02/27/2022
Final AI Communication & New Dialogue Group
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Since our founding in 2001, the goal of the Abrahamic Initiative was to bring people together who would not meet or engage anywhere else in their lives. We hosted dialogues, lectures, and meals for the interfaith community in Denver. For decades, this fostered relationships and built a thriving community of friendships among our various participants.
We are now at a place where the Board and I recognize two essential truths: (1) there are now many more organizations involved in the interfaith arena than there were when we began our work twenty-one years ago and (2) the landscape for in-person gatherings has changed dramatically due to the Covid pandemic.
When the pandemic initially hit, the board decided to adapt and, like many other organizations, we restructured our programming for online participation. Although this allowed us to invite participants from outside the metro-Denver area, it robbed us of the intimacy and vitality of in-person engagement. We have finally recognized that the life cycle for the Abrahamic Initiative has come to an end.
In all endings, however, there is always a beginning and that is true here as well. Two of our Board members are launching a new discussion group and I invite you to consider joining them. Contact information is provided below.
I have wonderful memories of meeting people I would never have encountered outside of the Abrahamic Initiative. I am sad to see the end of our 20+ years of programing, but it also feels OK to move on. We have interacted with thousands of people in Colorado and reached other communities across the country, and I am grateful.
I would like to thank the founding members for their hard work: Ed and Lee Everding, Greg Movesian, Jack Finlaw and Susan McKee.
I also want to thank you for your enthusiasm, support, and participation over the years.
Peace,
Hal Simmons
Some of our board members are launching a new discussion group. You can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/iThouDD and you can join their list by emailing them at [email protected].
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To create a forum for respectful dialog where we learn to better understand ourselves, get to know each other, and create positive change.
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i-Thou Deliberative Dialogues is an interfaith and non-faith community that seeks to encourage awareness and understanding of the "other" and of ourselves through dialog. We build friendships and community through open and honest conversations, reflecting similar as well as differing values. We work together to bring our discussions to a place where we can take actions as individuals and/or collectively. We welcome people of all faith and non-faith backgrounds and all political persuasions to join us in respectful exploration together.
We acknowledge similarities and differences, discuss, and move on.
i-Thou Deliberative Dialogues is a safe space for open, honest, and difficult conversations. While no topic is off limits, the facilitator may call for a time-out on a specific conversation either for a few minutes or until the next meeting. All participants agree to abide by the guidance of the facilitator. Additionally, all participants agree to not share names of other participants on social media or other public forums.
A forum for respectful dialogue where we learn to better understand ourselves, get to know each other, and create positive change.
