About Us

The formation of the Nauset Interfaith Association took place in the autumn of 2008 and early 2009 out of a preexisting clergy group which had been formed in response to the tragic event of 9-11-2001.

The inspiration for the birth of NIA originated at an annual breakfast honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King on the 3rd Monday in January in the Parish Hall of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Orleans. ( a national holiday) The organizers of what came to be an annual breakfast honoring Dr. King were, the Rev. Sally Norris of the Federated Church of Orleans, The Rev. Wesley Williams of the Orleans United Methodist Church and The Rev. Ken Campbell of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans. Encouragement and support for this also came from Dr. Gene Saklad, from the Am HaYam Havurah, the Jewish fellowship on the lower and outer Cape.

One of the first actions of the as yet not formally organized NIA was to encourage Fr. Ken Campbell to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama on the 20th of January 2009 where he met and talked with the actor and activist, Denzel Washington while they stood in an area very close to the actual inauguration. (They were in the press area, thanks to Ken’s son Matthew who is a professional photojournalist and was able to bring them into the press area near the president-elect.)

The first official NIA event was a breakfast in honor Dr. King at the Church of the Holy Spirit Parish Hall on the 18th of January 2010.  It was a terrific success with almost 100 people in attendance. Five years later in 2016 NIA secured federal recognition as a 501c3 non-profit organization.

From the beginning, the members of NIA hoped, worked and prayed for social justice, and to help to create true peace ( salaam/shalom) here on Cape Cod and beyond. We see this as a witness to the teachings and martyrdom of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. This hope and commitment is expressed in the final sentence of our mission statement: ” to work together for the common good of our wider community, especially with the poor, oppressed and marginalized.”

Read the beautiful tribute to Reverend Ken Campbell by his fellow MLK Action Team founders, Rev. Sally Norris and Rev. Wesley Williams at the 2026 MLk Breakfast here: https://nausetinterfaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Tribute-to-Ken-MLK-Breakfast-Jan-19-2026.pdf .

In June, 2025, NIA created the Rev. Father Ken Campbell Scholarship for Peace and Social Justice.  The award shall go to a student graduating from high school who resides in one of the towns in which NIA is active, including Harwich, Brewster, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown. The student has plans to continue education in some institution of learning and shall have demonstrated a commitment to the ideals of this scholarship through active involvement in organized or individual programs or projects in school or beyond. This shall have made a positive difference in relationships and also brought about growth within the student. 

NIA turned 15 years old in January 2025