Featured Organizational Partner

The Niagara Foundation was originally founded in Chicago in 2003 by a group of Turkish Americans who wanted to work towards abolishing the ignorance, disunion, and misunderstanding they saw in society through hosting various interfaith activities and events. As the group grew, they expanded to the greater Midwest region, including Minnesota. In 2013, Tolga Misirli became the Executive Director of the Minnesota branch.

On top of his work with the Niagara Foundation MN, Tolga is also a Chemistry and Physics professor at Metro State University. He says that he enjoys taking complex ideas and turning them into concepts that his students can understand. That is also how he approaches his work with the Niagara Foundation. Oftentimes when people want to get involved in interfaith work, they feel intimidated by the idea of trying to solve these big societal problems, or they are unsure of how to interact with people from different faith or cultural backgrounds. That is why the Niagara Foundation focuses on low-stakes opportunities for engagement.

One example of a current opportunity is the 3Faiths@OneTable project. This initiative gathers folks who are interested in developing relationships with people from different religious or cultural backgrounds. The families meet at each other’s homes over the course of three months and get to know one another over the sharing of a light meal or snack. This project has had a
successful run in the past pre-Covid with eight cohorts, and the Niagara Foundation MN is excited to start it up again.

The Niagara Foundation MN also hosts different events including dialogue iftars, book clubs, educational speakers, and their annual Abrahamic Traditions Dinner. If you are interested in learning more, you can visit their website or email Tolga.

The Light We Give: Sikh Wisdom for Cultivating Empathy and Justice
Saturday, May 6, 11:00 AM
Iverson Center for Faith, outdoor amphitheater, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul (map)

Organized and hosted by the Interfaith Fellows Program of the Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies at the University of St. Thomas and the Minnesota Multifaith Network

• Registration optional. Sign up to receive an email reminder for the event.
• This event serves as the keynote address to a day-long Multifaith Leadership Workshop on Cultivating a Culture of Encounter, Wonder, and Curiosity, which is also free and open to all. Participants who attend this lecture do not need to attend the workshop, but are welcome to.

Growing up in South Texas, Dr. Simran Jeet Singh and his brothers confronted racism daily. As a turbaned, bearded, brown-skinned Sikh, he continued to face prejudice and hate in college and beyond. Simran chose to be defined not by the negativity that often surrounded him but by the Sikh teachings of love and justice that he grew up with. Delving deep into these core tenets of Sikh wisdom, he has sought to embrace an outlook that guides us to see the good in everyone and to forge a path of positivity, connection, and service—a way of life that so many of us are seeking in today’s world.

We all say that we choose love over hate. But when tested, we realize that it’s easier said than done and that our empathy for others is not rooted deeply enough. As a turbaned and bearded Sikh man, Simran has been subjected to racism his whole life. He has been working on the frontlines of hate violence for more than a decade. And yet, he has managed to avoid falling into the toxic trap of hate and anger. In this lecture, drawing on his recent book The Light We Give, he will draw from his personal experiences and from hate incidents he has witnessed firsthand to share the wisdom he has gained on what it really takes to choose love over hate.

Simran Jeet Singh, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and the author of the national bestseller The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life (Riverhead, Penguin Random House). Simran's thought leadership on bias, empathy, and justice extends across corporate, university, and government settings. He is an Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity with Columbia University and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, a Visiting Lecturer at Union Seminary, and a Senior Advisor on Equity and Inclusion for YSC Consulting, part of Accenture.

You Do Not Walk Alone: Music and Stories of Healing and Hope
Friday, March 3, 7:30 pm 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 100 Silver Lake Rd NW, New Brighton, MN 55112
Saturday, March 4, 7:30 pm
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 9700 Nesbitt Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55437

Stranger at the Gate
Thursday, March 9, 12 pm
Minnesota Church Center, 122 W Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404

An Afghan refugee named Bibi Bahrami – and the members of her little Indiana mosque –  come face to face with a U.S. Marine who has secret plans to bomb their community center. But Mac McKinney's plan takes an unexpected turn. Directed by Joshua Seftel, 'STRANGER AT THE GATE' is a story of grace, transformation, and hope. Watch this nominated documentary before the Oscars this weekend! A group discussion may follow this 30-minute documentary. On-site free parking is available. Because food service is NOT available you are encouraged to bring a bag lunch.

This screening is a part of Minnesota Council of Churches' Empathy Film Series, an opportunity for you to gather with other servant leaders interested in boosting empathy in our society. Watch different approaches to bridge-building and learn their impact. Group discussions may be structured reflections or free-for-all conversation. MCC Respectful Conversations staff will be present for free consultation on opportunities for empathy or depolarization of conflict in your communities.

