News

Strengthening Our Faith and Ourselves During Overlapping Crises

Register Here:

In a time marked by overlapping crises, growing fear, and rising threats to vulnerable communities, faith communities are being called to reimagine what it means to practice peace, pursue justice, and care for one another. Too often, narratives of comfort, false harmony, and watered-down understandings of nonviolence prevent us from responding faithfully to the urgency of this moment. This session will challenge participants to reconsider peace as an active spiritual practice rooted in liberation, explore new understandings of safety and security for faith communities, and imagine the work of justice through a multifaith and intersectional lens. Participants will engage practical conversations around physical and digital security, de-escalation and direct action best practices, caring for the wellbeing of underrepresented leaders and communities, and challenging Christian scriptural and procedural norms to better meet this moment with courage, clarity, and conviction.​

Tickets are offered on an honor-system sliding scale. Please choose the rate that best fits your circumstances.

• Student Rate – $15
For students and seminarians.

• Sages Rate (65+) – $15
For participants age 65 and older.

• Standard Rate – $30
Helps cover the true cost of the workshop.

• Pay-It-Forward Rate – $45
For those who are able to give more and help expand access for others.

We trust you to choose what’s right for you. If the cost is prohibitive, please reach out to us (office@openandaffirming.org)—we do not want finances to be a barrier to participation.

About Our Facilitator:

Tahil Sharma (he/they) is the Faith Director at the National LGBTQ Task Force and an interfaith activist based in Los Angeles. Born to a Sikh mother and a Hindu father, Tahil’s interreligious upbringing inspired a lifelong commitment to bridge-building, storytelling, and social justice. Following the 2012 mass shooting at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Tahil deepened their work at the intersection of faith, justice, and equity, helping communities reimagine interfaith cooperation as a tool for collective liberation.

For more than a decade, Tahil has worked in interfaith literacy, advocacy, and movement building at local, national, and international levels, helping people think more deeply about how religion and spirituality intersect with identity, justice, and public life. While deeply committed to serious work, Tahil brings warmth, humor, and curiosity to every conversation. Outside of organizing, he can often be found at a coffee shop with an iced mocha, spending time with friends, stress baking, podcasting, or stopping mid-walk to pet a dog.

Register Here: