Permanent link for Building Communities of Belonging Across the State of Michigan on March 5, 2024

In late February, the Kaufman Interfaith Institute brought together 27 leaders representing 18 different interfaith initiatives and organizations from across the state of Michigan for a convening at our beautiful office in downtown Grand Rapids. This small gathering of Interfaith leaders was a fruitful time of listening, learning, and storytelling within the frame of pursuing anti-racism and communities of belonging.

We delighted in the opportunity to build new connections and relationships with each other and between our respective organizations. While each of our organizations are unique to the communities in which we operate and the missions we seek to advance, we were able to share and learn about the work that each of us is engaged in to bridge divides, address disparities, and work towards individual or community transformation.

Our purpose for this convening was to examine and determine where we are going in the context of where we have been as it relates to inclusion. Together, we explored how we orient around concepts like belonging and connection both in the context of community and as they relate to our ancestral roots. Historical and contemporary barriers have alienated and excluded predominantly BIPOC spiritualities from Interfaith space. Through a workshop led by Dr. Khadijah Matin, of One Spirit Learning Alliance, we began to examine the interfaith movement and our own individual biases through the lens of cultural humility, uncovering the internal work necessary to shift the interfaith movement towards anti-racism.

Over the course of our time together, we explored the connection we have to both generations of the past and generations of the future, we leaned into the messiness around labels, generalizations, and stereotypes, we held space for listening and laughter as we shared about our respective work and journeys, and we mapped out what resources exist or need to be developed to support this work going forward.  

We are so grateful to all of the organizations and individuals who responded to our invitation, to Rev. Holly Makimaa for facilitating our time together, to Dr. Khadijah Matin for her wisdom and engaging workshop on cultural humility, and to the Fetzer Institute for underwriting this collaborative effort! For those who don’t know, the Fetzer Institute helps to build the spiritual foundation for a loving world. They aim to inspire and serve a global movement that transforms the world into a more loving home for all. 

Participating Orgs:

• Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services
• Baha’i Community of Grand Rapids
• Fetzer Institute
• Holy Spirit Episcopal Church
• Interfaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit
• Interfaith Photovoice
• Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County
• International Campus Ministry at Western Michigan University
• Kaufman Interfaith Institute
• Mars Hill Bible Church
• Michigan Interfaith Power & Light
• My Oasis Center
• Momentum Center/Extended Grace
• Northern Michigan Interfaith Common Grounds
• One Spirit Learning Alliance
• Reformed Church in America – Interreligious Relations
• United Campus Christian Fellowship
• University of Michigan

We are excited to see where these new relationships might lead, to share out the research and learning from this gathering, and to continue the conversation at our April Convening: Exploring Language for Pluralism and Human Flourishing. Stay tuned!

Posted by Kyle Kooyers on Permanent link for Building Communities of Belonging Across the State of Michigan on March 5, 2024.