Power-Up Legal Clinic Boosts Our Neighbors' Economic Mobility
Every other Thursday, 12:30–3:00 pm (upcoming dates: March 9 & 23; April 6 & 20; May 4 & 18; June 1 & 15; July 6 & 20; August 3 & 17)
Progressive Baptist Church, 1505 Burns Ave, St Paul, MN 55106 (or call 651-222-5863 starting at 12:30 pm on clinic day)

Twice every month, Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul joins forces with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, the Twin Cities Cardozo Society, and Progressive Baptist Church to provide a legal clinic free-of-charge for community members.

Any person needing help with civil legal issues can come in person or get help over the phone. Attorneys can help with landlord issues, divorce or family law issues, debt collection, impounded car, probate, appeal of social security denials, employment or simple wills and health care directives.

Echoes of the Divine: A Dialogue Between Jewish and Christian Musical Traditions
Three different concerts and conversations at Chapel in Emmaus Hall, Saint John's University

• Thursday, March 16 - 7:30 PM
• Monday, April 3 - 7:30 PM
• Thursday, April 20 - 7:30 PM
  

One performance at Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul campus

• Tuesday, April 25 - 7:00 PM

Music can be a potent meeting place between religious cultures, both as a fertile crossroad for the musicians and as an instructive and emotionally compelling bridge for audiences to experience another culture. Echoes of the Divine features pianist Amy Grinsteiner, cellist Thomas Schönberg, and moderator David Jordan Harris in a concert of music and conversation. Among the composers whose work will be performed are J. S. Bach, Paul Ben-Haim, Ernest Bloch, Max Bruch, Nikolai Kapustin, Isabella Leonarda, Felix Mendelssohn, Arvo Pärt, and Maurice Ravel.

Learn more about the concerts at Saint John's University.
Learn more about the concert at University of St. Thomas.

Stay tuned for the next MnMN newsletter for a special interview with the directors of the Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies at the University of St. Thomas and the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning at Saint John's University!

Songs Are Seeds: An Earth Day Benefit Concert
Sunday, April 23, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
First Universalist Church of Minneapolis, 3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 or online

Please join Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light for Songs Are Seeds: An Earth Day Benefit Concert! Together we will celebrate our movement and affirm our shared commitment to the work of climate justice. Come for the sweetness of connection, the joy of good music, and the pleasure of yummy food and beverages. Meet in person at First Universalist Church in Minneapolis or join online from wherever you may be.

Schedule:

• Gather:  2:30-3:00pm
• Music and Program:  3:00-4:30pm (will be livestreamed!)
• Reception with snacks and beverages:  4:30-5:00pm

All are welcome! Invite your family, friends, comrades, colleagues, lovers, buddies, co-conspirators, and movement makers. We enthusiastically encouraged you to bring children and babies.

Featuring music by singer-songwriter and beloved community bard, MJ Gilbert; a performance by Wild Voice Chorus; a special welcome from Jim Bear Jacobs (Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation); and other surprise guests!

Tickets/RSVP: Tickets are available at a sliding scale from $18-$108 per person. Your financial gift directly supports MNIPL’s climate justice work, so please choose a ticket level that is meaningful, generous, and accessible. If you would like to attend and are not able to purchase a ticket, please email liz@mnipl.org to be added to the guest list.

Job Postings

• Interfaith Action seeks Volunteer Coordinator! If you are a person who wants to make a difference by recruiting and engaging individual volunteers and volunteer groups to build economic stability and mobility in our community, check out this job posting.

• The Collegeville Institute is hiring an Executive Assistant and a Program and Communications Assistant! Please check out the job postings for more information and to apply.

Resources & News

• Read the blog Healing Minnesota Stories for updates on the movement to resist the demolition of the Roof Depot warehouse in East Phillips.
• Watch a recording of Institute for Social Policy and Understanding's Fireside Chat with Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad and Erum Ikramullah, who discussed their soon-to-be published research exploring interfaith dynamics within Black/African American communities.
• Learn more about the restoration of Native American life and culture from Native Hope, an organization that dismantles barriers through storytelling.
• Watch a virtual roundtable on the threat of Christian nationalism, featuring Kristin Du Mez, Jemar Tisby, and Robert P. Jones. More than half of Republicans support Christian nationalism, according to a new survey.
• You are invited to take part in Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality's community art project! The completed piece will be on display at our Summer Celebration in June.
• Watch a webinar on the beauty and importance of music in dialogue, featuring 25 participants from 14 countries, in honor of UN World Interfaith Harmony Week.
• Read about how this Minneapolis pastor uses his church sign to spread joy — part dad joke, part holy missive.
• Follow this link from Interfaith America to read the article "Black and Interfaith: A Family Finds God Through Love and Intersectionality" and watch a performance of the poem “I grew up in a home of Allahuakbars and Amens.”