Many Faiths, One City: How Interfaith Service Is Holding Laguna Together--Fr. Will Crist and Beth Garlock - Nov 12, 2025 copertina

Many Faiths, One City: How Interfaith Service Is Holding Laguna Together--Fr. Will Crist and Beth Garlock - Nov 12, 2025

Many Faiths, One City: How Interfaith Service Is Holding Laguna Together--Fr. Will Crist and Beth Garlock - Nov 12, 2025

Ascolta gratuitamente

Vedi i dettagli del titolo

A proposito di questo titolo

 Episode Description The Heart of Laguna – “Many Faiths, One City: How Interfaith Service Is Holding Laguna Together” What happens when churches, temples, and spiritual communities stop debating doctrine and start feeding the hungry, sheltering the cold, and showing up for their city—together? In this episode of The Heart of Laguna, I’m joined by Beth Garlock, longtime leader with the Laguna Beach Interfaith Council, whose 16+ years of service have helped shape one of the most quietly powerful networks of compassion in our city. Beth shares how a simple invitation grew into a life of interfaith service—feeding neighbors nightly, sheltering families during storms, supporting hospitality workers, organizing disaster relief, and building bridges across faith lines. We talk about what makes Laguna uniquely kind, the hidden needs beneath the beauty, the power of shared service, and why the future of faith may rest less in belief debates and more in presence, relationship, and responsibility for the whole city. This is a conversation about joint responsibility, practical compassion, youth, recovery from isolation, and why loving your neighbor is no longer optional—it’s survival.Show Notes Guest: Beth GarlockLeader, Laguna Beach Interfaith CouncilLaguna Beach resident for 26 years16–17 years of continuous Interfaith leadershipMember, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsCommunity organizer, disaster relief coordinator, and shelter advocateIn This Episode, We Explore: 1. How Beth Found Her Calling in Interfaith WorkMoving to Laguna Beach 26 years agoBeing mentored into Interfaith by the late Ann “Saint Anne” RichardsonAttending one meeting—and never leavingDiscovering a spiritual home in common good, not uniform belief2. What the Interfaith Council Actually DoesNightly community dinners for over a decadeRotating church-based meal sponsorshipsCold Weather Shelter Program hosted by houses of worshipCollaboration with the City of Laguna Beach and Police DepartmentOverflow shelter for rain and cold emergenciesOngoing cooperation with the Laguna Food Pantry3. “Is Anyone Still Hungry in Laguna?”The reality: Food pantry + nightly dinners + morning coffee & sandwichesFormer solo effort now sustained community-wideA model of redundant compassion—no single point of failureHope that no one is falling through the cracks4. Invisible Workers & Hidden NeedsHospitality workers in beachfront hotelsMany commuting in daily, often under economic strainQuiet outreach currently happening through faith partnersChristmas giving extended beyond congregations to worker familiesImmigration anxieties and economic fragility addressed with dignity5. The Power of Community Response in CrisisRapid Interfaith response to the Palisades FireEmergency permits pulled for Main BeachCommunity prayer vigil, cash donations, clothing drivesThe lesson: “People want to help. They just need a way in.”6. Love Laguna & Open Service to the Whole CityCitywide volunteer day open to everyoneFamilies with no church affiliation joining to serveService as the new front door into communityFaith without barriers7. What Makes Laguna Beach UniqueStrong culture of volunteerismReputation as a “Kindness City”A rare non-judgment zoneSmall-town relational feelDeep acceptance across lifestyles, backgrounds, and beliefs8. The Danger of “Checkbook Compassion”Gratitude for generosity—but concern about distance from peopleThe irreplaceable power of:PresenceNaming someoneSitting with painCharity must stay human-sized and relational9. COVID, Isolation, and the Crisis of DisconnectionThe lingering relational damage of lockdownDigital connection ≠ human presenceThe rising urgency of face-to-face communityChurches as vital centers of embodied belonging10. AI, the Future, and Why Faith Still MattersThe coming wave of artificial intelligenceThe emerging role of religion:RelationshipPhysical presenceHuman touchFaith communities as the last non-automated spaces of meaning11. A Radical Idea: The Entire City Is the ParishAncient Anglican vision: Beating the BoundsThe parish defined as geography, not membershipThe Interfaith vision: “We are responsible for everyone inside the city limits.”Hotels, hospitals, restaurants, landscapers, workers, seniors, youth—all included12. Youth, Spiritual Hunger & a Surprising RenewalTeens and young adults returning to spiritual lifeService as the on-ramp to beliefFaith expressed through action before affiliationCore Themes of This EpisodeInterfaith cooperationShared civic responsibilityCompassion without labelsPresence over politicsService as spiritual practiceRecovery from isolationYouth and the future of faithA Central Question This Episode Raises What if loving your neighbor is no longer a religious virtue—but the only way a city survives what’s coming next? About the Show The Heart of Laguna is a weekly conversation from KXFM in Laguna Beach. Each episode explores what holds us ...
Ancora nessuna recensione