Austin Faith Dialogue
An Overview and Farewell:
For over 20 years Austin Faith Dialogue has aired on Sunday mornings at
8:00 a.m. on KNVA-TV, Channel 54, Cable 12. AFD is a weekly religious
public affairs program sponsored by Austin Area Interreligious
Ministries and hosted by Sandy Wilder and Rev. Karl Gronberg. Together
they have produced exciting discussion with local religious, cultural
and civic leaders, focusing on community initiatives designed to serve
the common good.
Sadly, AFD is losing its weekly spot. The final Austin Faith Dialogue
show will be aired on Sunday, October 4, 2009.
 
Sandy Wilder and Rev. Karl Gronberg, Austin Faith Dialogue Hosts
A Brief History:The mission is to extend faith into the community. The medium is
television.
Since the spring of 1988, the local weekly half-hour television show
“Austin Faith Dialogue” has given Central Texans a glimpse into the
rich religious diversity in our area. The show presents programs in
four different categories: (1) faith traditions, (2) social issues, (3)
personal/family/spiritual issues (hospices, parenting, etc.), and (4)
arts and culture. “Austin Faith Dialogue” focuses on the intersection
of religion and life in the greater Austin area. It is entirely
volunteer-driven. “Austin Faith Dialogue” is a program of Austin Area
Interreligious Ministries (AAIM), the successor to the Austin Area
Conference of Churches.
The organizing force behind the founding of “Austin Faith Dialogue” was
the Rev. Richard Thompson, now-retired pastor of Central Presbyterian
Church, who arrived in Austin in 1986. He had been a volunteer host for
a similar program sponsored by the Church Federation of Chicago. Rev.
Thompson approached the then-Austin Area Conference of Churches and
KTBC-TV with his idea of a “religious public affairs program,” noting
that such a program would
“offer inter-faith, non-sectarian programs, emphasizing religious
issues and news not otherwise available to the public. An interview
format would enable participants from a broad range of churches,
religious agencies, seminaries, and colleges. Persons of national and
world religious prominence visiting in Austin could be invited guests.”
The first broadcast aired on KTBC-TV on March 20, 1988. In January 1997
“Austin Faith Dialogue” began broadcasting weekly on KNVA-TV. For a
while, the programs were also re-broadcast on Austin Access Television.
During its entire run, the show has benefited from the contribution of
air time, professional staff assistance, and the use of a studio and
production facilities from its partner television stations. Both KTBC
and now KNVA have recognized the importance of providing “Austin Faith
Dialogue” as part of their community service commitment to Central
Texas.
Since its founding 21 years ago, “Austin Faith Dialogue” has been
hosted by many local lay and clergy volunteers. The current hosts are
Sandy Wilder and the Rev. Karl Gronberg. Other hosts over the years
have been Barbara Holmes, Rev. Valerie Bridgeman-Davis, Roman Catholic
Bishop John McCarthy, Rev. Sarah Bentley, Michael Sis, Nelin Hudani,
Jennifer LeBaron, former AAIM Executive Director Rev. Emilee
Whitehurst, Ruth Landsberg, Peter Logsden, Rev. Brendonly Douglas, Dick
Hudson, Rev. Marion Childress-Usher, and Chuck Meyer.
The library at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin houses
the archive of “Austin Faith Dialogue” programs, which are being
cataloged into a comprehensive database and are available to be checked
out. This collection of more than 1000 programs, possibly unique in the
nation, includes shows on an astonishing array of topics: Austin’s
ecclesiastical architecture and history Organ transplants, death and
dying issues, mental health, adoption, parenting Seminary students and
campus ministries Homelessness, care for the elderly, business ethics,
public policy concerns Child abuse, education, and other topics
affecting children and youth Holidays and faith traditions of Jews,
Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Baha’is,
Sikhs, Christian Scientists, Mormons, Wiccans, Buddhists, Sufis, and
others Art, music, dance, poetry and prose Creativity, spirituality,
theology Interviews with Austin’s political, educational, community,
and faith leaders.
Since its beginning, “Austin Faith Dialogue” has enjoyed broad support,
not only from its parent interfaith organization but also from the
Diocese of Austin, the Austin District of the United Methodist Church,
Barsana Dham Hindu Temple, dozens of community nonprofit organizations,
Austin’s Jewish and Muslim communities, the Austin American-Statesman,
denominational media, and all the other faith groups under AAIM’s broad
umbrella.
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog presented KNVA with an award for its
commitment to fostering interfaith understanding via “Austin Faith
Dialogue.”
August 2009
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