Search results for: potluck project
Countering Dehumanization
We counter dehumanization by bringing neighbors across difference into real relationships that restore dignity, belonging, and shared responsibility. Dehumanization happens when fear and division cause us to stop seeing each other as fully human. Paths to Understanding responds by creating spaces where people meet across differences, listen deeply, and rediscover our shared humanity. At PTU,…
Read MoreA Year of Courage, Kindness, and New Sunrises
As we turn toward the close of the year, I’ve been looking back on the moments that give me hope. Not abstract ideas, not headlines—but real conversations with real people. These three keep coming back to me. 1. “These questions were next level.” At a Potluck Project event in Kirkland, a leader who has been…
Read MoreSeeing the Human in One Another
I was recently at Princeton Seminary to support one of our staff members at a program for young Christian leaders. It’s an excellent program—full of bright, committed people. One of the presenters talked about how many younger folks have mixed feelings about “institutional” religion. Afterward, I joined a small group conversation. I said I wasn’t…
Read MoreSharing Food, Building Trust in Philadelphia
On Sunday afternoon, Viveka Hall-Holt and I had the joy of helping to lead a Potluck Project event in Philadelphia. We were warmly hosted by the Philadelphia Sikh Society, in partnership with University Lutheran Church, the Bahá’í Community, and staff from Interfaith Philadelphia. We were served a delicious vegetarian meal in the tradition of Langar,…
Read MoreClosing The Great Chasm Between Us
Machines of Slander and Fears For sixty years, people have been walking away—from groups, from institutions, and even from one another. Churches, unions, civic clubs, and neighborhood associations—once the backbone of community life—have all thinned out. Groups have walked away from other groups too, retreating into separate worlds of culture, class, and information. But nature…
Read MoreHow We Are Organizing Our Mission
Last week, I shared about our new mission statement at Paths to Understanding: “Gathering Neighbors and Growing Trust.” This new language isn’t just words. It’s shaping how we organize our work and where we put our energy. To live out our mission, PTU is focused in three areas: 1. Local Practice, Shared Tools At the…
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