THE INTERFAITH PEACE PROJECT
Andrea Goodman, President of the Board
We of The Interfaith Peace Project are guided by an ethic: “There will be no world peace without religious peace and there will be no religious peace until people of diverse faith, culture and philosophy meet, engage and respect each other.” Here’s how we do it.
We of The Interfaith Peace Project are women and men who encourage and stand by those who are broken and yearn for dignity and self-respect. We do this by serving food in our O Street Project, through spiritual direction and pastoral counseling at home and in hospitals and in prisons, and by welcoming everyone into our doors at the Interfaith Peace Project Center here in Antioch.
We of The Interfaith Peace Project are a beacon of hope in a world of conflict and division. We boldly and tenderly shine a light on unconscious stereotypes in our Interfaith Connections meetings of one or more. We offer Dialogues with Interfaith Leaders and Sacred Visits to various faith traditions, each offering a new language in which to dialogue with people we once misunderstood or feared or cursed. Since 2006, we celebrate the International Day of Peace each September 21st and we plant peace poles, inscribed with, “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”
We of The Interfaith Peace Project offer a place of refuge to many who cry out for a spiritual home, a safe haven in which to listen to their own hearts and be treated with dignity. We offer a sacred space to study because we recognize that the religious traditions of any particular community are part of the collective wisdom of the worldwide human community. Our Center has over 4,000 books with artifacts from most of the world’s religions. We would love to welcome you to our Center to reflect or study in this sacred space.
We of The Interfaith Peace Project provide ways to interpret the negativity of conflict, war, division. We are willing to have our hearts break for the sake of peace, and then sound the trumpet for sober reflection in our conversations, in all of our printed and electronic materials, and in our actions of social justice.
The Interfaith Peace Project is international through classes and meetings in other countries. We have also been graced with the opportunity to teach and host people from other countries.
On March 8, 2015, The Interfaith Peace Project celebrated our inaugural UN’s International Women’s Day that included bold and sensitive interpretations of women’s voice. Consider which women in your life have inspired you and challenged you to reach higher and deeper in yourself?
The Interfaith Peace Project has changed lives. One woman reported, “The Interfaith Peace Project has become my lifeline physically, spiritually and psychically. I have uncovered and now work on claiming and honoring the fullness of me.”
The Interfaith Peace Project has been a nonprofit since 2007 and we offer our ministries at no cost. We are supported by an inspiring Executive Director, Board of Directors and Advisory Board. In addition, many generous volunteers share their talents with us.
We have a mantra: “Do we want our Work to be a part of The Interfaith Peace Project and do we want The Interfaith Peace Project to be part of our Work?” Many have exclaimed, “Yes!” Not for ourselves only, but for the benefit of all women, for all men, for all children, for all humanity.
May peace prevail in our hearts. May we be blessed.
(Delivered at the International Women’s Day Celebration, March 8, 2015, at El Campanil Theater, Antioch, California)
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