Organization History

Philadelphia City HallPhiladelphia, the birthplace of religious liberty, provides fertile soil for the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia. Founded in January 2004, the Interfaith Center was formed by individuals who carry a collective legacy of experiences and achievements in interfaith relations work.

The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia emerged in the aftermath of 9/11. This national tragedy catalyzed many communities to take steps to rebuild trust, hope and safety among the citizens in their regions. Taking seriously the responsibility to create positive change and a healthy society, religious and civic leaders in Philadelphia developed a vivid vision for a center that could foster a climate where cross-cultural and multi-faith education, dialogue and collaborative endeavors could flourish.

In order to determine the need for a new non-profit of this nature, an Advisory Committee was formed in September 2003. A pivotal grant from the Fels Fund enabled the Interfaith Center to hire a part-time director to oversee a planning phase, and Tabernacle United Church served as the Interfaith Center’s fiscal sponsor in its formative year. The multi-cultural and multi-faith Advisory Committee identified and met with community leaders and existing interfaith groups over many months to uncover areas of pressing need in the region. The assessment revealed that there was no one organization that served as the locus for all faith communities nor was there one with the express purpose of promoting interfaith education and dialogue, so the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia was born.

A Strategic Planning process in 2007-2008 resulted in new Board-staff alliances and a clear vision to direct the Center forward.

Organizational Growth and Program Highlights

The Center offered a range of community programs and dialogues in its first year. Examples of programs the Center organized include the annual Interfaith Women Clergy of the Delaware Valley retreat, the monthly interfaith book club Quest and a seminar on end-of-life issues with the Annenberg Center for Medical Education at Lankenau Hospital. In January 2005, the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia became an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and, a few months later in August, the Interfaith Center opened its office at the Philadelphia Cathedral in University City, together with the Arts & Spirituality Center.

In the spring of 2005, the Interfaith Center hired a project director with a vision of developing an interfaith service-learning project for teenagers. Walking the Walk was piloted in North and West Philadelphia that fall. Just as Walking the Walk began its initial year, the Interfaith Center engaged a coordinator of interfaith education who could respond to the growing requests for adult programming with her educational program Encountering Other Faiths.

With the start of the new year, the Interfaith Center continued to develop new programs with the first annual Alternative Spring Break program for students from North Carolina State University. In addition, after a year of planning, the Center facilitated the Day of Discernment for top religious leaders in Philadelphia, resulting in the formation of a Religious Leaders Council.

In its early years, the Center has become a valued and important resource in the Philadelphia region. In a world in which religious and ethnic differences divide too many, the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia is committed to creating an alternative paradigm – one in which differences are acknowledged, individuals are respected, and a place where a shared vision and action for the common good can be shaped.