WESTERN SKIES - March 26, 2005

*** HIZZONNER AND GOD ***

ERIC WHITNEY: Colorado Springs is far from the only place where religion can turn into a minefield, or opportunities, for elected officials. Last Christmas Denver mayor John Hickenlooper found himself in God-related hot water. But, as Jeanine Miller reports, the experience didn't scare him away from involvement with churches.

JEANNINE MILLER: Mayor Hickenlooper won unwelcome media attention last December, when he proposed replacing the lights that spell out "Merry Christmas" atop the Denver City and County building, with the message "Happy Holidays" instead. He said his intent was to be more inclusive. But after a firestorm of criticism, Mayor Hickenlooper said "Merry Christmas" could stay.

MAYOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER: We made a mistake. The issues of separation of church and state are very important, but "Merry Christmas" has been on top of that building for forty years. And when it was going to wear out, we that it would be a nice time to put up "Season's Greetings" and no one would care. If that many people felt that hurt by it, it wasn't--we have people sleeping under bridges. It was not such an important thing to make a big ruckus over.

MILLER: Mayor Hickenlooper says he's more interested in working with faith communities to solve the city's problems like homelessness.

HICKENLOOPER: It will only happen through a great collaboration between the non-profit world and the faith-based communities, and the business community and government. And government in many ways is going to be the catalyst and the facilitator, but not necessarily the final arbiter.

MILLER: Central Presbyterian Church's Reverend Martin Jacobsen invited the mayor, who is Episcopalian, to lead the Sunday school class.

HICKENLOOPER: I want to talk about three issues that the city has been working on. I will give you the thumb-nail [fade under]

MILLER: About two hundred and fifty people heard the mayor's agenda on Palm Sunday. Reverend Jacobsen says that he would like to see churches get more involved.

MARTIN JACOBSEN: There is too much of a separation, in my mind, between the religious community and the political community. We both have a calling to work for the common good and we need to start the conversation with the political powers that be, and find those things that we can work on in common.

MILLER: After Sunday school, Chief Executive Officer Page Peary gave Mayor Hickenlooper, and his two and a half year-old son Teddy, a tour of New Genesis, a shelter for the homeless that is a part of the church. It was the mayor's first visit.

PAGE PEARY: We place six hundred men and women each year into their own homes. That's astounding.

HICKENLOOPER: That is. It is a tremendous program.

PEARY: And less than fifteen percent [fade under]

MILLER: Mayor Hickenlooper is receptive to faith communities playing a larger role in civic affairs.

HICKENLOOPER: I think that we're never going to solve problems if we just wait for government to come in and do everything for us. And faith communities so often are composed of people that really care, and that have an acceptance and a recognition that you are put on earth not just to eat food and have a job, but there's something about being human that wants to do good and wants to make the world a little better place. And faith-based communities are full of these kind of people and they're the ones that can help us get things solved.

MILLER: For Western Skies, I'm Jeannine Miller in Denver.