Close to 100 community members gathered for the lunchtime dialogue program
The 2025 Winterfaith program, Living in the Rift: Faith, Resilience, and the Ways Forward, invited the Elon campus and broader community to engage in a powerful conversation about navigating a divided world through interfaith dialogue. In this time marked by uncertainty, contention and historical challenges, a diverse panel gathered on Jan. 16 to discuss their experiences and create space for conversation and dialogue.
The panel, moderated by Director of Multifaith Programming and Engagement Hillary Zaken, featured Toddie Peters, professor of religious studies; Abdul-Malik Harrison ’21, assistant director at the CREDE; Rev. Sadie Lansdale of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro; Tara Venkataraman ’25 and Hunter Siegel ’25.

wInterfaith is an annual collaboration between the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and the Elon Community church that provides opportunities for education, engagement and dialogue.
To start the discussion, each of the panelists was asked to share an anecdote about how their religious, spiritual or ethical tradition – and other aspects of their identities – shaped their personal journey and your understanding of the world.
During the event, the panelists emphasized the importance of interfaith dialogue in fostering understanding and unity. They highlighted that engaging in conversations across different faiths requires both vulnerability and bravery, as it involves confronting deeply held beliefs and being open to new perspectives. And all agreed that education was essential to bridging divides both within religious communities, and in interfaith work.
Rev. Randy Orwig of the Elon Community Church felt that the wInterfaith conversation this year was essential and important.
“We need to grow beyond only what we know and how we grew up. Then, we have a chance to change and break through,” said Orwig.

Panelists also discussed how faith communities can play a pivotal role in healing past wounds and promoting social change. The event concluded with a call to action for individuals to actively participate in interfaith initiatives, emphasizing that through bridge building initiatives, communities can build resilience and find pathways forward in times of uncertainty.
“We have to treat others who are different than you not with hostility, but with love, with compassion, and with understanding,” said Harrison. “I would like to think that somewhere deep deep inside all of us there’s that innate ability and we should want to treat all people, even though if they are different than you, with respect and with love.”