Cultural and Interfaith Story Connections:
An Invitation
Stories bring people together and help forge lasting relationships, connecting us heart-to heart, and helping us value each other as unique individuals.
Are you a storyteller looking to reach interfaith communities? Are you part of an interfaith group or looking to connect with interfaith organizations? Does your work touch members of various faith traditions?
For decades, we at the Interfaith Story Circle (of Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY) and the Dutchess County Interfaith Council Story Circle (Dutchess County, NY) have gathered people in monthly story circles to share stories from their various faith traditions and personal lives. During the pandemic both our groups held story circles through Zoom to uplift people’s spirits and stay connected. On several occasions we combined forces and held joint story circles. There were times when we hosted guest tellers or circle participants from other states and even continents.
We realize that connecting through Zoom offers us an amazing opportunity to reach beyond our local communities and create an online network of people building cultural and spiritual bridges through the power of story.
We are partnering with the Dutchess County Interfaith Council Story Circle (Dutchess County, NY), and with ASST (Artists Standing Strong Together) and are seeking other organizations and individuals who wish to join us in creating such a network built on the power of story.
*If you would like to hear more about our ideas and share yours, please join us for a conversation on Monday, January 23, 2023, time to be determined.
Founder of Interfaith Story Circle (Capital Region of NY)
Co-Founder of Children at the Well Youth Storytellers
Current Co-Chair of IFSC, a program of With Our Voice
Interfaith Story Circle: Network Vision Statement
The Interfaith Story Circle (of Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY) was founded in 1993 to gather people of all spiritual and faith paths to share stories from our traditions and personal lives in order to:
- Rejoice in the richness of our diversity.
- Break down the barriers that divide us.
- Recognize what we have in common.
- Work together for peace and understanding.
We believe in the moral, spiritual, and healing power of story to create a more vibrant, interconnected and peaceful world. The heart-to-heart process of storytelling and story listening fosters an appreciation for the commonality of the human experience and builds community.
For nearly thirty years, volunteers have organized ten story circle events a year, hosted in a variety of sacred and cultural spaces in New York State’s Capital Region. With the changes wrought by the Covid pandemic, organizers shifted to bi-monthly circles by Zoom and discovered the flexibility to host guest storytellers and listeners from across the country and even from other continents.
We believe our approach, methods and results can be attractive and helpful to other communities and know we can learn from others as well. Our vision includes sharing with like-minded individuals and groups, assisting new contacts who wish to begin an interfaith story circle, and creating a network of organizations to provide mutual support. We envision a network of people using story to build spiritual and cultural bridges that honor and respect all facets of identity.
We are partnering with the Dutchess County Interfaith Council Story Circle (Dutchess County, NY), and with ASST (Artists Standing Strong Together).
We’re seeking other organizations and individuals who wish to join us in creating such a network built on the power of story.