1.   Our vision.
    2.   Our guiding question and values.
    3.   Our mission and work.
    4.   Advancing the guiding question.
    5.   Our response to the three great crises of our time with the collection of symbols
from the Three Families of Faith and Liberation Movements.
    6.   CRES history in brief.
    7.   Financial gifts welcome.
    8.   Frequently Asked Questions.
    9.   Testimonials: Meet CRES, a unique (and needed) voice in metropolitan Kansas City.

1. VISION — CRES envisions the greater Kansas City area as a model community honoring interfaith relationships
     •  where interfaith relationships are honored as a way of deepening one’s own tradition and spirituality, and
    •  where the wisdom of the many religions successfully addresses the • environmental, • personal, and • social crises of our often fragmented, desacralized world.

2. VALUES  — Our guiding question is “What is sacred — what is so important that my life depends upon it, that I would die for it — and what may I do to understand, honor and share it?”
         •  Kinship – We are kin to all persons; we seek inclusiveness in relationships.
         •  Mutual understanding – We understand ourselves by understanding others.
         •  Mutual respect – We recognize that others have a right to their own faiths and we have a deep respect for others’ traditions.
         •  Mutual development – Genuine interfaith encounter leads to mutual purification and the deepening of our own traditions.
         • Mutual assistance – We need each others’ insights to respond to the crises of secularism.

3. MISSION: To honor the sacred wherever it appears, to support its appearance everywhere, especially by promoting understanding among peoples of all faiths in Kansas City and beyond.

THE WORK OF CRES is to

•  promote interfaith dialog and cooperation,

•  provide insight into the problems and possibilities of global community,

•  support and enhance goals and programs of existing Kansas City religious and educational organizations,

•  interpret religious dimensions of American and international culture

•  enrich and refresh the life of the individual, and

•  deepen awareness of our participation in the natural environment.

4. ADVANCING THE GUIDING QUESTION: What is sacred, what is so important that my life depends upon it, that I would die for it, and what may I do to understand, honor, and share it?  — CRES advances groups and individuals exploring and experiencing this question from many perspectives.

We advance rich, diverse and unifying answers found in the three families of world religions. Primal traditions have generally found their answers to our guiding question in the realm of nature, Asian religions in the self, and monotheistic faiths in history. The task now is to see how nature, self, and history interpenetrate and form one another.

We also advance the connectedness of all areas of life — the arts, education, science, social issues, business, sports, the home. Our guiding question helps to reveal this connectedness, which then restores us to larger vision and purpose, surer judgment, greater effectiveness, deeper enjoyment and wider service.

The context is global; our work is local. As the world's religious leaders meet to understand each other, so we promote understanding in Kansas City among those who seek a respectful exchange among the faiths and for those who wish an educational approach to cultural questions affected by religion.

By working as consultants on site in client facilities — in a church, a business, a home, a classroom, a gallery, or a theater — we support individuals and community groups with lectures, workshops, retreats, personal consultation, rites and ceremonies, and interfaith development.

5. RESPONSE  to the three great crises of our secular age
        1. Environmental destruction
        2. Personal misdirection
        3. Social fragmentation
    and the collection of symbols
    from the Three Families of Faith and Liberation Movements
    represents sources of  healing in response to these dangers.
 
 

The religions of the world can be placed (with exceptions and many qualifications) into three families according to the realm in which they locate the Sacred, the very realms in which the three great crises appear. Contemporary liberation movements are also spiritual sources for many people.

For more information about

• the symbols of world religions,
• the characteristics of each family of faith, or
• the three crises of secularism

Primal religions include those of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome,
the Maya, Inca and Germanic folk religions, and living religions of American Indians, tribal Africans, Australian aborigines and today's neo-pagans or Wiccans. In general, primal religions locate the sacred in the world of nature.

Asian faiths include Confucianism and Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism and Shinto (really a nature tradition). Although developed within Islam, Sufism has characteristics of this family. In general, Asian religions locate the sacred in the realm of consciousness.

