World Peace: Can Interfaith Dialogue Help?
Melissa Nozell fascinated our guests at the Winter 2025 program. Melissa is the Senior
Program Officer, Religion and Inclusive Societies, of the United States Institute of
Peace.
Melissa had participants practice an exercise she uses in a training for faith leaders. The challenge is to draw a flower, with each petal representing an aspect of your identity.
WIN sweetened the identity exercise and small-group discussions by serving peace cookies.
Jo Arora, a WIN member of long-standing, demonstrates that interfaith dialogue can also be intergenerational, as she participated in a peace-building exercise with her daughter Simone.
Holy Shake-Up: A Woman’s Journey to Equality in Her Church
Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, a Sarasota resident and pioneer in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, discusses her recent trip to the Vatican with Tom Matrullo at WIN’s November 2024 program at the Oakhurst Clubhouse.
Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan (left), a global leader of the ARCWP, shares vignettes from her recent trip to the Vatican with Kathy Huston.
Meeting Bishop Bridget was especially meaningful for Louise McCarthy, WIN’s newest member, whose childhood dream was to become a priest.
Food and Religion
Our buffet at the Spring 2024 Food and Religion program featured food items mentioned in the Torah, New Testament, and Koran, along with relevant quotes from all three holy texts.
Women In Clergy
A record number of curious guests lined up to attend WIN’s panel on “Women in the Clergy.” This 2024 Winter Program yielded lively conversations over lunch, networking galore, and the addition of five new members to the Women’s Interfaith Network.
From left Panelist and new WIN member Nikki Seger shares smiles with long-time WIN-ners Linda Bodycomb and Jody Beresford at the Winter 2024 Program.
Jeanette Sherrill speaks in costume as Antoinette Brown Blackwell (ordained in 1851) and as herself, an ordained Minister in the United Church of Christ and long-standing member of WIN.
Panelist Rabbi Goldie Milgram shared historical insights into female clergy in the Jewish faith, as well as her own journey to ordination and beyond.
WIN-ners (from left) Susan Boston, Lillian Lambert and Barbara Briggs, as well as John Lambert, share observations at the “Women in the Clergy” 2024 Winter Program.
Susan Keal (left) and Susanne Allen share apple cider and opinions about political preaching from the pulpit—the discussion topic at a recent Monday Common Table.
The Leadership Circle morphed into a rectangle for the first planning session of summer 2023.
At this recent Tuesday Common Table, a wide variety of faiths were represented. Among these were The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), Hinduism, New Thought, and Judaism. We shared our favorite prayers, poems, and books from our individual faiths and spirituality.
Megha Vaid (right), guest speaker on Hinduism at the Fall Program 2023, instructed us on the principles of her faith and components of Indian dance. Here she practices hand gestures with Melanie Marcus. Both are WIN members.
At Alice’s Common Table Seder in 2022, symbolic foods were explained–and devoured! Discussion centered on the quest for freedom in Biblical times and today.
Mennonite speaker JB Miller (right) responds to a query from Jeanette Sherrill at our Winter Program 2023. JB was eager to answer our questions before, during and after his presentation.
After JB explained that differences in clothing styles reveal an Amish person’s home community, our members took a closer look at the head covering worn by an Amish woman from the Midwest. JB brought a display of men’s and women’s garb from various Amish communities in the United States.
Various Gatherings
Susan Keal (left) and Susanne Allen share apple cider and opinions about political preaching from the pulpit—the discussion topic at a recent Monday Common Table.
WIN member Marsha Quattlebaum (seated center) is flanked by her husband Kyle and Rev. Dr. Lal Hmingliani Browne, beneath the watchful eyes of Faith and William Reynolds, all of the Sarasota Church of the Palms, at our Winter 2025 Peace Program.
Melissa Nozell fascinated our guests at the Winter 2025 program. Melissa is the Senior Program Officer, Religion and Inclusive Societies, of the United States Institute of Peace.
Speaker Melissa brought her mother Patricia and baby Etta to hear her program on Peace and Interfaith dialogue.
Imam Mohamed Benkhaled (seated left) and several other members of the Islamic Society of Sarasota and Bradenton (standing) welcomed WIN members (from left) Marianne Erdelyi, Marsha Quattlebaum, and Sharron Howard to Iftar and a sumptuous dinner to break-the-fast during Ramadan 2025.
Winter holidays were discussed at a 2024 December Common Table. Here Marsha Quattlebaum shares and explains “Chrismons,” symbolic stars she places in her Advent Calendar. Winter holidays were discussed at a 2024 December Common Table. Here Marsha Quattlebaum shares and explains “Chrismons,” symbolic stars she places in her Advent Calendar.
WIN members chat with members of the Board of the Islamic Society of Sarasota Bradenton at a March 2024 iftar.
Once again, WIN members were invited to meet monthly with 6th and 7th grade girls at Sarasota’s Hershorin Schiff Community Day School. This intergenerational Common Table brought added warmth and dimension to our interfaith conversations in the Winter of 2024.
The photo on the left depicts students and WIN members composing collages reflecting their interests, goals, and values during a Monday Common Table
Susan Boston, co-facilitator of WIN’s Leadership Circle, proudly displays the WIN Bins, which contain supplies from tablecloths to name tags for our various activities.
Janet Harris (left) and Susan Skovronek display a Purim puppet and noisemaker at the new Monday Common Table in March, 2024. The discussion centered on Spring holidays including Easter, Passover, and Purim.
We were invited to break the fast (iftar) during Ramadan at the Islamic Society of Sarasota-Bradenton. WIN members Nazia Abid (second from left) and Mary Margaret Barbour (far right) enjoyed the conversation and the international fare. Our members often attend the Society’s fairs and special events.
One year, WIN women shared lunch and discussions with sixth, seventh, and eighth grade girls at a local school.
Members Speak Out
“What our world needs more than ever is intelligent and diverse perspectives centered in something other than our own egos--WIN provides this opportunity.” The Rev Nikki Seger
“WIN is a place where we all share our similarities and celebrate our differences” Megha Vaid
