(RNS) — Among the achievements of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships during the Biden presidency, the fourth administration to have featured such an office, is its work with faith-based groups on the rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and helping develop both an antisemitism and anti-Islamophobia strategy, even as a war in Gaza threatened interfaith relationships in the U.S.
Melissa Rogers, outgoing executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, which seeks to link governmental and religious partners to provide social services and address social ills, called the pandemic “a very big challenge that no one would have ever wanted to happen to our nation and world.” But she said her office’s work with American civic officials, both religious and secular, “writing the playbook as we worked with these organizations,” led to greater cooperation between the public and private sector on a number of issues.
“We were able to deepen and widen our work and accelerate our work with faith and community leaders to serve people in need all across the country and around the world,” said Rogers in an interview with RNS as she concluded her time leading the partnerships office for the second time, having also …
