Lama Matthew has been practicing Buddhism since his 20’s and as says, “The only accomplishments I can claim about my mediation practice is that it is slow and steady and stuck in first gear. Studying mainly the Tibetan system for Buddhism I have developed an appreciation for the Rime approach towards the different schools with a particular fondness for the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions.” He admits he has been very fortunate in being able to share the knowledge he has gained with others, while his primary practice, off the cushion, is trying to bring a peaceful and joyous mind to all those he meets.

At the beginning of 2016 Lama Matthew became the Spiritual Director of the Rime Buddhist Center & Institute of Tibetan Studies. In this role he is the administrator on a day-to-day basis, yet also teaches classes on meditation and Buddhism and performs Buddhist ceremonies, including weddings and funerals. Matthew is the Buddhist Director on the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council. He is also a member of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions.

Rev. Michael Stephens grew up in Kansas City and has experience in the Christian Church (DOC), United Methodist, Episcopal and Southern Baptist circles. Since 2002, he has been the pastor at Southwood United Church of Christ in Raytown which is very progressive theologically and works toward social justice in many areas symbolized by the full inclusion and affirmation of LGBTQ people.

Michael has been a part of and held leadership positions in ministerial alliances in every community where he has served as pastor. Raytown’s ministerial alliance had voted to become an interfaith alliance right before he came. Ever since, he has been a prominent voice insisting they truly live into that vision. When providing leadership for MLK Celebrations, Mayor’s Prayer Breakfasts, Community Thanksgiving Services and prayers at the City Board of Alderman gatherings he has consistently been sensitive and given voice to the many faiths practiced in our community.

Michael feels truly honored to have a seat at the GKCIC table each month. The vision of that table is a continuing fulfillment of what he sees as a sacred dream for the human family. Unfortunately, we do not always live out the best expressions of ourselves. Michael recognizes a certain tension representing the vastness of Protestant Christianity with a past and present that is not always welcoming of other faiths. While his congregation’s faith leads them to a far more open, welcoming and progressive theology and practice, he is committed to strive to faithfully represent Protestantism in its history, faith, theology and diverse practice. Learn more about the church Michael serves at  www.ThatChurch.us.

Usha Saha, Ph.D., was born in Vijayawada, India in a Hindu family and practiced “Hinduism’, which is more than a religion. It is a culture, a way of life, and a code of behavior. She comes from a family of professionals. Her father was in the Air Force and her mother was a school principal. Her siblings are doctors, educators, and engineers. Married in 1990, she and her husband came to the U.S. in 1991 as postdoctoral fellows after completion of their Ph.Ds. Their son was only six months old at the time. Later she changed from research to public school teaching so that she could devote more time for her son. Her passion for learning did not stop. She earned two master’s degrees in education from the University of Missouri in Kansas City (UMKC) before beginning work in school administration.

She is active with the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center (HTCC) in Shawnee, KS where she is the Director of Outreach and also served in various capacities for over 20 years including the president of HTCC in 2017. Dr. Saha and her husband are very proud of their son who is an M.D. from UMKC School of Medicine and currently pursuing a fellowship in Child Psychiatry at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO.

Dr. Saha has been representing the India Association of Kansas City (IAKC) as the ethnic commissioner for more than a decade to Kansas City Mayor’s Ethnic Commission. She is also a member of board of directors at the United Nations of Kansas City, Missouri Chapter, and International Relations Council (IRC) in Kansas City. She brings diversity to the UN and IRC and fosters relationships with the Indian and Asian community. She is determined to bring different cultures together and close the gaps. Her professional life has no limits in mentoring and educating high school students and preparing them as respected global citizens.

Zulfiqar Malik is a founding member taking a leading role in establishment of the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City and its institutions such as the Islamic Center of Greater Kansas City, Mid-America Muslim Cemetery and the Islamic School. 

Alan Edelman is a native of Kansas City. After receiving a B.A. in Child Development, Alan attended the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he received a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education. Since 1977, he has served in a number of professional capacities including congregational educator, regional director for the Conservative Movement and executive director of the Central Agency for Jewish Education. Beginning in 1994, Alan served as Associate Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City with the portfolios of Jewish Education, Leadership Development and Israel & Overseas until his retirement in June 2017 to devote more time to volunteering. Alan and his wife, Debbie Sosland-Edelman, have four children, Alex, Katja (and husband Ari), and Jonathan. Our first grandchild, Noa Dorit, came into the world in August 2017.

