Beyond the spiritual fellowship and guidance provided by region religious institutions is an existing model for how the fragmented governments and communities of Northwest Indiana can work as one, two faith-based leaders say.
Northwest Indiana charitable groups -- based in Catholicism, Judaism and other faiths -- extend aid to anyone in need with no regard for religious belief or background, they say.
Numerous soup kitchens and food pantries founded and operated in the names of faith-based groups provide sustenance for individuals and families whose hunger extends beyond parish, temple and diocesan boundaries.
Diocese of Gary Bishop Dale Melczek said it's all about what's good for the region and the people who live here -- regardless of whether they pray in his parishes.
Churches within the diocese have struggled in the past with the same challenges that face Northwest Indiana as a whole. Just as cities and towns in Northwest Indiana must be pushed to embrace regionalism and cooperation among communities, Melczek said he works to ensure individual parishes realize the greater good of the diocese as a whole.
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Melczek is an avid participant in the One Region, One Vision initiative aimed at bringing the region's counties and communities together for one unified purpose. He notes the cost savings that good government recommendations for consolidating 911 dispatch centers and other services could bring to taxpayers.
And he points out the diocese already incorporates some of the same models many believe could make region government more efficient.
Diocesan schools share administrative and other costs, so that no one institution has to bear the full expense. The same goes for charitable and other groups within the diocese, he said.
"The church tends to look at the larger picture," Melczek said. "The primary unit is not the individual parish but the diocese as a whole.
"And our diocese happens to cover four counties of Northwest Indiana, so we have a strong belief in working together across many borders."
Shared administrative costs within Catholic charities means more money going to those in need and less diverted to overhead costs, he said.
"From an administrative point of view, we can operate with fewer administrative dollars because we have one administration that does all," Melczek said. "A lot of waste comes (in government and elsewhere) when we insist on doing our own thing.
"It helps to look at collaboration and sharing to provide more services for less dollars."
Cooperation across religious lines also breeds better region unity and understanding, said Munster-based Congregation of Beth Israel Rabbi Ben Kramer.
Jewish Community Services in Munster operates a food pantry that provides nutrition for anyone who needs it.
"It's a very busy food pantry," Kramer said. "We don't ask anyone there about their religious beliefs, but we know many non-Jewish people take advantage of it."
Kramer said his temple also incorporates philanthropy into the religious rights of passage for youths in the congregation who are coming of age.
At the age of 13, Jewish boys celebrate bar mitzvah and girls experience bat mitzvah, the ceremonial passage into adulthood. As part of that transition, the youths must each take on a charitable project, ranging from raising money for local food pantries to helping supply region hospitals, Kramer said.
