In partnership with The Interfaith Center, Braver Angels invites all citizens who believe our society and its conversations around politics can be better and who wish to participate in improving our conversations across political or other divides to join us for this new approach to effective conversations. Our workshop is developed by the national Braver Angels organization, and our goal is to teach people of differing political or other views how to have respectful conversations with each other without descending into animosity or distrust. We will help you learn and practice key communication skills that have been shown to be effective in improving civil conversations across differences.

Interfaith Center board member Dr. Rebecca Glazier signed copies of her new book "Faith and Community." Dr. Glazier's book is based on more than a decade of research conducted with diverse congregations in Little Rock and features the Interfaith Center, including highlighting Friendship Camp and Love Thy Neighbor. The message of the book is that faith-based community engagement benefits members, places of worship, and society.

In its ninth year, this event will feature speakers representing various religious traditions, as well as those with no particular religion, offering prayers and reflections on how they live in peace all year long. Attendees will also enjoy music, a delicious vegetarian meal, and the opportunity to learn about different religions.

This annual event is co-sponsored by Westover Hills Presbyterian Church, Madina Institute and Mosque, and Congregation B’nai Israel.

The event is free and open to the public. Childcare will be provided, and children will enjoy pizza together.

Love Thy Neighbor is an annual interfaith service that brings central Arkansas faith communities together for an evening of music, shared wisdom, and reflection.

This year’s theme “Sharing the Light” invites participants to come together in challenging and painful times to share the light of hope with one another and to then carry this light out into the world.

Speakers from various religious backgrounds will share stories, poems, and prayers of hope from their faith traditions, and local ensembles and musicians will invite participants into times of quiet reflection and collective harmony.

The Interfaith Food Festival will follow the service in the parish hall at Saint Mark’s with delicious vegetarian dishes prepared by local caterers and faith communities.

Lama Tenzin was in Little Rock from Tuesday December 5 till Saturday December 9. First United Methodist Church hosted him on Tuesday night. The event was at 5:30-6:30 pm for an educational talk and 6:30-7:00 pm for refreshments and social time. He is an extraordinary humanitarian who rescues handicapped children from desolate regions in the Himalayas and transforms their lives by giving them education, health care and lots of love.Description goes here

Join us to explore the timeless verses of Rumi and Hafiz, two poets who transcend religious boundaries and touch upon the universal essence of the human experience. Through their words, we will uncover insights and inspirations that can enrich our spiritual lives, fostering a deeper connection with ourselves, others, and the divine.

Sophia Said and Jay McDaniel will lead this 8 week enriching series offered in collaboration with the Bethlehem Centre in Canada and Cobb Institute in California starting October 4, 2023. As a paradigm for thinking about spirituality, we will use the “spiritual alphabet” of Spirituality and Practice: “A” is for attention, “B” is for beauty, “C” is for compassion, etc.

We invite you to join us for an hour each week as we embark on a reflective journey through the spiritual alphabet.

We aim to create a space where diverse perspectives can converge, fostering a deep appreciation for the power of spirituality, poetry, and process theology.

Peace Across Faiths: This is a celebration of peace from different faiths and non-faith perspectives. All are welcome to join in on this event and is completely free! We pray together, share a meal together, and KICK OFF Arkansas Peace Week together!!! Each year we start of Peace Week with an interfaith meal and program hearing from leaders in different faith backgrounds. The meal is hosted and planned by a coalition faith groups and congregations including The Interfaith Center of Arkansas, Madina Institute, Westover Hills Presbyterian Church and Temple B’nai Israel. This years event was hosted by Madina Institute and Mosque.

We here at the Interfaith Center of Arkansas were thrilled to expand our “:Friendship Camp” to Northwest Arkansas this summer. We have named it “NWA Friend Camp”. This took place at first Christian Church of Bentonville, AR. We are so grateful for the vision and hard work that brought this camp together! Our first camp director was Liz Emis, who work at First Christian Church. She was a complete rock star! 62 children representing a wide variety of faith background participated in the camp. These kids represented Buddhism, Baha’i, Hinduism, Cherokee, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and explorers (seeker or no set faith tradition). We also had 50 wonderful volunteers that represented 8 different faith backgrounds. For this 3 day morning camp, the children all came together to learn about each other and our shared values.

