Ramadan Prayers

Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal I received this beautiful message from NPR highlighting their listeners prayers this Ramadan, which begins today or tomorrow, depending on the sighting of the new moon in Saudi Arabia. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/10/1237049818/ramadan-prayers-2024-eid-muslims-peace-gaza-empathy.  This is a powerful reminder to non-Muslims everywhere of the humanity and spiritual depth of Islam as practiced […]

Spring 2024:  A Time of Sacred Observation for Many Faith Traditions; A Time for Needed Prayer

Contributed by Vicki Nelson, Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church; Susan Posey, Redeemer Lutheran, McLean Spring 2024 is marked by religious observations for people of many different faith traditions.  We are a nation founded on the principle of religious freedom and we celebrate that the First Amendment to the US Constitution ensures that everyone has the […]

Pints with Doubting Thomas

Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean One reason I belong to St. Thomas Episcopal Church is because our patron saint – known popularly as “Doubting Thomas” – reflects the broad theology of the Anglican Communion, particularly its American counterpart. Our conceit is that we uniquely straddle reformed and non-reformed Christian traditions, which is […]

Spirituality and Well-Being: Exploring the Connection

Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean More than anything else, spirituality is a quest to find one’s authentic self, to review and interpret life events and develop a sense of personal integrity; and it should not be confused with religion, which remains nevertheless an important path for many. That was the consensus of […]

Volunteer Spotlight:  Food for Others

Contributed by Susan Posey, Redeemer Lutheran, McLean I recently had the opportunity to spend a few hours volunteering at the Food for Others food distribution warehouse located in Merrifield.  What an eye-opening and rewarding experience! Here is a short history of Food for Others from their website: For the past 28 years, Food for Others […]

“The glue of seeing good”

Contributed by Lois Herr, First Church of Christ, Scientist, McLean On February 4, 2024, Tysons Interfaith will partner with George Mason University for an Webinar entitled Spirituality and Well-Being:  Exploring the Connection.  As we prepare for this engaging and interactive event, I wanted to share a recent article from the Christian Science Monitor, that is […]

Chaplains Can Help Change Lives: Muslim Chaplains Provide Healing and Support in Various Settings

Contributed by Yerusalem Work The following is an excerpt from an article published on Islamic Horizons. To read the article in its entirety, please visit: https://islamichorizons.net/chaplains-can-help-change-lives/. “We live in a mostly secular world that may have lost its connection to the divine,” said Tahira Wellman, a chaplain at New Jersey’s Hackensack University Medical Center. She’s […]

A Holiday Reflection:  What is My Purpose?

I attended a recent holiday choral concert, during which I was introduced to the principles of Kwanzaa (this year, December 26 through January 1, 2024). One of those principles is Nia – purpose. The Northern Virginia Chorale sang a beautiful hymn composed by Glenn Burleigh questioning our purpose as human beings created by God. I […]

Advent Prayer For “Peace on Earth”

Over the last few weeks, these words have become my daily prayer: “Let there be peace on earth.” With the war in Ukraine entering its twenty-first month and the war in Israel and Gaza expected to continue into the new year, the loss of lives and the displacement of people have been overwhelming. In places […]

A Festival of Light

On Thursday, December 7th at sundown, Jews all over the world will begin the celebration of the eight-day festival of Chanukah with the lighting of the first candle on the menorah. The celebration this year will not be the same, as war rages in Israel and Gaza and its repercussions are felt around the world, […]