September 2026

Kicking Off the Year on the Network and at Spark Lab NYC

The Multivocal Chorus at Our Fall Gathering

This past week, our fellows, Network members, partners, and new friends gathered for Spark Lab NYC, a three-day gathering exploring how stories can ignite faith and justice. The Riverside Church has a remarkable legacy of faith in public life, from Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic 1967 address to generations of congregants who have gathered there to imagine a more just world. Hearing current stories of faith in that space served as a powerful reminder that we are part of a much larger narrative, and the stories we tell now can shape what comes next.

The gathering featured an extraordinary collection of voices, including This American Life creator Ira Glass, historian Kristin Du Mez, poet Pádraig Ó Tuama, author and facilitator Priya Parker, scholar and activist Lisa Sharon Harper, writer and guide Kaitlin Curtice, and theologian and pastor Jim Keat -- and more! Attendees participated in the 3Practices circle, expanding the multivocal chorus by sharing stories of exclusion or belonging, then asking each other questions rooted in a genuine curiosity.

In the concluding Story Slam, FIRE cohort members stepped into the spotlight. Instead of polished testimonies, they offered us surprising and vulnerable stories that reflected the complexity of faith in a changing world. FIRE exists to challenge one-dimensional narratives of spiritual life by amplifying diverse expressions of faith, and hearing cohort members tell their stories made that vision tangible.

Save the Date for our winter gathering in Berkeley, CA, on January 28-30, 2027!

September Reflections from the Faith & Justice Network

This month on the Network, we began our exploration of multivocal gospel spirituality, and sat with the strange and unsettling ending of the Gospel of Mark: “And they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” Resisting the urge to rush and resolve the story, we lingered with the trembling, silence, and uncertainty of the women at the empty tomb.

Prompted by posted reflections from Sophie & Peter, and our Teaching Fellows Lisa Sharon Harper, Mihee Kim-Kort, and Angie Hong, the comment section opened into conversations about discomfort and silence. What have we learned from the quiet? When might silence be a faithful response, and when might it keep us from engaging what is difficult?

Kristin Du Mez’s new book Live, Laugh, Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and The World They Made, gave us another lens for these questions, inviting us to examine the spiritual stories and cultural forces that shape our understanding of faith, purity, control, and belonging.

If these are the kinds of questions you find yourself carrying, you can get a taste of the conversations happening on the Network by watching Kristin’s Spark Lab session, available free online. It’s a glimpse into the kind of deep, honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations we make space for together.

​Watch Kristin Du Mez’s Spark Lab session →​

October on the Faith & Justice Network

In the month of October, we continue to explore inward change through multivocal gospel spirituality, focusing on the ending of Matthew.

In addition to scriptural reflections and theological readings, we'll watch Priya Parker discuss her new book at Spark Lab NYC, The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict. Parker argues that conflict is an essential component of group life. How do we embrace "healthy heat" and cultivate the skills to engage well when circumstances force us to wrestle over shared identity, purpose, and direction?

Interested in reading the whole book? It just released and can be found at your local bookshop.​

When you become a member of Faith and Justice, you can:

• Read & watch on your own timeline each month, then join the community conversation.
• Stream the Live Conversations to hear what is stirring in Peter, Sophie, and special guests Lisa Sharon Harper and Padraig O'Tuama in October.
• Receive curated liturgies, videos, readings, and reflection posts.

→ Join today as an individual or become a church partner.

Kicking Off the Year with Our 56 New Fellows!

We have a total of 56 fellows across three tracks: 18 in Common Good, 16 in Preaching Justice, and 24 in FIRE Stories. They span generations, denominations, and geographic regions, including 4 countries, 17 states, and the District of Columbia.

They are hospital chaplains, graduate students, retirees, poets, parents, tech workers, high school teachers, speech writers, yoga instructors, worship leaders, lawyers, photographers, and so much more. They are passionate about integrating the way of Jesus and the work of justice.

In their cohorts, they will cultivate a learning community that pursues a theological imagination for the common good.

After gathering together in NYC, we look forward to how they shape this year ahead!

Does this sound compelling to you? Applications for next year’s fellowships will open in the spring!

​​​​