The Rev. Doug Smith is executive director of Virginia Interfaith Center, the state’s oldest faith-based advocacy group.
How did you get your start in this field?
What got me here is I was looking for something that would address the systemic causes of poverty and hunger. And I wanted something really that was faith based, because I’m an ordained minister in the Christ Church Disciples of Christ. I literally did a search on the Web, found the job, and was hired several months later.
Where is your legislative focus in Virginia this year?
We are a multiissue group, which is different from quite a few nonprofits. And so we are just as interested in looking at tax and budget policy as we are at redistricting reform and the issue of immigration and housing. But a particular focus of interest of ours is health care, how to make health care more accessible and affordable for all Virginians.
Can you discuss your work internationally?
I worked in Geneva, Switzerland, for three years, and had the opportunity to experience several different models of relief and development. … I actually like microcredit lending with livestock. … I love the idea that we don’t just lift up one person and one family out of poverty, but we lift up whole villages by teaching people how to care for animals and how to pass that gift on in what amounts to microlending with livestock.
How would you assess the state of interfaith work in the commonwealth right now?
I think that the state of interfaith work in Virginia is incredibly strong and incredibly robust. There are certainly tensions around geopolitical conflicts that arise perennially, but at the end of the day, communities of faith tend to be based in a posture of reconciliation, and because of that they’re very eager to work with each other where they can work with one another. There are tremendous bridges throughout the commonwealth that are being built between various faiths. That’s exciting.
