The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing

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Founder and President Emeritus of URI; Former Episcopal Bishop of California

William E. Swing is the Founder and President Emeritus of the United Religions Initiative. Bishop Swing had the original vision of URI in 1993 in response to an invitation from the United Nations, which asked him to host an interfaith service honoring the 50th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. Bishop Swing, along with 50 others, shaped the URI purpose (to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings). URI is currently the largest interfaith grassroot organization.

Bishop Swing Bishop Swing served as the 7th Episcopal Bishop of California from 1980 until his retirement in 2006. In that capacity, he was a national and international leader in response to the AIDS crisis, co-founded Episcopal Community Services to address San Francisco’s homeless problem, and co-founded Community Bank of the Bay to support local businesses and the economy.

He is married to Mary Taylor Swing and has two children and three grandchildren.

Books by Bishop Swing: A Bishop's Quest: Founding a United Religions and The Sacred and the Silly: A Bishop's Playful and Eventful Life. Both books are available on Amazon.com; the proceeds of book sales will benefit URI.

URI Stories of Impact

"My House shall be a House of Prayer for all People"

The following is a sermon given by the Rt. Rev. William E. Swing on July 28th, 2013, at St. Andrew’s Dune Church in Southampton, New York.

Isaiah   56: 3 – 8
Mark  11: 15 - 19

Jesus did not make up these words:  "My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all people."  Those words were written about 500 years before He was born.   Jesus didn't make up those words, but he thought about them....a lot. And he added a few words of his own.  And he did something dramatic to make those words come alive in the great temple in Jerusalem.

Why Sustainability Matters

The tenth item in URI’s list of principles – “We act from sound ecological practices to protect and preserve the Earth for both present and future generations” – might seem a little peculiar to someone who thinks of URI primarily as an interfaith organization devoted to peace.