Faith, Learning, and Community: IFLC Co-Sponsors Interfaith Conversation at SOAR LLI

May 23, 2025

On May 9, 2025, SOAR Lifelong Learning Institute in Farmington Hills hosted an afternoon of interfaith exploration through the event Faith Impacts Life: An Interfaith Conversation. Co-sponsored by the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit (IFLC), its Education Committee, WISDOM, and SOAR LLI, the event brought together representatives from five major faith traditions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, for an afternoon of community, personal stories and bridge building.

The event featured a panel of representatives who shared personal stories, addressed common misconceptions, and offered reflections on how their faith shapes daily life. Panelists included Dr. Walid Harb (Islam), Rev. Dr. Theodore T. Turman (Christianity), Rabbi Dorit Edut (Judaism), Nasy Sankagiri (Hinduism), and Delores Lyons (Buddhism).

Through storytelling and honest dialogue, the program highlighted the power of reaching out with curiosity and humility to build bridges across lines of difference. In alignment with the IFLC’s mission to provide opportunities for individuals to come together to learn from each other and be changed together, this event was a powerful statement that co-creating a better future requires the voices of all.

This event highlighted the power of lifelong learning in building bridges of respect and empathy in an increasingly diverse world.