The Gülen Institute in collaboration with the Institute of Interfaith Dialog in Austin welcomes Dr. George Martin, President of St. Edward’s University for a Luncheon Forum on May 22nd, 2012 with his speech entitled "Meeting Today’s Challenges for Higher Education".
Discount Code for Students: STUDENTLUNCH
Registration is required.
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog and the Village Presbyterian Church jointly hosted a Dinner of Abrahamic Traditions and a panel discussion on the topic of “Respect for Parents and Elders in Abrahamic Traditions” at the Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village on Thursday, February 23, 2012. The master of ceremonies for the event was the Reverend Jay McKell of Village Presbyterian.(February 23, 2012 Mission, KS)
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog Lubbock Branch in collaboration Raindrop Turkish House had celebrated early the thanksgiving with neighbors and friends on November 22, 2011. Attendees enjoyed the traditional turkey dinner in this early thanksgiving program, and thanked the foundation for being an excellent neighbor for the community.
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog organized "Advancing Interfaith Understanding Dinner" with Unitarian Universalist Church on February 16, 2012. Rev. Terri Massengale, Pastor of Unitarian Universalist Church of Brazos Valley, gave a presentation in which she introduced the fundamentals of the Unitarian Universalism followed by a question-and-answer session. A dinner followed where the participants shared a meal and learned more about their neighbors.
February Talk Series will feature a well known name in our city, Pastor Wendell Griffen. Since this month is celebrated as Black History Month in the United States Griffen will talk about Racial Justice. His talk's title is "Racial Justice and Black History-An Un-Sentimental Assessment of Current Realities"
Please note that the event is open to public, however, registration and/or RSVP is reguired!
February is Black History Month and we will continue our monthly talk series. The Insititute of Interfaith Dialog Little Rock branch is happy to announce that Pastor Wendell Griffen will be guest speaker. The title of his talk is "Racial Justice and Black History-An Un-Sentimental Assessment of Current Realities".
After skipping two months due to the Annual Banquet and the holiday season the Monthly Talk Series return with another distinguished speaker from academia. Dr. Jay McDaniel of Hendrix College will be with us on Thursday, January 19, 2012 and talk about one of the unique aspects of interfaith dialog. The title of his talk is "The Wisdom of Multiplicity". Below you will find a short bio of Dr. McDaniel.
Please note that the event is free and open to everyone BUT do not forget to RSVP/register.
On December 8, 2011, The Institute of Interfaith Dialog hosted the First Baptist Church of College Station for a dinner program. Rev. Troy Allen, Pastor of First Baptist Church, gave a presentation where he introduced the fundamentals of the Baptism and its beliefs and practices. Following the presentation, a question and answer session was held. Pastor Allen also discussed the position of Baptist Church on various controversial topics. A dinner followed where the participants shared a meal and learned more about their neighbours.
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog (IID), in collaboration with Raindrop Turkish House, held its first annual Thanksgiving Dinner on November 18th evening to a large number of people from College Station and Bryan cities. The event started with welcoming remarks by Dr. Zeytuncu, IDD College Station/Bryan volunteer member. Then, Mr. Andrew Card, Acting Dean of the Bush School of Government and Public School at Texas A&M University, and his wife Mrs. Kathleen Card gave a brief speech regarding the history and importance of the Thanksgiving. Mr. Andrew Card took the lead in cutting the turkey to start the course for the dinner program.
On November 18th, 2010, The Institute of Interfaith Dialog and the Office of Diversity and Access at UMKC along with Raindrop Turkish House held the 7th Annual Dialog and Friendship Dinner to promote mutual understanding, friendship, and reiterate the importance of common human values in pursuing peace among all humanity. The event took place at UMKC Pierson Auditorium.
Around 250 distinguished guests consisted of Senators, State Representatives, Police Chiefs, Fire Chiefs, City Prosecutors, Academicians, Pastors and Mayors participated to the dinner and shared their tables with one another. It was a successful event where everybody could get to know each other; attendees had a chance to start new friendships and break down the barriers of stereotypes and misunderstandings. Dinner started by an introduction speech by Welcome speech by Karen Dace, Ph.D. - Deputy Chancellor, Division of Diversity, Access and Equity at University of Missouri-Kansas Cityand continued with an Introduction Speech by Greg Rieke -Director of IID Advisory Board.
The Annual Dialog and Friendship Dinner was held Tuesday, November 15 at the Overton Hotel. John Kirby, General Manager for KTXT-TV, was the Master of Ceremonies. The keynote address was delivered by the Honorable Tom Martin, mayor of the city of Lubbock. His theme was “Why we all Get Along in West Texas.” He described how changes in transportation technology over the years have changed how we think of who our neighbors are. He noted that, like Turkey, West Texas is a crossroads where many cultures meet. Because they are similar in this way, he said, they both are places known for their tolerance and welcoming attitude.
The 2011 Annual Friendship Dinner & Awards Ceremony of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog, Oklahoma City took place on Tuesday November 15, 2011. The event was held in Petroleum Club, Oklahoma City.
The dinner gathered about two hundred and fifty people most of whom were academicians, State Representatives, businessmen and volunteers of nonprofit organizations. Mrs. Nurcihan Uysal, the outreach director of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog made a welcome speech and delivered a presentation of the Interfaith Garden, a new project of the IID. And the program started with the invocation which was done by Bruce Prescott, Executive Director of Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists.
On Thursday, October 27, 2011, the Institute of Interfaith Dialogue (IID) hosted the bi-annual "Dinner of Abrahamic Traditions." Among participants were members of the Lubbock community as well as national and international communities. The total participation was around 50 participants.
We are thankful for the attendance and participation of all of our guests, Pastor Barry Stephens, Dr.Howard Curzer and Imam of Houston Blue Mosque, Mustafa Yigit.
This year's dinner will be held at Corpus Christi Country Club on Tuesday, November 29th at 6:30pm. The event will feature live music performances of various faiths, cultures as well as a Keynote Speech entitled "Promoting the Common Good in Our Communities" by Prof. Jim Harrington, Director, Texas Civil Rights Project. IID Annual Activity report by Dr. Araiza, Texas A&M University-CC along with a Book Signing session by Prof. Harrington will also be showcased in the evening. Ms. Katy Kiser will emcee this year's exciting, colourful event.
Please RSVP by November 18th, 2011 at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call (361) 980 3738.
(October 31th 2011, Corpus Christi, TX)
On Tuesday, October 25th, The Institute of Interfaith Dialog (IID) hosted the annual Dialog and Friendship Dinner, bringing together 220 people from the community in the spirit of peace and understanding. The topic of the dinner was Family Literacy, and the keynote speaker was the dean of the Bush School, Andrew Card. Ms. Mary Hatcher from Bryan Broadcasting emceed the program.
The program started with College Station Mayor Nancy Berry. Mayor Berry spoke of how important interfaith dialog is for the community and praised IID for their efforts in this area. Next was Dr. Mark Webb, department head of the philosophy department at Texas Tech. Dr. Webb talked of his long-term involvement with IID-- he is now an advisory board member of IID's Lubbock branch. He ended his speech by also praising IID's work throughout the state of Texas and contributions of Mr. Fethullah Gulen to peacebuilding. President R. Bowen Loftin of Texas A&M University followed, and his speech involved the importance of diversity and cross-cultural understanding, as well as his efforts to bring it to campus. Dr. Loftin also shared his vision of having all A&M students eventually studying one semester abroad.
