Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos

Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos

Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos is Associate General Secretary at the National Council of Churches USA, where, as director of both Faith & Order and Interreligious Relations & Collaboration, he is responsible for theological dialogue among both ecumenical and interfaith partners.  This includes intra-Christian dialogue, as well as Jewish-Christian, Muslim-Christian, Buddhist-Christian, Hindu-Christian, and Sikh-Christian dialogue.  An Orthodox Christian theologian, he previously directed, and continues to contribute to, the Council’s work in international affairs and its advocacy on US foreign policy issues.   

Formerly, Dr. Kireopoulos was the Executive Director of Religions for Peace – USA, where he promoted interfaith collaboration to address common domestic social concerns.  Before that he was Special Assistant to the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, in the area of external affairs, and Assistant to the Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America, in communications.  

Among his affiliations, Dr. Kireopoulos is on the executive committee of Shoulder-to-Shoulder, an organization dedicated to fighting Islamophobia in the US, and Churches for Middle East Peace. He has served as chair of United to End Genocide and as a founding board member of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.   He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and its Religious Advisory Committee, as well as a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Orthodox Theological Society in America.  He serves as a member of The Advisory Council of The Guibord Center founded by The Late Rev. Dr. Gwynne M. Guibord for whom one of the  NCCC’s highest honors – The Gwynne Guibord Award for Excellence in Interreligious Leadership – is given annually. 

Dr. Kireopoulos has particular expertise in the areas of religious freedom and genocide. 

The Guibord Center under the late Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord and now under the current president, Dr. Lo Sprague, is a co-convener with Dr. Kireopoulos of NCCC for both The Buddhist – Christian Dialogue and The Hindu-Christian Dialogue.  

Speaker: Take Heart Now Series

Rev. Dr. Tanya Sadagopan: Take Heart Now

Rev. Dr. Tanya Sadagopan: Take Heart Now

This conversation in our Take Heart Now series features Rev. Dr. Tanya Sadagopan, an ordained United Church of Christ minister currently serving in Concord, New Hampshire. Her commitments include inclusive ministries that focus on Open & Affirming covenants, Immigrant Welcoming initiatives, and Racial Justice seeking programs.

Celina Alvarez: Take Heart Now

Celina Alvarez: Take Heart Now

This dialogue in our Take Heart Now series showcases Celina Alvarez, the Executive Director of Housing Works, a true leader among Los Angeles’ most pioneering and effective providers of homeless services.

At the Guibord Center, we take immense pride in our partnership with Housing Works, highlighting the recognition of the spiritual dignity that exists within everyone involved in this essential work. In a powerful demonstration of our shared commitment to compassion, Housing Works has wholeheartedly embraced our Take Heart Project, distributing hundreds of exquisitely carved hearts to individuals within their programs, reinforcing our united mission of support and empathy.

Celina Alvarez

Celina Alvarez

Celina Alvarez is Executive Director of Housing Works, recognized as one of Los Angeles’ most innovative and effective homeless services providers. Ms. Alvarez has been involved with Housing Works since 2008 as part of the nationally recognized Mobile Integrated Services Team (MIST).  She was mentored by Mollie Lowery, the pioneer of permanent supportive housing in Los Angeles County. Ms. Alvarez holds a Masters degree in Nonprofit Management from Antioch University and a Bachelors in Social Work from California State University Los Angeles. Prior to being tapped for leadership, she worked as a frontline homeless services worker on Skid Row.

Under Celina’s leadership, Housing Works has tripled its staff and budget along with increasing the number of people it serves by scaling services in partnership with multiple affordable housing developers, public agencies and healthcare systems. She is actively advancing Housing Works’ priorities on food justice, living wages for frontline workers, telling the stories of participants and workers, and decolonizing the workplace to create a safe space for workers and participants who are largely people of color. 

Well known as an activist, innovator, and thought leader, Celina has served as an expert content advisor for Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunity, UC Berkeley’s California Policy Lab, CSH’s Social Innovation Fund Conference, as well as KCET and KPFK public radio stations. She continues to push numerous systems to improve their response to the homelessness crisis grounded in the lived experience of those living on the streets and those working most closely with them.

One effort Alvarez is particularly proud of is having partnered with Santa Monica City College to roll out a frontline worker job training program into a college curriculum aimed at developing the homeless services workforce. Two years ago, Alvarez received one of just fifteen CSH National Barrier Breaker Awards. 

Speaker: Take Heart Now Series

Rev. Louis Chase: Take Heart Now Series

Rev. Louis Chase: Take Heart Now Series

The next conversation in The Guibord Center’s online series, Take Heart Now: Spiritual Tools for Centering and Compassion features a discussion with the Rev. Louis A. Chase. retired United Methodist clergyperson who worked alongside the late civil rights leader and strategist Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. He currently serves as Minister of Community Outreach at Holman United Methodist Church, Los Angeles.

Rev. Chase, a graduate of Claremont School of Theology, has dedicated his life to justice and reconciliation, serving in roles such as Chair of Peace with Justice Ministries, Vice-Chair of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (LA), and a founding member of Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP). On the eve of the Presidential Debate, he shared his reflections on loving one another even in times of conflict and turmoil, offering a much-needed perspective.

His experiences opposing violence in Latin America and advocating for social justice continue to inspire.