Janet is a healer and firewalker, a motivational speaker, life coach and massage therapist. She is a practitioner of alternative medicine, educated as a Chinese herbalist through the International Institute of Chinese Medicine. A guardian of the Earth, she’s heavily involved in sustainable agriculture and food sources. Janet teaches Chi Kung, Tai Chi, Reiki, certified trainer of 8toGreat, the most powerful process for positive change. She is Reiki Master, Chinese herbalist, and offers wisdom on nutrition for health and healing. Janet loves to work with animals children. She cares for several horses and other animals on her property and love teaching children about different faith traditions and spirituality.

Karta Purkh has been a member of the Sikh path, or Panth, for 35+ years. He came to the teachings of Guru Nanak as the result of his practice of Kundalini Yoga and meditation. The logic and precision of his yogic practices, discovered after a number years of searching for a “spiritual path” blended perfectly with the beliefs of Sikhism and his own personal beliefs developed over the years.

Sikhism requires meditative remembrance of God through chanting and repeating God’s name on a daily basis. It also requires the Sikh to work by the sweat of his brow and NOT profit by the sweat of others. An honest living must be earned honestly and righteously. Additionally, a Sikh is obligated to share these blessings with those less fortunate.

Karta Purkh rises each day (usually) at least two hours before the Sun. He bathes (usually) in a cold shower in preparation for prayer, yoga, meditation and scriptural reading. It is through this process that he has been able to adjust and change his life from one that might be called dissolute into a life of effort towards excellence.

One of his favorite quotes from his teacher Yogi Bhajan is, “It’s not the life you live, it’s the courage that you bring to it.” Karta Purkh sincerely believes that while living this kind of life is neither simple nor easy, it is worthwhile. He believes that all of life is merely training for us in how to die with the Remembrance of God in our hearts, minds and on our lips.

Ira Sirkar has served as the Sufi Faith Director with the GKC Interfaith Council since 2011. He has been a student of Sufism since 1976 and is an ordained minister, a Cherag, in the Sufi Universal Worship, a concentration that brings the world’s religions together to promote understanding and spiritual awakening for humanity in a prayer service.

He is also a leader of the Dances of Universal Peace, which uses sacred phrases from the world’s faiths traditions, attunements with embodiments of the divine, music and simple dances in a moving mediation and tantric practice.

He has also served as the Kansas City program coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker-based peace and justice organization since 1986.  In that capacity he has organized programs on conflict resolution, social and economic justice, opposition to war, promotion of peace and youth civic engagement and leadership.

He has a master’s degree in conflict resolution and bachelor’s degrees in art/environmental science and elementary education. He is an avid gardener and was the founding director of the KC Community Garden Project. He is happily married and lives and gardens with his wife, Leila, in south Kansas City.

Teresa is the Pastoral Associate at Visitation Church, a Catholic Community. She is a non-profit professional who is passionate about religious literacy and peacemaking. Teresa is experienced in leadership, program direction, volunteer management, cultural competence, intercultural dialogue, and public speaking. She enjoys engaging in creative endeavors such as writing. Teresa is the Ecumenical Officer and Chair of the Ecumenical/Interreligious Commission which exists to:

• affirm and promote ecumenical and interreligious efforts by individuals and institutions
• provide vision and leadership to the local Catholic Church in its mission to dialogue with other Christians, Jews, Muslims and all people of good will
• facilitate a visible unity among area religious communities that is rooted in prayer, dialogue, acts of service and friendship

Read more about Teresa here.

The Reverend Dr. Kendyl Gibbons is the 15th senior minister at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church. She is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, a recognized leader in the continental Association, and past president of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association. Kendyl is a graduate of the College of William and Mary, with Bachelor of Arts degrees s in Religion and Sociology. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Meadville/Lombard Theological School.

Kendyl has a long-standing commitment to theological education and the future of ministry. She has formally supervised more than twenty student ministry internships, and been an informal teacher and mentor to dozens of seminarians. She has been an adjunct faculty member of the United Theological Seminary in the Twin Cities, and former Co-Dean and Mentor for the Humanist Institute. She currently teaches in the areas of worship and liturgy, and the dynamics of professional leadership, and serves as adjunct faculty at her alma mater, Meadville/Lombard Theological School in Chicago.