Through several projects the participants served others through out the Northwest Arkansas area. The kids experienced Taiko (a Japanese Buddhist drum line that has been a tradition for centuries), Hindu traditional dance performed by children of their same age, Cherokee traditions taught by member of a tribe out of Oklahoma, writing their name is Arabic, field trip to a Native American Museum and a wonderful visit to Jewish congregation and so much more.

Look for us next summer as we explore a different theme. We look for to your participation!!

LET’S CELEBRATE! was the theme this year. This years camp took place Congregation B'nai Israel (3700 N Rodney Parham Rd, Little Rock, AR 72212) We were together Monday Through Friday ( July 10-14, 2023 ) from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm To learn more, check out our designated page for Friendship Camp!

On Thursday September 7th ,2023 the Love Thy Neighbor Service and Food Festival was held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Little Rock, AR.

This a a yearly event attended by all faiths and people of non faith traditions to celebrate human kind. Please feel free to click here to watch this heart felt moving service.

A WEEKLY JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF DREAMS The 8 week workshop series was led by the Rev. Susan Sims Smith who is a Jungian oriented psychotherapist and an Episcopal priest. She founded Seedwork, a project to teach people how to listen to wisdom from their dreams and meditation. Here are a series of lectures on dreams from the Kanuga Summer Dream Conference. Watch The Series

DeInterfaith Explorations
Spring 2023 Session

Cultivating Spirituality in Daily Life
Once again, we will be cultivating the qualities of heart and mind to help us in our daily life at home, in family, in the workplace, and other situations in the journey of life, such as births, deaths, joys, traumas.
These qualities will be explored through the framework of Spiritual Alphabet, developed by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. Our sessions will be facilitated by Dr. Jay McDaniel and Sophia Said, who will bring two “letters” from the spiritual alphabet to each session (“A” is for attention, “B” is for beauty, “C” is for connection, etc.), sharing quotations, poems, and stories from personal experiences that illuminate them; and then, with help from prompting questions, invite others to do the same.
We will meet March 15 through May 10. Classes are held via zoom on Wednesdays at Noon CST.
Everyone is welcome, people who have a strong sense of belonging to a particular religious tradition, people who are spiritually independent, and all in-between. We are a space for sharing. Email us your full name at theinterfaithcenter@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the class.
Interfaith Exploration is a program of the Interfaith Center of Arkansas. It is co-sponsored by the Cobb Institute, Spirituality and Practice, and Process and Faith.
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Love Thy Neighbor: Sowing Seeds of Promise, a celebration of peace through music, prayer, and wisdom.
The prayer service was held in September 2022 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church There were over over 300 in attendance with wonderful speakers, meaningful prayer and very talented music leaders to facilitate this beautiful service. Love Thy Neighbor began as an interfaith prayer service to help bring people together who are dedicated to peace in our community and around the world.

On Wednesday, July 6, 2022 at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, An Evening With Lama Tenzin Choegyal, was held. This event was an extremely enlightening and a wonderful opportunity to learn of the work that is being done across our globe. Lama Tenzin is an amazing human being, doing such extraordinary work by rescuing disadvantaged children from the most desolate regions of Himalayan mountains and gives them love, hope, and a new life. We .learned what is possible with hard work, a huge heart, and can do spirit, all with a sparkling sense of humor. Lama Tenzin Choegyal is a Buddhist Monk & the founder of the Children's Education and Development (CED) Orphanage. Thank you Lama Tenzin for sharing with us!

A very special Interfaith Explorations Class about the newly released documentary Women of the White Buffalo, which explores indigenous matriarchies, history, education, and resistance.

Featuring a special guest presenter, Sun Rose Iron Shell, who is a Sicangu Lakota visual artist and activist. Sun Rose is one of the nine women featured in this documentary.

When: Sunday, May 1, 2022, 1-4 p.m. CST

This workshop will teach us to:
Quiet our own minds.
Be present in silence with our partners.
Pray with our partners and send love to them in silence.

Taught by The Rev. Susan Sims Smith, Episcopal Priest and former couples therapist.

Sponsored by Arkansas House of Prayer, The Interfaith Center, and St. Margaret's Episcopal Church.

For more information about the event and to register click here.

We are happy to announce that “Morning with Sacred Silence” will continue through the summer months. Rev. Susan Sims Smith and Sister Deborah Troillett will lead different sessions as they teach about silence, offer simple meditation techniques to the group, followed by a time of shared silence and open discussion with the group.

