The International Facility Management Association is pleased to announce the formation of the Religious Facilities Community, a new community of practice devoted to those who work as full-time, part-time or volunteer facility managers in their houses of worship. IFMA’s communities of practice are organized special interest groups that unite members of specific industries not represented by the association’s councils.
The new community will provide a network for religious-facility professionals of all faiths to connect with one another and share resources through webinars, roundtables, benchmarking studies and other continuing education opportunities.
“Religious facility professionals around the world will find a wealth of knowledge and opportunities for support at their fingertips in the Religious Facilities Community,” said Timothy O’Malley, CFM, CFMJ, president of The O’Malley Group and clerk of the works for the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona. “We have unique requirements ranging from facility maintenance and presentation to funerals that must be scheduled on short notice, and this community will help address our special needs.”
The new community will hold an introductory webinar focusing on religious facility preventative maintenance; stewardship; heating, ventilating and air conditioning controls; and other topics on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 3 p.m. EDT. S. Steve Lealos, CFM, senior facilities manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Great Falls, Mo., will moderate the discussion. Participation is free and open to anyone, regardless of IFMA membership.
To learn more about joining the Religious Facilities Community or to participate in the webinar, contact Kari Stein, IFMA council development specialist, at 713-623-4362 or kari.stein@ifma.org.
IFMA is the world’s largest and most widely recognized international association for professional facility managers, supporting more than 19,500 members in 60 countries. The association’s members, represented in 125 chapters and 16 councils worldwide, manage more than 37 billion square feet of property and annually purchase more than US$100 billion in products and services. Formed in 1980, IFMA certifies facility managers, conducts research, provides educational programs, recognizes facility management certificate programs and produces World Workplace, the world’s largest facility management conference and exposition. To join and follow IFMA’s social media outlets online, visit the association’s LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. For more information, visit the IFMA press room or www.ifma.org.
