Our fourth Interfaith Action principle underscores the importance of our common life. Our common life guides us to promote human dignity, mutual respect, and dialogue. What are barriers to our common life today? What gets in the way of mutual respect and dialogue? How does your faith tradition influence the way you think about these questions?

In the following conversation, Seif Saqallah, Jatinder Singh, and the Rev. Dr. Sid Mohn give a brief reflection on our fourth Interfaith Action principle, followed by group discussion.

You can find our Interfaith Principles on our website: https://swmichinterfaith.org/whoweare

Music is "Night Owl" from the Directionless EP by Broke For Free, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Available at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Bro....

Each year in June, Interfaith Action hosts a panel discussion with LGBTQ individuals who are engaged with a faith community. This year’s Faith and PRIDE discussion features four openly gay male clergy serving congregations in Interfaith Action’s five-county region, along with an openly lesbian clergy person serving a Holland-based congregation. Congregational discussion groups are also encouraged to group discussions on this podcast, as well as Interfaith Action’s newly released guideline for translating a congregation’s inclusive policy commitment into practice.

You can find the following resources under the 'Resources from Common Good' tab at: swmichinterfaith.org/resources

All Are Welcome Checklist Action Steps for Becoming an LGBTQ Inclusive Faith Community

All are Welcome Affirming Faith Communities See this webpage for a list of LGBTQ Affirming Faith Communities in SW Michigan: swmichinterfaith.org/affirming-faith-communities

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Music Attribution: Night Owl" from the Directionless EP by Broke For Free, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Available at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/BrokeForFree/DirectionlessEP/BrokeForFree-DirectionlessEP-01NightOwl.

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How do our encounters with others shape our commitments to human rights and justice? In this video, the Rev. Dr. Sid Mohn, Co-Director of Interfaith Action and a long-time human rights advocate, gives a brief reflection on our third Interfaith Action principle on 'human rights and justice', followed by group discussion.

You can find our Interfaith Principles on our website: https://swmichinterfaith.org/whoweare

Music is "Night Owl" from the Directionless EP by Broke For Free, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Available at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Bro....

What does ‘tenderness’ have to do with our political life? In his encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis writes, ‘Politics too must make room for a tender love of others. What is tenderness? It is love that draws near and becomes real. A movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears and the hands...Tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women.’

Pope Francis challenges us to ask: what if tenderness was viewed as a strength in our political life, rather than a weakness?

In this episode, Bobbie Gaunt, Lead Advisor for Inclusion & Participation at Interfaith Action, gives a reflection on this topic followed by group discussion. We hope you enjoy the conversation - thanks for listening.

You can find Interfaith Action's principles on our website: https://swmichinterfaith.org/whoweare

Music is "Night Owl" from the Directionless EP by Broke For Free, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Available at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Bro....

What role do stories play in your faith tradition? How do they connect us to one another, and how do they guide our action in the world?

We discussed these questions and more in the following conversation that took place in March 2022 on our first Interfaith Action principle of storytelling. Dr. Clark Gilpin, Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School, provided a reflection on storytelling, followed by group discussion on the importance of listening to and telling our stories in a way that builds community and leads to faith based action.

We hope you enjoy the following conversation - thanks for listening.

You can find Interfaith Action's principles on our website: https://swmichinterfaith.org/whoweare

Music is "Night Owl" from the Directionless EP by Broke For Free, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Available at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/BrokeForFree/DirectionlessEP/BrokeForFree-DirectionlessEP-01NightOwl.

What is the role of faith in action? How can communities of faith, inspired by our own traditions, work together towards common goals?

This podcast was part of a monthly series exploring the Interfaith principles that guide our life and work. Our faith-based commitments around the ideals of the common good, common home, and common life will center our conversations. These monthly discussions will include a variety of panelists across faith traditions, inviting people of faith across SW Michigan (and beyond!) to a time of listening and contemplation as we consider the role of faith in action.

The first conversation of this series was facilitated Co-Director of Faith Relationships and Strategy, the Rev. Dr. Sid Mohn, who was joined by three panelists - Dr. Timothy Matovina (Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame), the Rev. Dr. Hugh Page (Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame), and the Rev. Dr. Jay Johnson (Rector at All Saints Episcopal Church in Saugatuck, MI). During this discussion, we asked our panelists to review Interfaith Action’s 10 Interfaith principles - you can find these principles in the description of this podcast or on our website: https://swmichinterfaith.org/whoweare

Music is "Night Owl" from the Directionless EP by Broke For Free, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Available at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/BrokeForFree/DirectionlessEP/BrokeForFree-DirectionlessEP-01NightOwl.

What is the role of faith in action? How can communities of faith, inspired by our own traditions, work together towards common goals?

This podcast was part of a monthly series exploring the Interfaith principles that guide our life and work. Our faith-based commitments around the ideals of the common good, common home, and common life will center our conversations. These monthly discussions will include a variety of panelists across faith traditions, inviting people of faith across SW Michigan (and beyond!) to a time of listening and contemplation as we consider the role of faith in action.

The first conversation of this series was facilitated Co-Director of Faith Relationships and Strategy, Sid Mohn, who was joined by three panelists - Dr. Mahan Mirza - the Executive Director of the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion; Rabbi Karen Companez of Temple Beth-El in South Bend; and Dr. Malinda Elizabeth Berry - Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart. During this discussion, we asked our panelists to review Interfaith Action’s 10 Interfaith principles - you can find these principles in the description of this podcast or on our website: https://swmichinterfaith.org/whoweare

Music is "Night Owl" from the Directionless EP by Broke For Free, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Available at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/BrokeForFree/DirectionlessEP/BrokeForFree-DirectionlessEP-01NightOwl.