The Washington Interfaith Staff Community (WISC) is a network of over 75 Washington offices of national religious bodies and faith-based organizations, encompassing Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Humanist faiths. WISC offices collaborate on advocacy for U.S. government policies that advance a more just, equitable, peaceful, and ecologically sustainable world.

The history of ecumenical and interfaith collaboration on social issues goes back to the early 1900’s if not before. The predecessor body to the National Council of Churches (NCC) was formed in 1908, then known as the “Federal Council of Churches (FCC). The FCC was created as a response to "industrial problems" and focused primarily on labor rights, wages, and advocacy for a six-day work week (not 7!). The FCC reorganized as the National Council of Churches in 1950, and became a voice also in opposition to war and global concerns.  

Many other WISC organizations trace their history also to that era and the decades that followed. The United Methodist Building opened in 1924, and initially housed the Methodist Episcopal Church’s Board of Temperance, Prohibition, and Public Morals and later the UMC’s General Board of Church & Society (GBCS).The Quakers and Congregationalists (UCC) established offices in the 1940’s, while the Presbyterian Church (1950’s), the Religious Action Center for Reformed Judaism (RAC) in the 1960’s, and a variety of Catholic Religious Order offices and NETWORK all established offices in the 1970’s in Washington. More recently, other faith traditions have opened offices in Washington, including the Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) Office for Interfaith, Community Alliances, and Government Relations.

It was at the ecumenical and interfaith “National Conference on Religion and Race“ gathering held in Chicago in 1963 that an important shift took place to unify and accelerate faith cooperation on social justice issues. This collaboration established key partnerships that ultimately contributed to the passage of such bills as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. As Sen. Strom Thurmond (SC) said at the time, “But for these church people, we wouldn’t have the Civil Rights bill before us.” 

Today, WISC is a network of over 75 offices representing a wide spectrum of faith and humanist traditions. The public policy and advocacy work of WISC is rooted in the faith expression and confessions of these traditions and is coordinated by 20 working groups (link to WG page) that advocate for peace and justice in our nation and around the globe. 

WISC participating organizations span a wide range of faith traditions including Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikh, Hindu and Humanist.

WISC working groups advocate for policy change in a number of ways that include meetings with elected officials on Capitol Hill, meetings with the Presidential administration and federal agencies, sign on letters, endorsing legislation and vote recommendations.

Members are expected to work in a collaborative manner with other member orgs. This generally includes joining a relevant working group, sharing relevant issue area information with working groups and helping where your talents lie. 

There is no fee for membership. Member orgs are welcome to put in funds for WISC purposes (meeting space rental, refreshments at events, website maintenance, etc.) but as we recognize that our member orgs range in size and funding levels, we leave that for each org to decide.