As an active member of the Minneapolis Downtown Interfaith Clergy group, Kendyl traveled to Jerusalem and Bethlehem with twelve Christian, Muslim, and Jewish colleagues in January of 2007. Among her Unitarian Universalist colleagues, she recently chaired the committee that revised the Ministers Association code of conduct and professional guidelines.

Kendyl has been widely published in UU journals and publications, including Quest, Religious Humanism, and the UU World, and she has made numerous presentations at the annual UUA General Assemblies. She is a contributing author to Parenting Beyond Belief; On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion. Kendyl has received the John Burton Wolf Prize for Excellence in Preaching, and the Meadville Lombard Alumni/ae Association Excellence in Ministry Award. She lives in Kansas City, east of Troost, with her husband of 40 years, Mark, and two cats.

Linda Prugh is a member of the Vedanta Society of Kansas City, where she has served as secretary since 1980. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in English and Masters of Arts in Reading Education from the University of Missouri. She taught English in a public high school for five years and managed a private tutoring clinic for six years.

The first Vedanta Societies in the United States were founded by Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), who travelled from India to speak on Vedanta at the World’s Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. The swami taught in the west for some years, then organized the Ramakrishna Order of India, a monastic organization named for his spiritual teacher, Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886). Brother disciples of Vivekananda as well as their spiritual descendants also taught in the west. Today there are 17 Vedanta centers in the United States and centers on every continent.

Linda is the author of a biography of a bold, vivacious American woman who met Vivekananda in New York in 1895, became his disciple, and helped him carry the message of Vedanta to other U.S. cities as well as England and France. The book, Josephine MacLeod and Vivekananda’s Mission, was published in Chennai, India. Linda has also authored numerous articles on Vivekananda, Vedanta, and related topics, most of which have been published in journals of the Ramakrishna Order. She has also assisted others in research and editing for Vedanta books and articles. Currently she is working on an article devoted to the universality of Vedanta, as taught by Swami Vivekananda, and she is editing a series of articles on Vedanta and Christ.

Linda is a Vedanta student, claiming no expertise in any aspect of Vedanta teachings. However, she loves Vedanta as a philosophy, a spiritual path, and a way of life. She is married to Bill Prugh, an attorney and they are members of a Methodist church in Overland Park, and have a grown daughter in Chicago.

Bennette Seaman was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. Bennette and her husband Bob have raised 6 children and now have 5 grandchildren. She attended the University of Kansas when her youngest child reached age 5, where she studied Political Science, Philosophy and Religion. She is currently managing her husband’s dental practice on a part time basis, to allow time for work she is passionate about.

As the Public Relations Officer for the Church of Scientology of Kansas City, a member of the Justice & Dignity Center Coalition, and GYRL (Giving Yourself Real Love) in Kansas City, Bennette works to bring people together on work to improve conditions in the city and establish stronger relationships between churches and other like-minded groups.  She organizes and participates regularly in events from disaster response work to forwarding the message of human rights. Having a large and diverse family, she truly appreciates the good in all and seeks to bring others together in the same spirit.

Rev. Mary Gibson McCoy focuses on multicultural and interfaith education and relations, following a career as a real estate attorney with 30 years of experience in title underwriting. She is Founder and President of Cultural Crossroads, Inc., an ordained minister of the Alliance of Divine Love, an At-Large Director and Program Chair of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council and President of the Heartland Chapter of the Alliance of Divine Love. In January, 2015, she became the Chair of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council. She is also a member of the Religious Literacy Project task force and the Kansas City Hate Crimes Task Force.

She is the founder and former artistic director of IDIMO Dancers/DanceAmerica, a performing international dance troupe, and was a teacher and co-director of a community-based ethnic dance organization, as well as a past member/performer with numerous ethnic dance groups. Mary hasserved as director and officer of various professional associations during her real estate career: Women’s Chamber of Commerce – First VP and chair of various committees, Rural Northland Development Association – First VP, Director, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association – committee chair, Platte County Bar Association – committee chair, and Arab-American Friendship Club – Social Director.

