The Guibord Center works to build understanding among people of all spiritual beliefs and backgrounds. Many of us may hold conscious or unconscious stereotypes or views about those different than ourselves. We learn these from our families, peers, those around us and the media.
The Center challenges these assumptions and opens hearts and minds by bringing people of different beliefs and cultures together 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.
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.
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. 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.