Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Obama Announces White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood
Partnerships
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
February 5, 2009
Obama Announces White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Washington (February 5, 2009) – President Barack Obama today signed an executive order establishing the
new White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The White House Office of FaithBased and Neighborhood Partnerships will work on behalf of Americans committed to improving their
communities, no matter their religious or political beliefs.
"Over the past few days and weeks, there has been much talk about what our government’s role should be
during this period of economic emergency. That is as it should be – because there is much that
government can and must do to help people in need," said President Obama. "But no matter how much
money we invest or how sensibly we design our policies, the change that Americans are looking for will
not come from government alone. There is a force for good greater than government. It is an expression
of faith, this yearning to give back, this hungering for a purpose larger than our own, that reveals itself
not simply in places of worship, but in senior centers and shelters, schools and hospitals, and any place an
American decides."
The White House Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will be a resource for nonprofits
and community organizations, both secular and faith based, looking for ways to make a bigger impact in
their communities, learn their obligations under the law, cut through red tape, and make the most of what
the federal government has to offer.
President Obama appointed Joshua DuBois, a former associate pastor and advisor to the President in his
U.S. Senate office and campaign Director of Religious Affairs, to lead this office. "Joshua understands the
issues at stake, knows the people involved, and will be able to bring everyone together – from both the
secular and faith-based communities, from academia and politics – around our common goals," said
President Obama.
The Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will focus on four key priorities, to be carried
out by working closely with the President’s Cabinet Secretaries and each of the eleven agency offices for
faith-based and neighborhood partnerships:

The Office’s top priority will be making community groups an integral part of our economic
recovery and poverty a burden fewer have to bear when recovery is complete.

It will be one voice among several in the administration that will look at how we support women
and children, address teenage pregnancy, and reduce the need for abortion.

The Office will strive to support fathers who stand by their families, which involves working to get
young men off the streets and into well-paying jobs, and encouraging responsible fatherhood.

Finally, beyond American shores this Office will work with the National Security Council to foster
interfaith dialogue with leaders and scholars around the world.
As the priorities of this Office are carried out, it will be done in a way that upholds the Constitution – by
ensuring that both existing programs and new proposals are consistent with American laws and values.
The separation of church and state is a principle President Obama supports firmly – not only because it
protects our democracy, but also because it protects the plurality of America’s religious and civic life. The
Executive Order President Obama will sign today strengthens this by adding a new mechanism for the
Executive Director of the Office to work through the White House Counsel to seek the advice of the
Attorney General on difficult legal and constitutional issues.
The Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will include a new President’s Advisory Council
on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, composed of religious and secular leaders and scholars
from different backgrounds. There will be 25 members of the Council, appointed to 1-year terms.
Members of the Council include:
Judith N. Vredenburgh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Big Brothers / Big Sisters of America
Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi David N. Saperstein, Director & Counsel, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and noted
church/state expert
Washington, DC
Dr. Frank S. Page, President emeritus, Southern Baptist Convention
Taylors, SC
Father Larry J. Snyder, President, Catholic Charities USA
Alexandria, VA
Rev. Otis Moss, Jr., Pastor emeritus, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church
Cleveland, OH
Eboo S. Patel, Founder & Executive Director, Interfaith Youth Corps
Chicago, IL
Fred Davie, President, Public / Private Ventures, a secular non-profit intermediary
New York, NY
Dr. William J. Shaw, President, National Baptist Convention, USA
Philadelphia, PA
Melissa Rogers, Director, Wake Forest School of Divinity Center for Religion and Public Affairs and expert
on church/state issues
Winston-Salem, NC
Pastor Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland, a Church Distributed
Lakeland, FL
Dr. Arturo Chavez, Ph.D., President & CEO, Mexican American Cultural Center
San Antonio, TX
Rev. Jim Wallis, President & Executive Director, Sojourners
Washington, DC
Bishop Vashti M. McKenzie, Presiding Bishop, 13th Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Church
Knoxville, TN
Diane Baillargeon, President & CEO, Seedco, a secular national operating intermediary
New York, NY
Richard Stearns, President, World Vision
Bellevue, WA