Programs

Our immersive, interactive educational programs are designed to build understanding and wonderful friendships for children and adults of different faiths:

• Religious Diversity Journeys—Hundreds of local 7th graders visit local Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh congregations for interactive learning about their religious beliefs and traditions.
• Exploring our Religious Landscapes, as well as additional interfaith programs and celebrations, enable metro Detroit residents to meet neighbors and learn about their religious traditions—often through a first-time visit to a local mosque, temple, gurdwara, synagogue, or church. Topics have included prayer traditions, the music of different faiths, creation stories, and basic beliefs of specific religions.
• World Sabbath—Clergy and children of many religious traditions participate in a special annual interfaith service to teach that building a community of justice, equality, respect, and peace is a calling that we all share, regardless of our faith tradition.

The InterFaith Leadership Council believes that developing individual and organizational relationships among diverse faiths helps to create a community that respects religious freedoms for all. We facilitate this through interfaith organizing and conciliation efforts:

• One of our first efforts was the establishment of a Religious Leaders Forum that brings senior faith leaders together.
• We speak out publicly when local religious congregations and individuals experience bigotry, and extend our influence through advocacy in the news media and with elected officials and civic leaders.
• Our board members help mediate inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflicts such as controversies about the call to prayer in a diverse urban community and the construction of a mosque in a Detroit suburb.
• We take stands on public issues that have a moral basis, such as water accessibility, and join in select projects to improve community well-being.