faith250 was very well received by those who attended, and two faith leaders were inspired to take the program to their own congregations. The discussions were thoughtful, meaningful, and intentionally nonpartisan, with a recurring theme emerging throughout the conversations: these historical documents present ideals that, while we have not always lived up to them as citizens or as a nation, provide aspirations toward which we can continue to strive. Participants reflected on how these ideals align closely with many teachings found across our faith traditions, particularly values centered on hope, justice, compassion, and love for others.

It was great to see everyone and really beautiful the way we were able to share about our different thoughts about The Declaration of Independence with both it's wonderful vision and flawed sections that contradict that vision. Hoping that we all continue to pursue creating in our country the vision of "all [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Many thanks to the Unitarian Universalist community for hosting us and to Rev. Kim Kinsey for facilitating. Participating were leaders from faith traditions of Unitarian Universalist, Buddhist, Scientology, Humanist and Christian (Catholic, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Methodist, Presbyterian & Evangelical).

Great kickoff to the faith250 program! Many thanks to Rev. Kim Kinsey for hosting us and to Don Curnutt for facilitating the program. We read The New Colossus and talked about what the Statue of Liberty symbolizes to us, sharing stories of how our families came to the United States. We also discussed how communities like ours can help new arrivals feel welcome and reflected on what it truly means from the perspective of our faith traditions to be a country that opens its arms to people seeking better lives. Present were folks from faith traditions of Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Quaker, Humanist, Scientology, Christian (Evangelical, Episcopal, Methodist, Catholic, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Baptist, Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, Lutheran (ELCA) ).