By Ken Gewertz

Gazette Staff

A host of talented performers will converge on Harvard Sept. 15 for a fundraiser to help rebuild seven fire-destroyed churches in Tennessee and northern Mississippi.

The event, called "Faith Under Fire: A Benefit for Southern Churches Victimized by Fire," is sponsored by the Interreligious Committee of Concern, an alliance of diverse religious faiths organized last June in response to the upsurge in church burnings. The event is cosponsored by Harvard's Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs.

According to the Rev. Jeffrey L. Brown, the Committee's chairman, the group first came together in June at the suggestion of Cardinal Bernard Law. The Committee's original aim was to raise $10,000 to help the churches get started with their rebuilding efforts, but since then, the fundraising campaign has far exceeded its goal.

"The response has just been tremendous," Brown said. "We've gotten donations from individuals and organizations all across New England. Folks have been so gracious and willing to help. When sacred space is destroyed, it's the kind of thing that strikes a chord in everyone."

At this point, the Committee has raised $245,000 and intends to continue its fundraising efforts until Oct. 31. Brown estimates it will take about $100,000 apiece to rebuild the seven churches, which had little or no insurance coverage.

The Committee includes representatives from the Ten Point Coalition, the Black Ministerial Alliance of Boston, the Archdiocese of Boston, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston.

In addition to restoring the church buildings, Brown believes that the effort is important because of the message it sends.

"Martin Luther King made the statement that 'we're all tied together in a single garment of destiny,' " Brown said. "And I believe that if we don't all stand up to the mean-spiritedness and intolerance of these attacks, they'll be coming after us next time."

The idea for "Faith Under Fire" originated with its featured performer, Jimmy Tingle, a Boston-based stand-up comic noted for his social and political satire. Tingle, who is Catholic, said that he was challenged to do something about the church burnings by a sermon delivered in his own house of worship.

"The priest was talking about how he'd seen Quakers and Mennonites and Jewish groups responding to the burnings, and then he said, 'Where are the Catholics?' That made me think, 'Hey, what am I doing?' That's why I go to church, to be challenged to live a better life outside."

Tingle, whose critically acclaimed one-man show Uncommon Sense played 20 weeks at the Hasty Pudding Theater last year and is now available on CD, said that it was very important for people to come together to show support for the communities whose churches have been destroyed.

"When some group in society is under attack, it's not just that group's problem, it's everybody's problem," he said.

In addition to Tingle, "Faith Under Fire" will feature an impressive roster of performers, including:

* Don White, singer/songwriter whose debut album, Don White at the Somerville Theatre, blends humor and music and has earned him a reputation in the folk music world as well as in the comedy circuit. White has played at New York's Lincoln Center and at major colleges and festivals across the country.

* Patricia Smith, award-winning newspaper columnist and four-time national poetry slam champion. The author of three books of poetry, including Life According to Motown, she wrote and starred in the play Life After Motown, which ran for eight weeks at the Boston University Playwright's Theatre.

* The New Temple Singers, gospel choir of St. Paul's African Methodist Episcopal Church.

"Faith Under Fire" will take place on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Sanders Theatre. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for seniors and students with ID. For ticket information, please call 496-2222.