This data was last updated on 12 November 2020.
Address: 140 Fall Street, P.O. Box 131, Seneca Falls, NY 13148-0131
Email: info@womensinterfaithinstitute.com
Website: http://www.womensinterfaithinstitute.org
The Women's Interfaith Institute is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to "support women of diverse faiths in generating spiritual leadership, scholarship and service," according to the Rev. Dr. Allison Stokes, founding director of the Institute. The Institute's two regional groups--the Women's Interfaith Institute in the Berkshires (MA) and the Women's Interfaith Institute in the Finger Lakes (NY)--include women from Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan and Unitarian Universalist faith traditions, as well as women who are not affiliated with any particular religious institution.
From Protestant Christian Ministers to Religious Leaders: Expanding the Network
The Institute was founded as the Clergywomen's Interfaith Institute by the Rev. Dr. Allison Stokes in 1992 as a support network for women ministers in the Berkshires area. The impetus for the creation of the group began earlier, however, when Stokes moved to the Berkshires in 1988. She was surprised to find a large number of clergywomen in the area, especially in the United Church of Christ (UCC). At that time, the New England region had the highest percentage of UCC women clergy in the country at 12 percent, but in the Berkshires, 50 percent of the UCC clergy were women. Seizing upon this unique characteristic, Stokes conducted a research project through Hartford Seminary, which resulted in the publication of a book, Women Pastors (1995), detailing the experiences and personal stories of ten women UCC ministers who met monthly during the course of the project.
After the book project was completed, the UCC clergywomen continued to meet, and eventually some Catholic and Jewish women expressed an interest in joining the discussions. It was at this time that the group decided to form an organization, the Clergywomen's Interfaith Institute. The organization eventually dropped "clergy" from its title to reflect the growing diversity of the group and the fact that not all women who are leaders in their religious communities are necessarily ordained clergy. The group has since become a national organization with two regional groups: the original site in the Berkshires, and a site in the Finger Lakes (Seneca Falls, NY), located in an historic church building next door to the Women's Rights National Historical Park. The building was constructed in 1871 by the congregation of the Wesleyan Chapel, which hosted the first Women's Rights National Convention in 1848. The Institute hopes to expand to include other regional groups across the country. A more detailed history of the group's development can be found on the Institute's website.
Making Women's Voices Heard
In providing a support network to women who are religious leaders, the Women's Interfaith Institute seeks to make the voices of women heard in their respective traditions and in the interfaith movement. The Institute supports women in the initiatives in which they are already involved, which can be generally categorized into eight different areas:
1. Women in ministry, and religious and spiritual leadership.
2. Women "Bringing Peace to Life"
3. International women (people originally from other countries or who are working abroad)
4. Women leading community organizations (homeless shelters, shelters for women and girls, etc)
5. Women in the healing arts (including psychologists, psychotherapists and practitioners of various healing therapies)
6. Young women
7. Women in the arts (with a focus on how religious and spiritual values influence artistic work)
8. Women working on the environment
Besides making women's voices heard in public events and individual initiatives, the Institute also makes sure women's voices are written and recorded. The Institute publishes an occasional newsletter, called Women of Spirit, which began in 1996, as well as supporting the academic research and writing of some of the Institute's members. In 2004, the Berkshires group's retreat focused on "writing our stories" and the importance of putting women's experiences into writing. In response to the awareness that much of women's history has been lost, the Institute maintains an extensive archive of information related to women's leadership in religious or spiritual roles. In order to ensure that women's voices will continue to be heard, the group collects sermons, photos, programs and descriptions from events, and other items women choose to contribute to the Institute's files to document their work. Placing these items into the archives is a part of the annual harvest festival, the "harvesting" of each woman's work in her ministry over the past year. The Finger Lakes center houses the Institute's extensive library collection, comprised of the personal academic libraries of several of the members of the Finger Lakes and Berkshires groups.
A Wide Variety of Events and Celebrations
In addition to supporting individual initiatives, each regional organization sponsors public events. The Berkshires group holds a monthly potluck dinner, followed by a program based on a theme that changes annually. The theme for 2007 is “Faith in Action: Locally and Globally.” These events take place in the Chapel of the Church on the Hill, 55 Main Street in Lenox. The group also holds annual celebrations of International Women's Day in March and Earth Day in April, and hosts a harvest festival in November. These events can draw up to several hundred people, women as well as men, though most of the attendees at the public events are women.
The Finger Lakes group sponsors a variety of programs at its historic building in Seneca Falls. During two notable weekend celebrations in Seneca Falls each year-- "Convention Days" in July, and "It’s A Wonderful Life" in December, the Institute plans special events. And every year the group offers a program on August 26th, Women’s Equality Day. On September 15th, the anniversary of the ordination in 1853 of Antoinette Brown Blackwell (the first American woman to be ordained), a gathering for women clergy and religious leaders is held. Programs centered on the theme “Bringing Peace to Life” are held monthly. Other non-profit organizations use the building for retreats, seminars, and conventions.
The Institute maintains a website, with an events calendar that is updated regularly.
Increasing Awareness of Difference Through Dialogue
Katharine Houk, former communications coordinator for the Women's Interfaith Institute in the Berkshires, has observed that monthly meetings form the foundation of the relationships between the women in the Institute’s groups. The meetings are about getting to know each other personally and fostering dialogue. No one particular religious or political perspective prevails, and the differences of perspectives form the fodder for engaged conversation. Women "plumb the depths" of their differences and engage in respectful dialogue with women whose beliefs are very different from their own. "I see those kinds of conversations to be sacred," Houk says. "They are where transformation takes place, or can take place. It's where people can become more open and grow together, rather than becoming adversarial. That's what so important about what the Institute is doing and has been doing, and it's all at a grassroots level that this is happening. People's eyes are being opened to each other on a local level."
Originally prepared by Student Researcher Tracy Wells (August 17, 2004)