Saline’s Building Bridges community group, co-founded by Pastor Kimberly Secrist Ashby and Councilmember Nicole Rice, brings people together to celebrate diverse perspectives through engaging local events.

Photo: Co-owner of Whitepine Studios, Kaili Dence, and lead instructor and designer, Hollyann Stewart, present the Unite art piece at Whitepine Studios. Photo by Krista Kangas.

Pastor Kimberly Secrist Ashby of First Presbyterian Church of Saline has been a Presbyterian pastor for over 24 years, working in several states before coming to Michigan. With one daughter at Saline High school and another in college, she has gotten to know the Saline community well.

Driven by a deep love for creativity and community, Pastor Ashby, alongside Saline Councilmember Nicole Rice, co-founded Building Bridges, a community organization with a singular mission: to unite people, regardless of belief, culture, or background. In a time when division is increasingly evident, both locally in Saline and nationally, Building Bridges seeks to bring about understanding and compassion.

“Things will pop up, locally, further away, on a regular basis of divisions and hurt and pain and I just think it’s taking us in a direction that is long-term harmful for us,” Ashby said. “We want to come together, not to divide. We want to build bridges, not destroy them.”

Earlier this year, the organization hosted a rally entitled, Building Bridges to a Brighter Tomorrow, aimed at creating a space for positive communication and unity. The event, which was organized in less than 48 hours, took place on September 19 at Henne Field. The rally was a success, with attendees participating in readings, moments of silence, shared stories, and songs.

“As we debriefed we realized the most powerful time for us was when people were sharing stories in response to a prompt, and how wonderful it was to stand in our groups and listen to everybody sharing from their different perspectives and learn from each other. So we wanted to continue in a direction that would take what was so helpful and make it bigger,” Ashby said.

Building Bridges aims to host regular community events every 4–6 weeks on Sundays at 3 p.m. Each event will take place at a different location and feature a creative activity. Local restaurants are also invited to partner with the organization, providing meals for at least one event each time.

Ashby and Rice also collaborate closely with Mary Dettling of Saline Main Street, who helps ensure that event hosts are reimbursed for materials, and local restaurants are compensated for providing food. The three women met through the Saline Leadership Institute and quickly realized their shared vision for the community.

“Which of us hasn’t adopted a cultural tradition that probably came from somewhere else?” Ashby asked. “We thought about the concept of taking the storytelling but sitting it in the midst of a different cultural experience each time, and that’s how the new events were born.”

The first event will be held at Whitepine Studios on November 17, is entitled Building Bridges Through Art. Attendees will not only paint a design, but are encouraged to bring in a picture of a favorite piece of art to share with the group that will invite conversion as stories are shared.

“What is this piece of art that you love? Why do you love it? Why is it important to you? What is its story in your life? And it allows everybody to share their own connections,” said Ashby.

The second event, Building Bridges Through Holiday Traditions, will take place at The 109 Cultural Exchange on Dec 29, with a focus on sharing holiday traditions. Attendees may bring in an object if they so wish as well.

The third meeting, Building Bridges Through Poetry, will be at Fine Print Bookshop and will focus on poetry, on February 2nd.

            After these events, Building Bridges will regroup and begin planning additional gatherings.

For more information on Building Bridges, visit: https://buildingbridgessalinemi.org/.