Monotheistic traditions include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Many would also include Sikhism, Baha'i, Unitarian Universalism, Zoroastrianism, and American civil religion in this family.  In general, monotheistic religions find the sacred revealed in the history of covenanted community.

Liberation movements include environmental work, peace efforts, racial healing, women's and men's explorations, communal experiments, 12-step programs, and gay liberation. These can be manifestations of fresh understandings of the sacred.

CRES values the contribution of each distinctive faith in healing the crises of our age -- and finds it important to honor and preserve their distictions. See our motto above.
 

Examples to be considered:
        1. Environmental destruction
            -- pollution (toxic wastes, as from the auto)
            -- overpopulation
            -- loss of diversity of species
        2. Personal misdirection
            -- addiction (substances, consumerism, power)
            -- dependencies (handling others' feelings)
            -- prejudice ( sexism, racism, classism, homophobia)
            -- loss of a sense of vocation
        3. Social fragmentation
            -- violence (in movies, video games, real life "solutions" to problems)
            -- exploitation (disparity between rich and poor)
            -- disengaged citizenry  (private over common weal)
            --use of religion by political leaders to divide peoples from each other
 

6. CRES HISTORY IN BRIEF

Purpose and Beginning of the Organization— CRES is a 501(c)(3) organization promoting understanding among peoples of all faiths in the greater Kansas City area. Originally the “Center for Religious Experience and Study” until its name change in 2000, CRES was founded by the Reverend Vern Barnet in 1982. He recognized that most people were unaware of the religious diversity within the community, and that prejudice impeded the understanding of shared values. He created avenues for interfaith dialog and education. All faiths pursue the holy — what has ultimate worth, supreme value — and their different expressions of it can enlarge the perspectives we have of our own faiths.

Achievements —  From 1982 to 1999, the operations of CRES were limited to Dr. Barnet’s personal investment of time and money—his “gift” to the community. Accomplishments during this period were many, including:
   •   The Interfaith Council, representing 13 faith communities in the Metropolitan area, was convened, with American Indian, Bahá’í, Buddhist, Christian Catholic, Christian Protestant, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Sufi, Universalist Unitarian, Wiccan and Zoroastrian participation. The Council’s Speakers Bureau is used now almost every week.
   •   Because of his knowledge of the many traditions in town, in 1994 The Kansas City Star asked Dr. Barnet to begin a “Faiths and Beliefs” column which appears each Wednesday in the paper’s FYI section.
   •   Many Paths, a newsletter with significant readership, began regular publication. The newsletter features a monthly informative essay, a column by Dr Barnet, monthly digests of world, national, and Kansas City area religious news, a calendar of religious holidays, CRES program listings, announcements of interfaith interest sponsored by other organizations, a 4-page “keeper” reference supplement, and other features.
    •   An extensive web site, www.cres.org, which provides community contacts, organizational news, and archived resources.
    •   A community-wide interfaith ritual meal on the Sunday before Thanksgiving has become a 15-year Kansas City tradition. Last year Mayor Kay Barnes received the CRES annual award presented at the dinner.
    •   Dr. Barnet gained a national reputation as a speaker on spiritual issues and became an adjunct professor at the Kansas City campus of Ottawa University where he teaches world religions and related subjects. An extensive local network provides many speaking and consulting opportunities.