Geneva earned a Master of Arts focused in Religious Studies and Non-Profit Leadership in 2019 and a Bachelor of Arts – B.A. focused in Religion and Art History in 2017 from Athens State University. Currently she is the Current Program Director for the The Interfaith Center at Miami University and Administrative Director for the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada. Geneva Blackmer, founder of the The Kansas City Interfaith History Project, and author of the Ecumenical and Interfaith History of Greater Kansas City booklet. She is an At-Large Director for The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council, Global Council Trustee, North America for United Religions Initiative, Communications Manager for Zen Center of Las Vegas and Contemplative Outreach -Kansas City. She is experienced in program development, office management, non-profit administration, database management, fund development and donor engagement, communications, community outreach, volunteer coordination, library and museum services, education, etc. She has previously worked with the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington on Emergency Services Resource Outreach and the Parliament of the World’s Religions on their Climate Commitments Project.

Rev. Kelly Isola, MDiv., is passionate about supporting people and organizations to live and love more authentically – to move toward a better version of themselves so they can make their mark on the world. She is masterful at relating concepts across her various life experiences, which allows her to connect with and support audiences from all walks of life.

Rev. Kelly Isola is a one-of-a-kind force of nature, a genius with words, a brilliant thinker, and a professional excavator of individual and collective souls. She also masquerades as a consultant, teacher, author and transformative mentor.

She shares her passion for living the two-fold path of an engaged spiritual life – embracing the inner path of wisdom, as well as demonstrating the outer path of compassionate service in order to experience healing and transformation through the wholeness of the human experience.

Kelly’s has spent a lifetime dedicated to interfaith healing. Kelly grew up all over the world, being exposed to other cultures and religions at a young age. This showed her the need for greater understanding between faiths, and their inherent oneness. As Kelly is often heard saying, “If you go to the heart of your own religion, you will go to the heart of every religion.” Her commitment to interfaith understanding is extraordinary and has a global impact.

Rev. Kelly embodies interfaith ideals. She’s one person, yet her commitment to interfaith work helped create a system of governance for global peace efforts. Through the GKCIC Table of Faiths event, she invites people of all faiths to break bread together and find belonging with each other, while celebrating the differences and the sacredness of another’s faith. Through exceptional commitment, leadership, courage and capacity for inspiring others to embrace vulnerability and compassion, Kelly provides a personal interfaith touch with a global reach.

In 2009, Kelly facilitated the creation of an organized governing body and governing system for the Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace. Through Nonviolent Communication, Appreciative Inquiry, and other interfaith strategies, she facilitated leaders from across the globe, having different languages, cultures, and religious backgrounds, in creating the structures that support their work to this day, with representatives in 25 countries.

Through “Seva Journeys,” Kelly coordinates affordable trips around the world. Participants not only tour their destination but serve the local community and explore the variety of religious perspectives among group members and the religion of the country in which they travel. She courageously brought one of the first tour groups through Egypt after the revolution, exploring Islam and Egyptian theology.

Of course, interfaith work is pervasive through every life experience, just as individual religious experiences are in the makeup of who every individual is. One area of life where this is demonstrated is in disaster relief. In a disaster, the Jewish home is destroyed right along with the Muslim, Hindu, and Christian home. Disaster relief work is interfaith work. This became abundantly clear to Kelly when she was aiding in disaster relief after Katrina and, more recently, devastating tornados in Joplin, Missouri. As a spiritual leader, she worked with all faiths impacted. It takes courage to walk into the devastation of a tornado or hurricane. It takes great courage to cross the religious divide and provide spiritual support in such difficult times to those of many faiths.

She has written numerous articles for Unity magazine, various booklets, and a number of online magazines. She is also the co-author of the bestselling book, “Who Have You Come Here To Be: 101 Possibilities for Contemplation.” Read more about Kelly at www.kellyisola.com

Dr. Nakao was raised in the Methodist faith, and began her search for unification with the heart/mind of God at a young age, encouraging her parents to attend church as a child, even when on vacation in other states. After finishing her Ph.D. in Art Education at the University of Missouri, she was led to the practice of Sukyo Mahikari through a colleague at Northern Kentucky University. 

She has now practiced this spiritual path, which is compatible with many faiths and teaches the importance of interfaith collaboration for achieving the ultimate goal of God’s Plan on earth, for about thirty-five years.  She was formerly a center director for Sukyo Mahikari in at the Kentucky Renrakusho and the Cincinnati Okiyomesho, and a North American Regional Jun Kanbu (assistant staff).  She now serves as a “pioneering member” in the Heartland and gives purification by God’s Light at Light Circles in and around Kansas and Missouri. She was also one of the founding members of the Caucus on the Spiritual in Art Education (CSAE) of the National Art Education Association, and served as the Assistant Chair from 2009 – 2011 and the Chair of the caucus from 2011-2013.

