Interfaith Network Gathers at Houston’s New Ismaili Center to Support and Collaborate
Faith leaders and nonprofit staff from across Greater Houston filled the terraces of the new Ismaili Center Houston on Thursday, August 20th, for IM Houston’s Quarterly Interfaith Network Meeting, a gathering created with the goal to align and amplify faith-centered events, deepening interfaith engagement across Greater Houston.
More than a dozen congregations and faith-based organizations were represented at the midday meeting, held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. hosted by Southwestern Ismaili Council – USA. Waheeda Kara, chair for communications & outreach, welcomed the group on behalf of the Ismaili Center and invited all attending to a guided tour of the building, which opened this year as a place of gathering, worship and civic dialogue overlooking Buffalo Bayou. For many attendees, it was a first look inside.
IM Houston Board members Alison Comstock Moss, left, and Nadia Tajalli at the Quarterly Interfaith Network Meeting.
Representatives from regional interfaith communities also presented updates from their areas. We were honored to have the Fort Bend Interfaith Council, Interfaith Council of Clear Lake, Spring Interfaith Council, and Galveston Island Ministerial Alliance join us.
The program’s centerpiece was a working session on disaster preparedness. Representatives from the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance and Connective walked attendees through the Disaster Needs Survey, a shared intake tool that lets congregations and community organizations assess what their neighbors need in the hours and days after a storm, flood or other emergency, then connect those neighbors to help quickly.
The pitch to the room was practical. Houston’s faith communities are often the first places people turn after a disaster, and they are frequently the last to be looped into formal recovery systems. The survey is designed to be usable by a small church office or a volunteer team with no emergency management training, and the data it gathers helps route resources where they are actually needed rather than where responders assume they are needed.
IM Houston Board member Nihala Zakaria, left, Rothko Chapel CEO Abdullah Antepli and Anti-Defamation League Southwest Regional Director Randi Sonenshein.
Conversation over lunch provided by Southwestern Ismaili Council – USA and catered by Reza Persian Grill, ranged well beyond logistics. Attendees traded notes on volunteer recruitment and invited one another to upcoming events including the Festival of Faiths, which will be held at the Ismaili Center October 4th.
The Interfaith Network meets each quarter at a different house of worship or faith-based organization across the region – giving hosts a chance to welcome others into their space and a time for people of other faith traditions to learn. The Houston area Interfaith Network brings together faith-based organizations to cultivate a vibrant, collaborative environment where mutual understanding, education, and respect among diverse religious traditions can flourish. Through mutual support, sponsorship, and participation, the network builds bridges of solidarity, forging a united community committed to shared learning, compassion, and collective impact. Attendance draws from Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Baha’i, Zoroastrian, Jain, and Buddhist
IM Houston Board members the Rev. Dr. Tamla Wilson, left, and Nihala Zakaria on the terrace at the Ismaili Center Houston.
From left, Rabbi Joshua Fixler of Congregation Emanu El, IM Houston Interfaith Relations Officer Kim Mabry, Aziz Soomro of the ASIA Center Clear Lake
and Rabbi Shaul Osadchey.