For more information about the event and to register click here.

You and your family are invited to join us for our first ever Friendship Camp Family Picnic on Sunday, June 6 from 5-7:30PM at Allsopp Park (3700 Cedar Hill Rd) Join us for an evening of art, food, songs and games. We will also close out the evening with an Interfaith Service.

Pizza, drinks and ice cream from Celena’s Ice Cream Truck will be provided, but feel free to bring your own meal! For more information, please email theinterfaithcenter@gmail.com

To RSVP, please click here

We encourage social distancing and wearing masks if you are not vaccinated. We will have masks and hand sanitizers available on site.

Historically speaking, the relationship between organized religion and the LGBTQ community has been a complicated one. However, in more recent years, the movement for LGBTQ rights has gained widespread support among religious Americans from virtually every faith tradition.

Join us as we explore this growing relationship between the LGBTQ community and the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Buddhist traditions with a distinguished interfaith panel of Arkansas leaders on Monday, April 19, 6:00-7:30 pm, CST. The program will be live-streamed from The Interfaith Center's YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/user/theinterfaithcenter

This program is sponsored by The Interfaith Center and Stonewall Democrats of Arkansas

The Arkansas House of Prayer will host a free workshop about Jewish Meditation from Mussar and Chassidic Traditions, taught by Dr. Robert Barris, on Sunday, February 7, 2021, from 2:00 – 3:30 pm, via Zoom.

Dr. Barris is a psychiatrist who leads retreats on meditation and teaches meditation to medical students from various faith traditions. This workshop is open to people of all faith traditions. Register for this workshop at:

https://tinyurl.com/drbarrisworkshop

For more information, please contact Rev. Stephanie Fox at arkansashouseofprayer@gmail.com or 501-821-7773.

Our summer session of interfaith explorations is starting next week on June 23. We will continue our spiritual journey together as we reflect upon visual arts, music, and poetry from an interfaith perspective. Dr Jay McDaniel and Sophia Said will lead the class as usual.

To join the class, please email your name to theinterfaithcenter@gmail.com and we will send you the Zoom invitation. If you are already on the class list, there is nothing more you need to do. Check back for more details!

Celebrating peace from different faiths and non-faith perspectives. We will pray together, share a meal together, and kickoff Arkansas Peace Week together!

Prior to the program, there will be a "Bring Your Own" meal picnic. Please bring your blanket or lawn chairs as we spread out on the grounds to ensure social distancing. Ice cream and bottled water will be provided to our guest. Highlight of the event will be our guest speakers who will share their thoughts on “Shaping Peace Together”, the theme of this year’s International Day of Peace.

Please RSVP if attending in person to: teroosth@gmail.com. For people not able to attend in person, see event live streamed starting at 5:45 pm

The event will be planned with COVID-19 safety protocols.

For more information click here

Exciting news! Our final speaker for this year’s Love Thy Neighbor service will be The Most Rev. Presiding Bishop Michael Bruce Curry the 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

Throughout his ministry, Presiding Bishop Curry has been active in issues of social justice, reconciliation, speaking out on immigration policy and marriage equality. Presiding Bishop Curry maintains a national preaching and teaching ministry, having been featured on The Protestant Hour and as a frequent speaker at churches, cathedrals, and conferences around the country and internationally.

He has authored four books: The Power of Love (2018); Following the Way of Jesus: Church's Teachings in a Changing World (2017); Songs My Grandma Sang (2015); and Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus (2013). He was one of the subjects of In Conversation: Michael Curry and Barbara Harris by Fredrica Harris Thompsett (2017).

The theme for this year's Love Thy Neighbor service is "Rebuilding Hope." Although we cannot come together during this difficult time, we look forward to listening to wonderful speakers, making a joyful noise with incredible musicians, and learning to rely on and love our neighbors.

This year we will have special guests from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist religions joining us from all around the world. We hope you will join us at our YouTube channel and learn how the scriptures and traditions from world religions help us rebuild hope at this time when our hope is being greatly challenged by world events.

For more information click here

Although COVID-19 has prevented us from hosting our traditional Interfaith Friendship Camp, we are excited to announce the dates of our VIRTUAL Friendship Camp experience later this summer. We hope you will join us for this online weekend of faith, friendship and fun!

