Togetherness at the Interfaith Women’s Conference
On March 28, nearly 150 women gathered at the 4th Interfaith Women’s Conference, held at Pierce College in Lakewood. With 12 unique workshops offered, participants had an opportunity to explore and learn from different faith traditions and cultures.
Every two years this event is organized by a volunteer planning committee, usually 10-12 women from various faith traditions. Planning begins 12 months ahead of conference day, and it’s all hands on deck to orchestrate all the moving parts of the conference. A big shout out to this year’s planning committee – thank you!
Our fabulous keynote Carol Mitchell, founder of the Institute for Black Justice and also the current Tacoma Peace Laureate, kicked off the day. Music from members of the Tacoma Refugee Choir sang for us in the morning, while members of Khalsa Gurmat Sikh community shared their music (kirtan) in the afternoon. Vendors filled the hallways, sharing goods and ways for women to be involved with community efforts. Fabulous dialogue across faith lines happened during lunch around tables with women who just met, creating new friendships and understanding of one another. And of course, amazing workshops led by 20 different phenomenal women!
A great day was had by all! Traditions represented included: Islam, Judaism, Baha’i, Protestant Christian, Roman Catholic, Sikhism, Hinduism, Quaker (Friends), spiritual but not religious, agnostic and more.
Thank you to all who made this year’s event possible. If you’re interested in helping plan the 2028 conference, feel free to contact Sandy Windley at sandyw@associatedministries.org.