There’s Learning and Then There’s the Intimate: A Reflection on The Greater Houston Amazing Faiths Project, By Lauren Santerre

Posted on April 22nd, 2009 | Filed under Best Practices/Non-Profit

Perhaps you were reared in a religious family like me. My particular brand of religion was Christianity, more specifically Methodism. My story of faith started before I was born. My mother told God that if she had a baby boy she would dedicate him to the service of the Lord (I think in her mind that meant he would become a pastor), and well, I popped out…a fiery, red-headed baby girl. Somehow, however, I don’t think that God really minded.

I was destined from the beginning to be a person of faith. Even when I was very young, I remember feeling at home on the red velvet steps that led up to the altar in our small town Methodist Church. I was the one child who wasn’t fidgeting on the steps, but instead clinging to every word the pastor spoke during the children’s sermon. I absorbed those Bible lessons, my young mind and soul highly impressionable. Our youth is a very formative time indeed. 

Faith is about many things including wisdom, religious practices, community celebrations, rites of passage and much more. The core of faith, however, is about connection, relationship and intimacy. People of faith seek to be connected to a higher power, to others, and to the innermost parts of themselves. The Amazing Faiths Project, like faith, is comprised of many elements. The project brings people of all faiths and no faith together to create open dialogue and opportunities for new friendships. The cornerstone event of the project is the Dinner Dialogue, which takes place at various times of the year in cities across the United States. The project began in January of 2007 as a joint project of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston and The Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Since its inception, The Amazing Faiths Project has expanded to a total of ten cities around the United States with approximately 1,500 participants – and we are still growing! A unique feature of the project is its ability to foster deeply personal exchanges among people of various faith traditions. The young girl who sat on those red velvet steps has the chance to meet the young man who began bowing in prayer to Allah before he could ride a bike. 

It is one thing to attend a lecture on Hinduism, Islam or any of the major world religions. It is one thing to attend a religious service of a different faith tradition from one’s own or visit a religious place of pilgrimage. All of these are helpful and contribute to greater religious appreciation among people of faith. But it is quite another thing to sign up to participate in the cornerstone program of The Amazing Faiths Project—the Dinner Dialogue. 

The Dinner Dialogues are held in homes of open-minded individuals (or couples). They open their homes and lives for a meal and discussion about faith with about ten people from various traditions. The individuals who meet in a home have likely never met each other and yet commit to spending three hours in a guided interfaith dialogue. Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Agnostics and many others come together in a private home to talk about religion. Religion and politics, aren’t those the topics to be avoided at a dinner party? Well not according to the Amazing Faiths Project. The evening is not an academic exercise. There isn’t a test at the end of the dinner. It is an exercise of the heart. 

The evening begins with a moderated discussion. During this part of the dinner, participants select a prewritten question from a deck of cards, which asks him or her to reflect on their own faith and spirituality. Each person selects one card and answers as the other participants listen. This process continues around the table or group as each participant selects a card. There is a trained moderator present to help maintain a safe and respectful environment for the dinner guests. Each person answers at least one question while the participants share a meal together. There is a debriefing portion, a small break for dessert and then time for open discussion to conclude the evening. 

Many of the people who participate in these dinners have never met a Buddhist, Sikh, Jew, or someone outside of their own faith tradition in such an intimate setting – if at all. Faith is about our intimate relationship with God, other people, and ourselves. If we never meet someone of a different faith, how can we assume we know how God feels about them? If we do not have relationships with those different from ourselves, then our ignorance can endanger society by allowing us to deny others the status of ‘children of God.’ The beauty of the Amazing Faiths Project and the Dinner Dialogues is that these evenings bring us face to face with the “other” in an environment that promotes peace and understanding. 

When we share a meal with people who differ from us in their beliefs, we encounter other faith traditions in a way that may teach us more than we could have ever learned by reading a book or attending a lecture. When we break bread with others there is a unique communion that is brought about. When we invite others to come and join us for a meal and be surrounded by our family pictures, introduced to our pets, and observant of whatever we hold dear in our homes, we make ourselves vulnerable and ask others to do the same. Such vulnerability in communion breaks down barriers almost instantly and is perhaps the central reason that the Amazing Faiths Dinners are so powerful. 

Having been a part of the Dinner Dialogue experience, first as a participant and now as a staff member, there are many reactions that participants report. Some recognize that there are more differences than they imagined between the world’s religious traditions. Many more encounter the common values that people of all faiths share. Some people even come away with new friends. Regardless of each individual outcome, the Dinner Dialogues foster an intimate experience among people of varied faith traditions that is unlike any I have encountered before. 

Imagine if every person in America were to attend an Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogue, even just once. What if we actually started building relationships with people of other faiths by sharing a meal and getting to know one another? How could we change our communities, our cities, our nation, and ultimately our world? This is why The Amazing Faiths Project Dinner Dialogues are so important and valuable. The Dinners provide a safe venue to begin relationships with people of other faith traditions. If you have ever wondered about what a Hindu, a Christian, or a Jewish person believes and why, you should attend a dinner. Be prepared though. It is personal and it might even be challenging.  But I promise you that it will be worth your time.

Enjoy some quotes from past participants:

“Last evening was one of the most nourishing experiences of my life.  Not only was it great fun getting to know new friends, but our listening confirmed, once again, the many commonalities shared within our beautiful mixed bouquet of humanity.  How blessed we are to have taken part in an event that helps to heal the world's wounds!" -- Diane Trees-Clay

“I would like to thank everyone for opening up your spiritual minds and hearts in sharing your faith. As I mentioned, I didn't know what to expect, but I'm so glad I attended. It was such a powerful experience knowing that, although we have different religious back rounds our spiritual hearts are the same.” -- Charlene French

“Endeavors like this are truly needed all the time in general and in present time in particular. Such meetings will not only bring all of us closer to each other but also closer to our Creator. After all we all are fruits of a single seed and do have natural bond of humanity.” --Shahnaz & Dilawar Ajani

Visit our website, www.amazingfaithsproject.org. If your city has not yet become a partner of The Amazing Faiths Project maybe you can start the process…

Lauren Santerre is the Interfaith Relations Manager at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston. She provides daily management of Greater Houston Area Amazing Faiths Project. Lauren earned her B.A. in Religion from The Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO. She has recently completed her M.A. in Urban Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston, MA. She is passionate about Interfaith Dialogue, Women in Ministry, and Social Justice.