Ramadan Experience 2015

Niagara Foundation and Fourth Presbyterian Church Cordially Invite you to:

Sharing the Faith: A Ramadan Experience

In honor of our 10 years as an organization, Niagara Foundation is excited to partner with Fourth Presbyterian in both hosting and organizing an evening of dialogue and friendship…

A Ramadan Experience brings individuals from different religious and cultural communities together to learn about the significance of the month of Ramadan in Islam, engage in friendly table conversation, and break fast with an Iftar dinner. All faiths are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The Ramadan Experience is also part of Niagara’s ongoing Sharing the Faith program.

This series of events held during religiously significant seasons will provide the Chicago public with a window into the diverse worlds of the three Abrahamic traditions. Our goal is to raise literacy of each of the Abrahamic faiths, create safe spaces/experiences for reflection, and respectfully showcase each tradition in its uniqueness.

We are debuting Niagara Foundation’s first ever Fast-a-Thon, where we ask our non-Muslim friends to abstain from food and drink for one day, July 8th, while pledging money and efforts to fight food insecurity. All proceeds raised will go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Register early as space is limited. First come first serve. If you buy a table, please note that in the spirit of dialogue and interfaith encounter we like to mix-up the seating unless otherwise noted not to. If you do not have names at this time–no problem. We ask that you provide the names within 48hrs of the event.

Join us, as we gather as one Chicago community, to share in something sacred, and to demonstrate how love of neighbor and hospitality grant us the ability to mutually support one another.

Wednesday, July 8th, 2015
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago
126 E. Chestnut Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611

Niagara Foundation’s Fast-a-Thon is an initiative that encourages the greater Chicago community to abstain from food and drink for one day to experience the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The day will conclude with a lecture and iftar dinner, where participants Muslim and non-Muslim alike will come together to break their fast.

All proceeds, raised through individual Fast-a-Thon sponsorships and food donations, go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository in a collective effort to combat food insecurity.

UPCOMING EVENT - 2015

Omer Mozaffar
Adjunct Professor of Theology, Loyola University Muslim Chaplain

Omer Mozaffar is the Muslim Chaplain at Loyola University Chicago, where he is also an Adjunct Faculty member in the Departments of Theology and Modern Languages and Literature. In 2011, he was granted an “Excellence in Teaching” Award for Humanities, Arts, and Sciences through the Graham School of the University of Chicago. Over the years, he has taught courses on such subjects as the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad, Islamic Revivalism, Islamic Law, Mysticism, and History. In 2009, the late Roger Ebert named him one of his “Far Flung Correspondents” for writing essays and reviews on film. He is a lifelong Chicagoan, involved with religious, educational, and charitable projects through the city and suburbs.

Mari Gallagher
Principal of Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group

Mari Gallagher is Principal of Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group. Clients and partners include grassroots community and civic organizations, government entities, foundations, and major international corporations. She and her firm have collaborated with the Institute of Medicine of the Academy of the Sciences, the Urban Institute, Harvard, MIT, the National YMCA, and many other organizations.

Mari is also the Founding President of the National Center for Public Research. NCforPR’s mission is to provide meaningful and unbiased data and information to improve quality of life, quality of health, and financial wellbeing for all people and communities