Join IFC every month for a (virtual) wide-ranging conversation on a variety of topics from looking at contemporary issues through a faith lens to exercising leadership in challenging times to what interfaith solidarity looks like today and more!
IFC COOKS: WINTER HOLIDAY EDITION
Thursday, December 18
12:00–1:30 PM (Zoom)
Tickets: $5+ — Register Here
12-12:30pm: Mina Szpiro (Jewish)
12:30-1pm: Fr. Andrew (Catholic)
1-1:30pm: TBD
Add different flavors to your holiday meal this December! Learn a new dish with our workshop hosts (virtually) as they prepare and discuss their favorite holiday foods from their own faith traditions. (Recipes included)
Join Mina Szpiro (food columnist for the Swedish National Jewish Chronicle), Fr. Andrew (winner of The Great American Baking Show, Season 5), and a third cook for three 25 minute cooking workshops. Each host will demonstrate a dish from their tradition, share its significance and take questions from the audience.
Navigating Uncertainty with Grace: A Conversation with Buddhist Monk Sagarananda
Monday, November 17th
12–1pm
Zoom
Tickets $5+
In a time when division, economic strain, and global change stir unease close to home and across the world, how do we meet this moment with clarity and compassion rather than fear? How do we stay grounded enough to respond effectively, rather than reactively?
Join Dr. Sousan Abadian, Executive Director of the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington and Venerable Sagarananda, Director of Amata Meditation Center, US Zen Institute, in Germantown, Maryland, a Buddhist monk and teacher of mindfulness and compassion, for a lunchtime dialogue on finding calm amid chaos.
Together, they’ll explore how both ancient wisdom and modern social psychology can help us navigate times of uncertainty—not with fear or retreat, but with curiosity, courage, and grace. Dr. Abadian will share insights on what happens when communities experience too much uncertainty too quickly—how fear and instability can lead people to cling to rigid beliefs or seek simple answers in complex times. Venerable Sagarananda will offer practices for cultivating awareness, balance, and compassion in the midst of change. Discover perspectives that help us stay centered and effective, reconnecting to a deeper sense of belonging no matter what’s unfolding around us.
The Latter-day Saint Perspective on a Fractured World: A Conversation About Faith, Empathy, and Building Bridges in a Divided Society
Tuesday, October 28
12–1pm
Zoom
Tickets $5+
Join Allyson Chard (Director of Communications, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington, DC) and Ava Tasker-Mitchell (Communication Government Specialist and a Primary teacher, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) for a meaningful conversation on how they are guided by their sacred texts to love and support others during these challenging times.
Learn more about our speakers.
Sacred Circuits? Artificial Intelligence Through a Faith Lens
Tuesday, June 24, 12–1 PM
Zoom
Tickets $5+
As Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly present in our lives—shaping our relationships, decisions, even our spiritual reflections—it invites profound questions at the intersection of technology and theology.
Our panelists, Ven. Sagarananda Tien (Vice President, Buddha’s Wisdom Association), Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman (Founding Director, Sinai and Synapses), and Muhammad Ahmad (Resident Fellow, Harborview Medical Center), will consider what happens when intelligence is no longer only human.
Monday, April 21st 12-1pm
Zoom
Contemporary Issues Through a Faith Lens: Immigration
Tickets $5+
At a time when immigrants are again in the crosshairs of American politics, join us for a thoughtful discussion about how local and national faith-based organizations and their leaders are navigating these challenging times. Rabbi Sarah Bassin (Rabbi in Residence, HIAS), Rev. Julio Hernandez (Interim Executive Director, Congregation Action Network), and Diana Brown (Associate Director, Faith Matters) will discuss how their sacred texts speak to this moment, how they impact their work and what actions the larger DMV community can do to support all who chose to live here.
Learn more about our speakers here.