Recent Community Support and Expansion — In 1999, members of the community saw the value of Dr. Barnet’s work and wanted to expand it and make his vision sustainable. A Board of Directors was formed, recruiting from business, spiritual, and volunteer leaders in the metropolitan area. A part time administrative assistant was hired and financial systems installed. Financial resources are limited, but current programs are being enlarged and enhanced. As resources are available, there are plans for a certification program for interfaith consultants.
     CRES is important to our community because religion is a fundamental source of human values. Unless respect for different cultures becomes acceptable, religion can lead to conflict and misunderstanding. Interfaith exchange informs our perspectives on current issues and secures our local community.
     CRES is developing a collaboration with NCCJ, Kansas City Harmony, and Spirit of Service, as well as cooperation with many other organizations to promote and ensure the acceptance of religious diversity. Local churches and other religious communities have participated in the interfaith dialog. Because Kansas City has become part of a global community, there is a danger that we may become fragmented. By celebrating and respecting our diversity, together we will become stronger.
   A major achievement was the first interfaith conference in the history of Kansas City, “The Gifts of Pluralism,” held at the Ward Parkway (State Line) Pembroke Hill School campus, Oct  27-28, 2001, with 250 people from 15 faiths from A to Z (American Indian to Zoroastrian). Funding was provided by the Bank of America as Trustee of the George and Elizabeth Davis Trusts, the Ewing M Kauffman Fund for Greater Kansas City,  DST, the Norman and Elaine Polsky Fund, the Bank of Blue Valley, and Community Christian Church, with smaller gifts for scholarship funds from numerous individuals. The facility was provided as an in-kind gift from Pembroke Hill School. The conference fee was $75; donations made student scholarships and other subsidies possible. An archive of extensive press coverage, including The Kansas City Star editorial, and other reports about the conference can be found at http://www.cres.org/oldifc/ifcConf.htm From the conference a number of new programs have emerged, especially important in the light of the terrorism of September 11, 2001.
     For information about CRES Board and staff members, return to the bottom of the home page.

Stakeholders — CRES members are not the only stakeholders. Individuals and groups within the community use CRES as an interfaith resource and referral center. • When an organization needs an interfaith invocation, • when the owner of a specialized book collection needs advice about to whom to donate the books, • when a family is confused by a child's interest in an unfamiliar faith, • when a church wants a workshop or retreat about sexuality in other traditions, • when a hospital needs to know if Hindus can receive blood products, • when someone wants to know how to address a Buddhist leader, • when chaplains are needed for a national chess tourney held in Kansas City, CRES gets the call. • Whether it's a tour of sacred art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, • assistance with an initiative of the Midwest Bioethics Center, or • consultation with the Heart of America United Way — in these and many other ways, CRES is uniquely or best able to provide networking skills and interfaith knowledge.
      Although CRES has an increasingly public profile, much of its work is quiet, background support for other organizations. Because of the range of its services, CRES is important not just to its members, but to many others affecting the character of the entire community.

7. FINANCIAL GIFTS WELCOME

8.  Frequently Asked Questions

9.  Testimonials: Meet CRES, A Unique (and Needed) Voice in Metropolitan Kansas City

“Through his work as the leader of CRES, Vern Barnet has set a tradition of respect for the many views of what is sacred.  He is the voice of tolerance for the many religious traditions practiced in our community.” — I. J. Barrish, Ph.D.

“The void that too often separates religious groups throughout the community — indeed, throughout the world — is addressed in the unique ministry that Vern Barnet brings to this city through CRES.  His considerable talents, vision and total commitment have fostered mutual understanding and shared experience that serve to heal the brokenness and alienation endemic among peoples.” — John Gregory

“Each major world religion is deeply rooted in a unique world view,  reflected in its rituals, stories, traditions and symbol system.  CRES opens a window to these world faith experiences, inviting our understanding, enrichment and growth.” — Donna W. Ziegenhorn

“Our country was founded on the quest for religious freedom and tolerance. Kansas City is fortunate to have an organization like CRES and a leader as committed and articulate as Vern Barnet to nurture these values in our community.” — Anne S. Canfield

“Thanks to CRES, representatives of all major world faiths throughout the Greater Kansas City area come together, building mutual respect, appreciation and tolerance.  The fruits of these efforts over the years are paving the way for a major Interfaith Conference in the Year 2000, now in the planning.” — Larry Guillot

“CRES is a means for people of good will who practice various faith beliefs in our city to reach each other.” — Joe Archias

Click on the CRES tree to return to the CRES home page.