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TechnoratiThe White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiative’s acting director, Jedd Medefind, spoke to The Christian Post last week just ahead of the official release of the FBCI’s final report that reflects on the Initiative’s past eight years.
(Photo: White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives)Jedd Medefind
Before becoming the OFBCI acting director, Medefind was the deputy director of OFBCI and also worked in a number of government positions in the state of California. His most recent book is called The Revolutionary Communicator, which takes a look at how Jesus effectively communicates and leads.
CP: How does someone who seems to have a great interest in the Christian faith make the decision to work for the government rather than for a ministry or faith-based non-profit? How did you weigh the opportunities to work in government versus in a Christian organization?
Medefind: I believe we are called to all kinds of different engagements and for me that has been in government. There is tremendous good we can do laboring in this field and I’m so thankful to have been part of the Faith-Based Community Initiatives for President Bush.
CP: What is FBCI’s proudest achievement in its 8 years?
Medefind: We’re proud of the way the Initiative has transformed government’s approach to human needs, making it more creative and compassionate and personal. We’re also very proud of the way it has leveled the playing field for faith-based organizations. But most of all we’re thankful for the way it has lifted millions of lives across the country and around the world for the downtrodden and hurting.
CP: The report noted that some states are replicating the OFBCI. Do you think every state should set up such an office?
Medefind: The Faith-Based and Community Initiative is increasingly emerging as an effective strategy for addressing human needs. And so I think every governor that has a commitment to addressing the needs would be very interested in growing the strategy within their own state.
CP: Have you heard of any states that will be establishing such an office in 2009?
Medefind: You know right now 36 states have offices or liaisons. We don’t know about the other 14 at this point. What I would add is every state in the union has initiatives funded by President Bush working with faith-based and other community non-profits to solve pressing needs. So even in states without formal offices this vision is alive and well.
CP: What area(s) do you feel the office was least able to address?
Medefind: As you’ll see in our final report, the initiative has taken on everything from prisoner reentry, addiction, and homelessness in the United States to global AIDS and malaria in Africa. And the success in these areas is largely due to the faith-based and community non-profits that have been effectively serving all over the world.
CP: What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome while head of OFBCI?
Medefind: Many people have misunderstood the heart of the Initiative. And more than anything else the President intended it as a determined attack on needs, and that is just what it has done – addressing pressing needs from at risk youths to AIDS orphans and solving them in a creative and compassionate way that government hasn’t always done in the past.
CP: You mentioned there were misunderstandings about the Initiative. What is the most common misunderstanding about this Office?
Medefind: That it is exclusively about faith-based organizations or primarily about government funding. It is a part, but it’s about more effectively addressing human needs. Continue »
