FAITH COMMUNITIES
Deeply held spiritual beliefs. Different interpretations of religious works. A tightly knit community united by beliefs. Committee meetings. The need for difficult conversations about leadership, worship services, budgets, and more. Many people practice a religion that has been part of their family's identity for generations, and that shapes both their morality and culture. Differing viewpoints on religion, spirituality, and the nature of deity have been at the heart of family chasms, community disputes, and multi-generational wars.
The deep intertwining of identity, belief, and religion make this a natural area of practice for the Public Conversations Project:
- Convening dialogues for intra- or inter-faith groups, such as within Jewish communities or between Jewish and Muslim groups
- Faciltating dialogues on divisive religious issues, such as homosexuality and faith
- Consulting with congregations to create inclusive environments and prevent or manage conflict
- Introducing dialogue as a spiritual activity, and training dialogue ministry teams
- Training congregational leaders in meeting design and faciltation skills
The Public Conversations Project has worked with the following groups in the religious/faith arena:
Intra-Jewish:
Hebrew College
Encounter Guide
Workmen's Circle
Jewish-Muslim:
Temple/Mosque Dialogues
Interfaith Work:
Cape Ann Interfaith Alliance
Islam Project
Lexington Interfaith Clergy Association
Weston Wayland Interfaith Action Group
Faith Quilts Project
Jewish/Episcopal dialogues
Christian:
Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Glendale United Presbyterian Church, Glendale, CA
American Association for Pastoral Counseling Conference
Episcopal House of Bishops
Anglican Communion
Gordon College, Wenham, MA
Trinity by the Cove, Naples, FL
Episcopal Diocese, Pennsylvania
Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge