IRD Activities

• Chicago Interfaith Gathering

  As the world celebrates U.N. World Interfaith Harmony Week in February, Niagara Foundation gathers top religious thinkers, faith community leaders, and interfaith advocates to look at the broad, diverse future of the interfaith movement and address the promises and challenges it holds

• Abraham's Tent

  This initiative aims to provide space for people of differing religious and cultural traditions to get-to-know one another in the cosy intimacy of each other's homes. Abraham's Tent seeks to build community through interreligious sharing between members of the many faiths. With the kitchen and living room as the place of encounter, Abraham's Tent meals connect people within their local community and facilitate one-to-one relationship building

• Friends' in Faith

  Friends in Faith events are intimate roundtable discussions with local and global faith leaders. The goal is for experts in Chicago to meet with Niagara Foundation staff and their friends to share their expertise. These small, roundtable fathers are productive interactions established through dialogue on topics of religious and culture relevance

• Ramadan Experiences

  Ramadan Experiences aims to cultivate inter-religious cooperation during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. This month represents a time of fasting, charity, prayer, and unity. Individuals from different religious and cultural communities come together to break fast and engage in friendly dialogue, resulting in a more comprehensive understanding and respect for other religious traditions

• Sharing the Faith

  Niagara Foundation has created a community education programme entitled, "Sharing the Faith", for people who is interested in learning more about the rich traditions of Chicago's Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities. By collaborating with local parishes, congregations, and communities, Sharing the Faith takes an interfaith approach at creating programmes that are both nourishing for the respective community and for a larger Chicago audience. The goal is to raise literacy of each of the Abrahamic faiths, create safe spaces/experiences for reflection, and respectfully showcase each tradition in its unique Chicago flavour

• Sacred Sources

  With support from the Catholic-Muslim Studies program at Catholic Theological Union, the Chicago Board of Rabbis, and A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Niagara Foundation has created a new programme entitled "Sacred Sources." Niagara has taken the initiative to create a safe community space for gathering representatives of the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions to participate in a respectful reading and exploration of the sacred "Abrahamic" sources. Niagara's unique approach to a popular theological exercise will unfold in three-parts beginning first with eating a delicious meal/ listening to presentations from our expert panelists, and finally/ engaging with small group explorations of a particular passage

• Abrahamic Traditions Dinner

  Niagara Foundation's annual Abrahamic Traditions Dinner strengthens friendship and understanding among people of the three Abrahamic religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. A variety of individuals, such as religious leaders, government officials, university professors, and community members, come together to engage in dialogue and honour the importance of religious diversity and inter-religious cooperation

• On the Table

  The Chicago Community Trust is marking its 99th birthday with a community wide conversation about Chicago's collective future. Niagara Foundation invites everyone to join thousands of others to gather around a meal to generate new ideas, spark partnerships, and shape a public agenda to build and sustain strong, safe, and dynamic communities. Niagara Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust recognise the same truth, that together, people have the power to bring about powerful and transformative change. This is the opportunity, as friends and members of Niagara Foundation, to show that matters of faith, questions of spirituality, and conversations on religious identity are essential in building healthy communities

• St Louis Reading Club

  This programme gathers people from different religious background read and discuss books or certain topics (for example, the second meeting's topic is "Holy scriptures/books in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam"). One person from each religion presents the view of holy scriptures/books in their region for 10-15 minutes, then there will be a Q&A session

Main Focus Countries of Activities

Chicago, IL, USA - Chicago, IL, USA - St Louis, MO, USA - Chicago, IL, USA - USA - Chicago, IL, USA - Chicago, IL, USA - USA - Chicago, IL, USA - USA