Five Democratic candidates for Cuyahoga County prosecutor promised criminal justice reforms to a standing-room only crowd nearly 1,000 at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple at a February 20 forum organized by Greater Cleveland Congregations. No Republican entered the race, so the March 6 Democratic primary will determine the next prosecutor.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Greater Cleveland Congregations, an interfaith group representing 40 religious and community organizations, is holding a forum Monday to hear from candidates in the race for Cuyahoga County prosecutor. All five candidates, as well as 700 people from various congregations, are expected to attend the 7 p.m. event at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, 23737 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood.

Students, teachers, clergy, parents and community leaders came together Thursday evening to celebrate the restoration of education cuts. This Education Assembly was convened by the Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC), a new coalition of religious congregations and community organizations from throughout Cuyahoga County working together to make the region a more just and prosperous place.

CLEVELAND— It was a celebration Thursday night at the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. Over 800 people from 40 different churches and community organizations celebrated the tentative contract agreement between the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the Cleveland Teachers Union. "The fact that both sides recognized there had to be sacrifices speaks to their recognition of the challenges and rewards of education," said Reverend Jawanza Colvin, Pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In its first major public action, Greater Cleveland Congregations, a newly formed coalition of churches, synagogues and mosques, is calling on the Cleveland school district to restore programs recently cut to save money. The district has trimmed $13.1 million from its annual budget to balance its books, as required by state law. The belt-tightening eliminates some preschool programs, busing for high school students, summer school, some sports and other extracurricular activities. The GCC, comprised of 40 religious congregations and community groups, is holding a rally at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8 at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland, urging the school district and the Cleveland Teachers Union to find ways to restore the programs.

A new faith-based organization says it will advocate for social justice policies in Northeast Ohio, putting more than just the power of prayer behind its efforts. Christian, Jewish and Muslim congregations are banding together. On the next Sound of Ideas, we'll ask what differentiates this effort from many others intended to help the neediest.

What do you get when Minsters, Rabbis, Imams and other assorted holy men and women bring thousands of their congregants to the Masonic temple to talk, laugh and sing? Hint: it's not the setup for a really bad joke. It is the Founding Assembly of the new organization called the Greater Cleveland Congregations. Host Dan Moulthrop and producer Luke Frazier get the heavenly inspired (ouch) story behind the group and their mission to positively impact the social and economic challenges dragging the region down. Among the guests are a Baptist, a Unitarian and the President of the Islamic Center of Greater Cleveland (no, they didn't walk into a bar). The Greater Cleveland Congregations means business when it comes to being a divine force for good in Northeast Ohio.

Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk asked the overflow crowd that packed the Masonic Auditorium on Mon., June 6, to look at their hands. What can those hands do to fix what is broken within their struggling city, asked the Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple senior spiritual leader.

Just as tough economic times are prompting local governments to work more collaboratively, some of Greater Cleveland's most influential churches are banding together to find solutions to common problems. ideastream's David C. Barnett reports that about 40 mosques, temples and churches are planning to use their influence to push for social justice issues.

That was the question The Very Reverend Tracey Lind asked about 2,000 people Monday night. It wasn't really an original question but it was apropos. She was quoting the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel and the story he told that some know as the Valley of the Dry Bones. Considering what was happening at the Masonic Temple and who was among the 2,000 people, it was a perfect question, one that many Greater Clevelanders have actually been asking themselves for some time.

By The Rev. Jawanza Karriem Lightfoot Colvin and Rabbi Robert A. Nosanchuk At the historic March on Washington of 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his social vision with our nation. In his "I Have a Dream" speech, he painted a picture in words of a community shaped by principles of justice, democracy and human dignity. The social vision articulated by King was rooted in a clear understanding of how social transformation occurs -- through the common cause of collective social action. As fellow clergy leaders of congregations in the city and suburbs of Cleveland, we share King's vision and philosophy of change. Along with a host of ministers, rabbis, imams and people of faith in the Greater Cleveland area, we and our communities are concerned about the socioeconomic conditions and growing despair in our region, and we are committed to partnering with one another to turning things around.