The dates are Friday, July 24 through Sunday, July 26, 2020

Friendship Camp is traditionally for incoming 3rd through 6th grade students, but this year we are encouraging younger and older siblings, as well as parents, to participate in the online experience, too!

Click here to register for the camp: https://bit.ly/3daUfJoiption goes here

Wednesday, June 17, we will have our last class of spring session. Join us for an important discussion on RACE from the perspectives of Abrahamic faiths with Rev. Anika Whitfield, Mohammed Nawaz and Prof. Phillip Spivey.

We will learn what our religions say about racial justice and what we can do as people of faith. Email us at: theinterfaithcenter@gmail.com to get joining instructions for class.

Description goes hereThe Interfaith Center and Arkansas House of Prayer are sponsoring an interfaith webinar: Experiencing Silence on Sunday, June 7, 2020 from 1:45 PM to 3:15 PM CST.

During the live webinar, Sophia Said and Rev. Susan Sims Smith will teach about Silence as means to deepen God’s love, learn God’s wisdom, and receive God’s guidance.

Material taught will be applicable to all faith traditions. Register for the workshop at www.tinyurl.com/ifc-silence

Join us to examine both challenges and opportunities posed by COVID19 from faith and interfaith perspectives. The live webinar will feature a coalition of interfaith leaders who bring diverse kinds of knowledge and expertise. 2 pm, Sunday, May 17, 2020.

The webinar will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/user/theinterfaithcenter

We will be taking questions and comments! Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to join the conversation.

It has been our mission since becoming an organization in 2011 to reduce the hatred and fear not only among the world's religions, but with also people of color. Our work starts with having important conversations within our own households and communities, to engage in critical self-reflection and work towards betterment of the larger community.

Black Lives Matter and as Americans, we must do better at combating and undoing the impact of institutionalized racism in our communities.

Click here to see our full statement provided by our Executive Director Sophia Said.

Sophia Said, chairwoman of the Madina Institute and Mosque and executive director of the Interfaith Center of Arkansas, received the FBI Director's 2019 Community Leadership Award. The award was founded in 1990 to honor individuals and organizations for fighting crime, terrorism, drugs and violence in the United States

For the full article, please click here

Along with all the other challenges posed by CoronaVirus to American life, this outbreak has also disrupted our religious practices. Many places of worship have closed their doors as part of the nationwide push to slow the spread of disease by minimizing social contact- a very difficult decision for those who rely on their religious communities for comfort and support during challenging times.

This coming Wednesday, April 8 at 12 Noon, Dr. Jay McDaniel will speak with the leaders from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faith communities in Central Arkansas about how CoronaVirus has impacted their faith and worship services. What is the role of God in all this. What are they doing to cope and help their congregants through this pandemic

Thank you, “Finding American: Stories of Immigration” for your story on our Executive Director Sophia Said and all of the amazing work you do in helping people share their stories of immigration into the United States.Sophia was also chosen to be featured in their upcoming book "Finding American". To read the full article click here.

To receive updates on the book release and exhibition of “Finding American: Stories of Immigration from all 50 States” please subscribe here.

Led by Dr. Jay McDaniel, Professor Emeritus from Hendrix College, the series aims to foster an informed appreciation of each religion. Each religion is discussed in three sessions. The first session introduces the religion and the remaining two focus on that religion in America, its spiritual side, and the current challenges faced by that religion. The classes meet twice a month starting on January 15 on Wednesdays. To RSVP, email admin@madinainstitute.us.

Classes are held at Madina Institute.

On 12/5/2019, Madina Institute’s Chairwoman and Interfaith Center’s Executive Director Sophia Said was announced as the State of Arkansas’ FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award Recipient.

This award is presented to one individual or organization that has worked as a community partner raising awareness and information in the community and working hard to keep our communities safe.

To read more, click here

Join Rev. Susan Sims Smith and Sophia Said as they take us on the ancient journey of mystical love - from separation to union, from our own selves to a state of oneness with God - expressed through the wonders and beauty of poetry by the Mystics of the East and the West.

Wednesday December 4, 6pm – 7:30pm, in the Parlor at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church (4823 Woodlawn Dr.)

