Our opening event is a buffet dinner and immerse dialogue experience facilitated by Marlon Hall, a nationally recognized artist, sculptor, cultural anthropologist and filmmaker, who will guide us through the practice of the art of hospitality.  Marlon’s Ecotone of Culture Dinner is an intentional evening meal where stories, cultures, and lived-experiences are shared. An ecotone is a living edge — where distinct worlds overlap, tension holds possibility, and new life emerges. Guests will gather and eat around the artist’s tables, with a community door at the center of the room made of different faith community doors, a metaphor for our minds and hearts being open to Houston’s rich tapestry of faith traditions. 

Every door has a story, and every story is a doorway. Dinner allows us to sit together in the fertile in-between space between who we are today and who we aspire to become, grounded by a ritual older than borders, institutions, or ideology. Our time together is a form of social sculpture— where food, story, and presence cultivate belonging and open a doorway to deeper listening. For this experience, you may bring an artifact from your home that can fit into your pocket- something that tells your story and reflects your tradition. At your table, conversation will focus not on what you do, but who you are and why you exist.

The dinner is not the end of the evening. It is the beginning of the work of hospitality.

This event is sold out.  Please see additional opportunities to participate in UN World Interfaith Harmony Week through service projects and the Weekend of Welcome.

Click below to learn more from Marlon Hall.

• Kids Meals
  • Space is limited
    Every individual attending — including children (8 and above) — must register for this event date using the link below: https://vhub.at/worldinterfaithharmony
• Wesley Community Center
  • 8am- 12noon: Space is limited
  • 1-5pm: Space is limited
  • Register at UN Harmony Week – Wesley Community Center -Feb 5th
    • Please only respond to shifts on February 5th for this opportunity. 

  • Volunteer waiver: https://tinyurl.com/wesleyvolunteer

• Register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTEo9bTyigleF_11ryMMM-Oyp48gPfBF0tgv-7kNFKGfV2Fw/viewform?pli=1
• Download any marketing materials and playbooks you want to use
• Set out collection bins to start collecting non-perishable food items from Feb 1 – 8th.
• Determine the “weight” of the donated items per congregation
• The designated congregation can choose which food pantry will benefit from their collected items. They will contact the pantry to arrange delivery or pickup of the food items.

Weekend of Welcome: Open Doors, Open Hearts

As part of IM Houston’s celebration of UN World Interfaith Harmony Week, houses of worship across the city are opening their doors to one another in a spirit of curiosity, hospitality, and shared humanity.

During this Weekend of Welcome, houses of worship from many faith traditions will offer a special invitation: Step through an open door into a tradition not your own by attending a service or open house.

Experience the beauty, rhythm, and meaning of a community different from the one you know. Ask questions. Listen deeply. Meet neighbors whose paths you may not yet have crossed.

Houston’s strength has always been its diversity. When we walk through one another’s open doors, we discover that our stories intertwine more than we imagined. Whether you are rooted in a particular faith, exploring spiritual questions, or simply eager to learn, this weekend offers a chance to build understanding one welcome at a time.

Come with openness. Leave with connection.
Together, we create a city where every door can be an open door.

The following houses of worship are participating. Click here or see the link at the bottom to register.

Friday, Feb. 6th

• ASIA Center (Mosque), 618 Barringer Ln. Webster, TX 77598.    1 pm. Modest dress (no head covering is required)
• Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, 801 Bering Dr, Houston, TX 77057. 6:30 p.m.
• Raindrop Center & Blue Mosque, 9301 West Bellfort, Houston, TX 77031. 1-3pm. 
• Congregation Shaar Hashalom, 16020 El Camino Real, Webster, Texas 77062,  7:00 p.m.
• Rothko Chapel, 1410 Sul Ross Street, Houston, TX 77006, Open from 10 am – 6 pm for self guided tours

Saturday, Feb. 7th

• Zoroastrian Center, 8787 W Airport Blvd, Houston, TX 77071, Open from 10 am – 2 pm for tours
• Rothko Chapel, 1410 Sul Ross Street, Houston, TX 77006, Open from 10 am – 6 pm for self guided tours

Sunday, Feb. 8th

• Unity Church, 1911 Highway 3 South, League City, Texas 77573. 10:30 am
• Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church, 17503 El Camino Real, Webster, TX 77058.   11 am
• Fountain of Praise, 13950 Hillcroft Ave, Houston, TX 77085, 9:45 am (Service begins at 10 am)
• Rothko Chapel, 1410 Sul Ross Street, Houston, TX 77006, Open from 10 am – 6 pm for self guided tours
• Vietnam Temple – Meditation Service, 10002 Synott Rd, Sugar Land, TX 77498, 2 pm at the Meditation Hall
• Arya Samaj Greater Houston, 14375 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082, 9:45am – 12:15pm *guests are welcome to stay for a vegetarian community lunch at 12:15
• St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 600 Pecore St., Houston, TX 77009, Arrival time 10:50; Worship begins at 11:00

Click here to register to visit local houses of worship.