From: Interfaith Working Group Subject: IWG Main Line Times Correction/EPF/PK/Church State Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 23:37:40 -0500 (EST) The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 12 congregations and organizations and 53 clergy from 15 religious traditions. If you are in the general Philadelphia area and represent a congregation or religious organization or are clergy, let us know if you want to be added - all faiths are welcome. We will also be happy to help start similar organizations in other areas. February 5, 1998 Editorial Page Main Line Life 110 Ardmore Avenue Ardmore, PA 19003 Dear Editor: We are writing to correct some misinformation printed in your paper concerning the composition and mission of the Interfaith Working Group (IWG) which appeared both in the Broadsides column of January 15 (which also discussed Equal Partners in Faith [EPF] and Promise Keepers [PK]) and in a letter from Cyrus J. Sharer printed January 29 which responded to that column. First, Mr. Sharer is not a member of the IWG, as implied in the headline accompanying his letter, nor would we assume from his tone that he would want to be (and clergy are the only eligible individuals). Mr. Sharer himself completely misstated the composition of the IWG in his letter; we have listed on our stationery fifty-three clergy, six congregations and six religious organizations supporting our mission and purpose. The six congregations do not include the four he lists in his letter, and none are from the Main Line. Six of the fifty-three clergy are employed by five Main Line congregations, including the four mentioned in the column and letter. Second, individuals from the IWG were among the many clergy and officers of religious organizations from around the country who have signed an EPF letter as individuals expressing concerns about the Promise Keepers; as an organization, the IWG co-sponsored local EPF informational meetings, endorsed the flyer that was handed out at the PK rally, and publicized the work of the EPF. However, our mission statement does not say anything about PK; the material quoted in the Broadsides column is actually from EPF. Third, and much more importantly, Mr. Sharer has taken the liberty of completing fabricating a "statement of purpose" for the IWG. Contrary to what Mr. Sharer would have you believe, our mission statement does not mention abortion, specific sexual acts, or proposed alterations to the Constitution or Declaration of Independence. Indeed one of our purposes as an educational organization is to demonstrate the continued practical application of Constitutional law, especially the free exercise and establishment clauses of the First Amendment as they now stand, in the ongoing debate over such issues as gay rights and reproductive freedom. Sincerely, Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators -- Interfaith Working Group Religious organizations, congregations iwg@libertynet.org and clergy supporting gay rights, http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/ reproductive freedom, and the 215-235-3050 separation of church and state.