On Sunday, May 3, 2015, Soul Space Interfaith will host their spring 2015 women’s retreat, Inviting the Presence of God: Finding Our Spirituality Through Our Faith Traditions, at the Turkish American Society in Mt. Prospect from 2-5 PM.
Soul Space Interfaith, established in 1999, is an organization dedicated to “promot[ing] interfaith exchange and bridge building as a way of fostering understanding and peace-making among women of faith.” Today, the organization operates throughout the north Chicago metro area, creating safe spaces for women of different faith traditions to come together to reflect, converse, learn and develop spiritually.
Kismet Saglam, Soul Space’s new director, chatted with us regarding the organization’s upcoming all-women spring retreat, eloquently stating that the goal of all Soul Space’s retreats are to “emphasize similarities while respecting differences.” She expressed that the spring retreat will highlight creativity, explaining how the center will bring in speakers from the three Abrahamic traditions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) as storytellers, detailing their experience with spirituality within their respective faith traditions. The storytellers (Jule DeJager Ward, Reyhan Isbilir and Marilyn Price) will focus on spirituality in the sense of being connected to their religions, and how they express that connection in their own experience. Retreat guests will have the opportunity to share their experiences with spirituality within their own religious traditions as well.
Along with their stories, the storytellers will present an object with spiritual symbolism tied to their particular experiences. Women at the retreat are again encouraged to bring their own spiritually significant objects to share with others.
Niagara Foundation is excited to co-sponsor this event, given the important role the retreat–and Soul Space’s work in general!–play in our mission to build relationships between people of different cultures and faiths and thereby develop a more inclusive Chicago community. The event costs a suggested $10 donation, and you can register for the event here.