Northwest Interfaith Community Outreach (NICO)

NICO is a container, a vehicle, for interfaith action and cooperation in the Pacific Northwest. It started as way to help members of different faiths get to know one another, and has evolved into an agency for the celebration of spiritual values and advocacy for justice in the broader community.

In a very real sense, NICO was born out of a passion for compassion. Following the horror of 9/11, as we watched the nation’s unifying grief deteriorate into a call for revenge, many of us became concerned for the safety of our friends who happened to be Muslim or identifiably "foreign." We began talking about the need to "do something" to make our community a safer place for our friends, and soon a movement was born.

John Hale, who was chairing the pastoral council at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Seattle, polled the members of his parish and discovered that ecumenism was a value that many wanted to pursue. This was not surprising, for St. Pat’s has long had a reputation for its open and progressive approach to spirituality. Thus it was also not surprising that when Jeff Siddiqui, a leader of the Muslim community, invited his non-Muslim sisters and brothers to take part in an interfaith evening during the month of Ramadan, St. Pat’s was one of two congregations in the Seattle area that agreed to take part.

The other congregation that accepted Jeff’s invitation was Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue, a progressive synagogue founded and led by Rabbi Ted Falcon. Again this was not surprising, for Rabbi Ted had reached out to his Muslim friend, Sufi minister Jamal Rahman of the Interfaith Community Church (ICC), to do an interfaith community service at Bellevue Unity in the days immediately following 9/11. The response to that service was overwhelming: the building was filled to capacity and crowds were standing in the streets, weeping and praying for compassion and unity.

By the first anniversary of 9/11, the energies of ecumenism had begun to coalesce into a group that eventually incorporated as a nonprofit called Unity Project Seattle. The original officers were Rabbi Ted Falcon, President, John Hale, Vice President, Sufi minister Jamal Rahman, Treasurer, and Pastor Don MacKenzie of the University Church / United Church Christ (UC/UCC), Secretary.  Jon Ramer, an accomplished musician and social networking expert with a passion for peacemaking and interfaith understanding and communication, has also been a prime mover for the group since the beginning.

Over the next three years, Unity Project Seattle designed and sponsored numerous programs to bring the various religious communities together in peace and compassion. Working with Phil Gerson from Temple B’Nei Torah and the multi-faith Habitat for Humanity “Together We Build” we co-sponsored the Interfaith Leadership Summit in partnership with Camp Brotherhood.  There were workshops, interfaith gatherings, and speaking engagements all over the Northwest. The scope of the project expanded rapidly, and eventually the name was changed to Northwest Interfaith Community Outreach -- NICO to reflect the nature of the broadening membership and field of endeavor.

Today NICO serves not only to create interfaith programs but also as a broker to advertise and support the activities of spiritual leaders in the area. With more than 3000 peace-loving people in its Interfaith Community Network, NICO connects like-minded seekers and help tear down the fences of fear and ignorance that are the barriers to compassion. Recognizing that humans often are divided by faith but united by spirituality, we are guided by our mission: 

“To Celebrate Spirit through Interfaith Collaboration and Compassionate Work for Justice in the World.”

Alone, we may feel helpless against a dangerous world. Working in community, we can indeed “do something.” We can help to heal the world through compassionate action that is fueled by our shared spiritual values.

NICO is open to all who share our mission.  For more information, please contact John Hale at jehale@earthlink.net or 425.865.0659.