The Guibord Center’s Response to the Recent Murders
In Buffalo and Laguna Woods
The Guibord Center joins with people throughout this land
in grieving the recent murders of our fellow Americans
here in their own communities.
We embrace the agony of losing their loved ones
and pledge to honor their memory.
We say to those|
who feed angry and troubled souls
the poison of resentment
in the service of anarchy and terror:
“Hatred brings only death; it cannot bring Life.”
We are each and every one of us
connected to something greater than ourselves.
The Web of Life.
True power comes in choosing
to love one another
– even now –
to honor the Sacred in the Other
to work for the good of all
even in the face of such calculated cruelty and death.
Our hearts ache for those taken too soon,
and for those who remain shattered.
The work of healing is the hardest work of all.
We each do it alone
and
we do it together.
– Dr. Lois M. Sprague, Ph.D., President
The Guibord Center – Religion Inside Out
The Guibord Center – Religion Inside Out is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds understanding among people of all spiritual traditions. Many of us may hold conscious or unconscious beliefs about people different than ourselves. We learn these views from those around us – our families, our peers, and the media.
The Center works to challenge such assumptions and open hearts and minds. We bring together people of different beliefs and cultures to learn firsthand about one another’s core values, beliefs and practices in a safe environment. Through personal stories and experiences we find areas of common values that enable us to build relationships with those we once considered “other.” In the process, we learn more about ourselves and deepen our own spiritual beliefs.
Religion is often blamed for being part of the problem and not the solution. But we believe living out the true values at the heart of faith traditions – compassion, respect, understanding, and promoting the well-being of Creation – is key in bringing reconciliation, justice, access and opportunity for all.
The Guibord Center’s interfaith initiatives focus on areas that we believe are vital in working toward a better world. Recent events including Covid-19 and violence against Black, Asian and other communities have brought longstanding issues of racism, inequity and injustice into sharp focus.
Our current initiatives are:
A faith tradition or religion is a set of spiritual beliefs, practices and rituals that give meaning to the lives of followers. The Guibord Center promotes interfaith understanding through partnering with faith communities that are an important part of our larger society. We currently work with the Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Indigenous Spirituality, Islamic, Jewish, Pagan, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities.
Interfaith work at The Guibord Center focuses on building relationships with one another in order to develop a level of trust and deeper understanding of our shared spiritual values. When we talk about “Religion Inside Out” we mean “religion below the surface” from a personal perspective of those who practice their faith every day. As a result, we get to the heart of faith as we hear stories from those who draw inspiration from their values in their daily lives.
Since our inaugural event in 2011, The Guibord Center has presented more than 100 free public programs. These programs have included interfaith community events and concerts; lectures on individual faith traditions; small, informal gatherings; and online presentations. We offer these events as safe, welcoming spaces for all to experience the different views and traditions of our neighbors. Many of these events have been filmed and are available in our video gallery.