(Editor’s Note: With this column, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy joins our SpiritWalk rotation on a regular basis. SpiritWalk is intended to explore any and all ways that spirituality and faith play a role in our daily lives.)

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) is the oldest faith-based social justice organization in Virginia, advocating for changes in state laws and policies affecting the poor and working poor, at-risk children and youth, the homeless, immigrants, and those in the criminal justice system.

The Center advocates with senators and delegates in the General Assembly. In addition, the Center works in coalition with other like-minded groups on specific projects and public education. The New River Valley Chapter focuses on raising awareness of the Center’s work among the faithful in our area and on ensuring the Center headquarters staff are aware of our local issues.

Here is a sampling of the current work of the Center:
• Increasing access to healthy foods in the Hampton Roads area to improve children’s nutrition and to decrease childhood obesity
• Taking a public stand against the death penalty
• Creating a fairer process by which felons who have completed their sentences can have their civil rights restored
• Increasing access to health care for families and children
• Promoting legislation to cap the interest rates that predatory lenders (payday lenders and car title lenders) can charge
• Expanding unemployment insurance

One of the questions I am asked often is, “Is it right to mix religion and politics?” We tend to shy away from expecting faith organizations to promote political stances, and that is as it should be. The important thing about the work of the Center, though, is that it is non-partisan.

We do not endorse candidates or promote party-specific issues. Rather, we draw from all the world faiths lessons about how to promote the greatest good for the least among us.

Regardless of your beliefs about a higher power, regardless of what books you call holy, I am sure you can find in your faith a call to shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger.

Very likely, if you are connected in a faith community, you give donations for or do good works on behalf of the poor and neglected here or elsewhere in the world. We members of VICPP represent many different faith traditions, but we all feel called to speak truth to power, to be a moral voice in our statehouse, to speak for those whose voices so often are not heard there.

Our Chapter has a leadership Council with representatives of several local congregations. We invite you or a representative of your faith community to join us.  For more information, send me an e-mail at stephaniegilmo@gmail.com or go to  http://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org.

Stephanie Gilmore, current chair of the NRV chapter of VICPP, lives in Blacksburg. She is retired from developing public health programs and policy for county and state health departments.