Permanent link for Interfaith Table Talks Come to GVSU | Liz English, Campus Program Manager, Kaufman on January 21, 2025

It wasn’t all that long ago that our options for gathering together were either virtual or not at all. During the shutdown, seeing friends and family was only possible through a screen, and thank goodness for that. In the interest of accessibility, after the shutdown was over, hybrid or fully virtual spaces have stayed incredibly popular. But I think we all know of the magic that dwells in the spaces where we gather face to face. For all its convenience, a virtual meeting room simply cannot replicate many of the unseen connections that arise in-person - whether we are in the depths of conversation or through body language and small talk in brief instances of passing by. 

We also know that these spaces can be intimidating. When we’re sitting in a room together, we no longer have the security blanket of being able to turn off our camera and disconnect when conversation gets difficult, when someone says something that causes our heart rate to speed up or our shoulders to rise in tension, or in those moments when the mind drifts to our to-do lists which we can conveniently check on a separate screen. Being physically together in a space requires presence in more ways than one, which is not always easy. It is, also, where we have seen profound relationships form and be sustained.

For years before the pandemic, and on several occasions since, Kaufman has partnered with the Dominican Center Marywood to curate such a space of in-person relationship building called “Interfaith Table Talks.” Since their inception in 2012, the Table Talks have always been spaces dependent upon the collective wisdom, collaboration, and trust built between the folks in the room, and the room has remained a physical space for a number of reasons. The evening centers around a shared meal, another type of magic not replicable via screen. Barriers are broken down as panelists model the conversation as co-learners, not experts. The atmosphere is often vulnerable and brave. They have quite frankly become some of my favorite spaces within which I can lean into challenging conversations around my own worldview.

This semester, we will host what is hopefully the first of many Interfaith Table Talks on campus, and I’m thrilled to be bringing this type of gathering to GVSU. The inaugural topic: getting to know your religious, secular, or spiritual neighbor. Through deep listening and dialogue, we will highlight both similarities and differences of our experiences across worldviews, and to get Lakers talking about this crucial and often underexplored aspect of identity while breaking bread together. We will put down the screens and simply be together, embracing the challenges of vulnerability and hopefully the personal and collective growth that comes with it as we get to know our neighbors. 

Due to extreme weather conditions and the GVSU campus moving to remote status for Tuesday and Wednesday, the campus Table Talk which was originally scheduled for this evening has been postponed for a later date.
 

Posted by Liz English on Permanent link for Interfaith Table Talks Come to GVSU | Liz English, Campus Program Manager, Kaufman on January 21, 2025.