Killeen Mayor Joseph Solomon Launches Faith-Based Initiative to Unite Community

Killeen's Mayor, Joseph Solomon, is initiating a new program designed to bring together faith and religious groups for improved cooperation with the city government. This initiative will kick off with a community forum next month. Mayor Solomon, who additionally serves as a campus pastor for Christian House of Prayer, highlighted the similarities in his roles. He stated, “As a pastor you help people. As the mayor or a council member, you are helping people. You’re helping them in a larger capacity but, pretty much the same.” The upcoming forum aims to provide local faith communities and faith-based nonprofit organizations an opportunity to engage directly with city leadership. Solomon emphasized that this is not a one-time event, stating, “We need to connect and how we connect like we’re doing, this is not a one time event. This is the initial event but hopefully this will go on long after I’m gone.” The city is also keen to understand the needs and perspectives of these groups, with Solomon adding, “We want to hear what they would like to see as a faith-based community as well. We want to hear from them, not the city just doing all the talking. We want to hear from them on how we can serve them better.” Addressing potential concerns regarding the separation of church and state, Mayor Solomon clarified that the forum's purpose is not religious. He explained, “This has nothing to do with religion as much as it has to do with serving people. It’s about serving people. It’s about making our community better.” The Mayor’s Faith-Based Initiative Forum is scheduled for Monday, August 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Killeen Civic and Conference Center. Organizations of any faith interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP through the city’s communications office.