Community invited to share stories, learn about other faiths at final ‘Circles of Faith’ April 29

Members of different religious faiths and backgrounds will have an opportunity to share personal stories and traditions of their faith at the third “Circles of Faith” community dialogue.

“How much do we really know about other religions and beliefs? Circles of Faith will provide a welcoming environment to share stories and get a deeper understanding of other religious backgrounds in our community,” said Julie Bunczak, program manager for Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service, which is coordinating the three-part discussion series that will be held at UW Center for Civic Engagement, 625 Stewart Avenue, Wausau.

“At our first two dialogues, we had lively and engaged community members from several faith traditions,” Bunczak said. “We’re hoping to hear from more people on April 29.” You did not have to attend the first dialogue in order to participate in the upcoming discussions.

Members of different religious faiths will share personal experiences, stories and traditions of their religion, and encourage talk about commonalities of religion.

Trained facilitators and religious leaders will lead the small-group discussions. The remaining topic for discussion will be:

• Tell a story about a positive experience with someone of a different faith or belief tradition.

The dialogue will last from 2-3:30 p.m.

Circles of Faith is free and open to the public, and members of all beliefs are encouraged to attend.

To register, go to wipps.org/cof3. While registering ahead is welcomed for planning purposes, people may also come the day of the event.

If you have any questions, contact Julie Bunczak, WIPPS program manager, at julie.bunczak@uwc.edu or 715-261-6234.

Circles of Faith builds on the success of the 2016 Interfaith Dialogues, also sponsored by WIPPS. That series invited community members to hear discussion from a wide range of community religious leaders from Episcopal, Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Jewish and Muslim faiths.

Circles of Faith, an ongoing WIPPS project, is made possible through a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council.