly pleas from residents that he weigh-in in such issues.

According to the mayor, one area of life is the best way in Fishers to get to know other families – youth sports.  He talked about the friendships formed when attending youth sports events, getting to know other parents with children on the same team.

At the end of the session, Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz listed resources the city provides for members of their congregations in need of mental health assistance.

The mayor did provide one important piece of mental health data – the city has recently seen a spike in suicides among the senior citizen population.

The mayor promised to consider all the comments from this meeting and look for ways to move forward as a city.