Study of the world's religions is uniquely enriching and inculcates cultural sensitivities among students. We hope you will benefit from this exploratory course with Dr. Jay McDaniel who will lead an open-minded discussion of several key ideas from major faith traditions. Dr. Jay McDaniel is a philosopher, theologian, professor emeritus of religion and theology at Hendrix College, and an author of numerous books.

Classes are free but registration is required to reserve a spot.

Every Wednesday 12-1 PM from Oct 9 till Nov 20.

Learn how to take your meditation practice to the next level and how to keep your mind more silent during the day in this three hour workshop with the Rev. Susan Sims Smith who was a Jungian oriented psychotherapist a long term practitioner of meditation.

This workshop is open and relevant to people of all faiths. Sunday, October 13 from 1-4 p.m. in the Parish Hall of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church.

Honoring Our Neighbors’ Faith at Second Presbyterian Church, Little Rock: a series of classes exploring four major world religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism - and comparing the beliefs of each with those of Christianity. The goal is to build bridges of understanding so that we might grow in our faith, seek peace in our world, and live faithfully with our neighbors.

Rev. Steve Hancock will kick off the series Sunday with speakers from each of the other four major religions.

Mohammed Nawaz of Madina Institute Arkansas USA and Sophia Said

The Festival includes the great Mediterranean and Central Asian Cuisines that are known to be very rich and have many unique tastes. Some of the dishes that will be served are kebabs, gyros, lahmajoon, salads and vegetarian dishes, a rich variety of desserts, pastries, appetizers and many more. ALL HOME MADE, FRESH and HEALTHY, not purchased in bulk from food providers.

Besides the delicious food, you will find handmade gifts & souvenirs for your loved ones. You will also see artists at work while they are handcrafting calligraphy and tile painting.

There will be live music and performances all day long.

Open Door Community Church (ODCC) serves the Little Rock Metro and Central Arkansas area. ODCC welcomes ALL and ALL includes Gods' GLBT children. Some have Called it a Grace Place.

Arkansas Peace Week is conducted by a coalition of local, national and international organizations, faith groups and individuals with a mission to promote peace and instill justice, end war, alleviate poverty, protect planet earth and eliminate the scourge of violence in our communities.

All are welcome to join us for our annual Love Thy Neighbor event on September 5th hosted at St. Mark's Episcopal Church.

The evening will be filled with speakers from different faiths, time for prayer and silence, and musical performances. This year's special guests are Shaykh Muhammad Ninowy, Dr. Ysaye Barnwell, and the River City Men's Chorus.

The event is FREE and all are welcome to join us for The Interfaith Food Festival will feature vegetarian dishes and food from several faith communities. Although no childcare will be provided, children are welcome at this event.

To register click here.

All are welcome to join us for our annual Love Thy Neighbor event on September 5th hosted at St. Mark's Episcopal Church.

The evening will be filled with speakers from different faiths, time for prayer and silence, and musical performances. This year's special guests are Shaykh Muhammad Ninowy, Dr. Ysaye Barnwell, and the River City Men's Chorus.

The event is FREE and all are welcome to join us for The Interfaith Food Festival will feature vegetarian dishes and food from several faith communities. Although no childcare will be provided, children are welcome at this event.

To register click here.

In this workshop, masterfully led by Dr. Ysaÿe M. Barnwell, singers and non-singers alike will share the common experience of learning in the oral tradition and singing rhythms, chants, and traditional songs from Africa and the Civil Rights Movement. The historical, social, and political context will provide an introduction to the songs. All that is required is a willingness to sing.

To register click here

On Friday, September 6, Shaykh Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy will be speaking about his latest publication “The Book of Love” at 7:45 pm at the Madina Institute. Reception and book copies will be available at 7 pm.

He will be reading selections from the book on Friday at Madina Institute. Copies of book will be available for purchase and food will be served.

For more information about this program, please email Admin@madinainstitute.us

Friendship Camp is a special week that offers kids how to express and talk about their faith, express their creativity, and be a friend to all. We hope that you will join us for this impactful and wonderful week! Only a few spots are available, so be sure to register today!

Camper Application:

https://goo.gl/forms/EPG1siVzKTmveWrE3

If you are in a leadership position in a faith group or religious organization and would like to be better prepared to protect yourself and your community against any such threats, THIS IS THE WORKSHOP FOR YOU! Trained agents from Federal Bureau of Investigation will educate you on how to protect your community against hate crimes, terrorism and active shooter situations.