Rev. Dr. Zac Harmon-McLaughlin is the director of the Community of Christ Seminary at Graceland University where he also serves on the faculty of religious studies. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Religion in 2008 from Graceland and Master of Arts in Religion in 2010 from Graceland’s Community of Christ Seminary. In 2019, he completed his Doctorate of Ministry in Executive Leadership from the San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Zac is an ordained minister in the Community of Christ and holds the priesthood office of Seventy. He has served as a full-time pastor, missionary coordinator and Mission Center president in various regions and states in the United States. He currently serves the church as a member of the Interfaith and Ecumenical Team and represents Community of Christ as a member of the Church World Service Member Board. He has had numerous publications for Community of Christ through Daily Bread and the Herald. Most recently, Zac was the regional development executive director for Community of Christ in Northern California and Western Nevada.

“I stay engaged in leadership development and practical ministerial application through religious education. My deep hope is to empower and inspire future innovative leaders and ministers to cultivate and create authentic, loving and transformative Christian community.”

Harmon-McLaughlin is passionate about peace and justice, environmental justice, and belonging. His research and study focus on post-church and radical ecclesiology. Harmon-McLaughlin considers himself a practitioner-scholar. His favorite quote is from theologian Anne Lamott, “The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is certainty.”

I am a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of the basic tenets of our faith states, “We claim the privilege of worshipping almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men this same privilege; let them worship how, where, or what they may.” I join with the Interfaith Council as an At-Large Director to help promote understanding among all of us, whatever our faith.

In my family life, I am a mother of six adult children, and we have 20 grandchildren. My family is one of my highest priorities.

In my professional life, I have done a number of things from being a full-time mother, to owning my own business, to being a computer programmer, then a project manager. I now run a root cause analysis program at Cerner Corporation trying to improve the quality of our software to help improve patient outcomes.

On a volunteer basis, I have served in several positions within my faith: president of our children’s organization, president of our Young Women’s organization, early morning religious instructor for high school students, and emergency preparedness specialist. I current serve as Director of Public Affairs for the Church Kansas City and most of northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas. One of my main concerns and efforts is around protecting and defending religious liberty so that we can all continue to worship as we please.

I look forward to serving shoulder-to-shoulder with others because serving together builds greater understanding and love between people.

Peter R. Jarosewycz is a retired attorney. His ancestral religion is Ukrainian Catholic, often referred to as “Byzantine Catholic” or “Greek Catholic.”  Several of his ancestors were priests. Today he is active in the Unity movement and in the Ukrainian-American Community.

Beccah Rendall became interested in ecumenical and interfaith understanding in college at Butler University while studying religion and political science. She interned her senior year with the Indianapolis Center for Interfaith Cooperation, helping coordinate a sacred spaces tour. After moving to Kansas City in 2017, Beccah began attending the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council (GKCIC) while serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with the Refugee and Immigrant Services and Empowerment division of the Kansas City Public Library.

In addition to serving as an at-large director on the GKCIC, Beccah is the social engagement coordinator for the Kansas City Heart of America CROP Hunger Walk. She is also a member of Showing Up for Racial Justice – Kansas City (SURJ-KC) and the Kansas-Missouri Dream Alliance (KSMODA).

Rev. Dr. Matthew Silvers is a pastor at Lee’s Summit Christian Church (DOC) and has served that faith community since 2009. He has been part of the People of Faith for Peace since its inception and has participated in various interreligious gatherings across the city. He completed a Doctor of Ministry project entitled “Tables of Peace: Constructing a Theology of an Interreligious Welcome Table.” This project focused on the challenging yet necessary work of practicing hospitality within one’s interreligious context by sharing food, fellowship, and interfaith dialogue. While tolerance may be a first step on the journey, he believes we should not stop at mere tolerance; rather, we must strive for true community and deeper relationships with friends from all faith traditions. In this pursuit, the goal of peace, civility, and community are possible. In the future, he hopes to find ways to continue building community and deepening relationships with people of all faiths.