Our Work

The MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio brings people together across faiths, cultures, and backgrounds to learn from one another, build meaningful relationships, serve our community, and grow in compassion.

Our work is rooted in curiosity. We gather not to convert one another, but to understand one another. People of all faiths and none are welcome in our programs, where each person’s story, tradition, questions, and spiritual path are treated with respect.

Through education, dialogue, service, reflection, and celebration, we create spaces where neighbors can encounter one another with openness and care. In a time when division and misunderstanding can feel overwhelming, we believe religious pluralism is not just an ideal — it is a practice of community, courage, and hope. Our work promotes religious pluralism by creating spaces where people can encounter difference without fear, ask honest questions, and build relationships rooted in mutual respect.

Learning & Understanding Connection & Belonging Shared Action Reflection & Spiritual Growth Celebration & Support Invite Us to Speak

Learning & Understanding

We create opportunities for people to learn about diverse faith traditions, beliefs, practices, holidays, and sacred spaces. These programs help deepen understanding, challenge assumptions, and promote compassion across differences.

Exploring Our Faiths invites the public to visit local faith communities and learn directly from their members. Each gathering typically includes a tour, presentation, conversation, Q&A, and a shared meal. Past visits have included the Hindu Temple of Toledo, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Lucas County Bahá’í Community.

Faith Leaders Breakfast is an annual gathering of clergy, lay faith leaders, and community leaders who come together to explore current issues through the lens of faith, pluralism, and the common good. In 2026, the MultiFaith Council brought together 47 leaders representing 16 diverse faith traditions for a dialogue on protecting religious pluralism, an event recognized with the 2026 World Interfaith Harmony Week Award.

Community Dialogues are pop-up conversations focused on the intersection of faith and current events. These gatherings create space for thoughtful conversation, shared learning, and deeper understanding around issues that matter to our community. We are always interested in partnering with local organizations and faith communities to host meaningful dialogues.

Seasons of Celebration helps people learn about religious holidays and sacred seasons observed by different faith traditions. Through education and storytelling, this program invites greater awareness, respect, and appreciation for the many ways people mark time, meaning, and spiritual life.

The Woody Trautman Lecture honors the legacy of MFC founder Woody Trautman, who was deeply committed to building bridges across religious difference. Each year, the lecture brings people together to build community and learn about important issues related to faith, peace, justice, and compassion.

Connection & Belonging

At the heart of the MultiFaith Council is the belief that community is built through relationships.
We create spaces where people can meet across difference, form friendships, share meals, and experience the joy of belonging.

Men’s Group

Our Men’s Group meets monthly for dialogue on spirituality and community. The group also serves bi-monthly dinners at St. Paul’s Community Center, putting compassion into action by supporting neighbors experiencing hunger.

Women’s Group

Our Women’s Group gathers throughout the year for community outings, service initiatives, and meaningful connection. Members participate in projects such as holiday gift drives, volunteer opportunities, and support for local nonprofits. The group also leads the MFC chapter of Together Women Rise, connecting local women with a global movement dedicated to education, advocacy, and support for women and girls around the world.

MultiFaith Annual Picnic

The MultiFaith Annual Picnic is a public gathering where people of all faiths, cultures, and backgrounds are invited to share food, friendship, and community. It is one of the many ways we celebrate the relationships that make northwest Ohio stronger, kinder, and more connected.

Shared Action

Compassion is at the heart of our work. We believe our values come alive when we serve together.

The MultiFaith Council participates in service projects and community partnerships that invite people of different faiths and backgrounds to work side by side for the common good. Over the years, our members and partners have supported efforts such as MultiFaith Habitat for Humanity builds, community gardening, tree planting, service days with local nonprofits, and meals for neighbors in need.

We also partner on community efforts that care for both people and the planet. These include the MultiFaith Earth Day event, which promotes environmental stewardship; the Interfaith Blood Drive, which supports the health and wellbeing of our wider community; and the monthly Toledo Repair Café, a multifaith co-ministry started by Park United Church of Christ and the Sylvania Bahá’í Community in partnership with the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. 

Through shared action, we practice neighborliness, deepen relationships, and help build a more compassionate northwest Ohio.

Interested in partnering with the MultiFaith Council on a dialogue, service project, educational event, or community initiative? We would love to hear from you.

Reflection & Spiritual Growth

For those seeking spiritual connection, reflection, and discovery, the MultiFaith Council offers programs rooted in openness, reverence, and shared humanity.

Blessings of Diversity is a monthly gathering featuring representatives from 10 faith traditions who share scripture, song, poetry, prayer, and reflection on a common theme. Rooted in the Sufi tradition of Universal Worship, this program offers a beautiful opportunity to experience wisdom from many traditions in one shared space.

Dances of Universal Peace meets monthly and draws from another Sufi tradition, using sacred phrases, music, movement, and meditation to cultivate peace, unity, and spiritual connection.

Our Multifaith Meditation Group offers guided meditation in a welcoming environment for people interested in reflection, mindfulness, and spiritual practice across traditions.

These programs are open to those who are deeply rooted in a faith tradition, those who are spiritually curious, and those who are simply seeking a meaningful space for reflection and peace.

Celebration & Support

Celebration is one of the ways we build community. Throughout the year, the MultiFaith Council hosts gatherings that bring people together through music, story, food, friendship, and shared purpose.
Our Spring Concert features an array of local professional musicians and celebrates the power of music to connect, uplift, and inspire. In December, our annual Candlelight Concert at The Farmhouse in Metamora features members of the Toledo Symphony and offers a beautiful seasonal gathering for reflection and community.
We also host an Annual Banquet, bringing members, partners, friends, and supporters together to celebrate the work of the MultiFaith Council and sustain its future.
These events are community-building first and fundraising second. Every ticket, donation, sponsorship, and act of support helps make it possible for the MultiFaith Council to continue creating spaces of compassion, understanding, and belonging across northwest Ohio.

Invite the MultiFaith Council to Speak

The MultiFaith Council is available for presentations, panels, and facilitated conversations on religious pluralism, multifaith community-building, faith in public life, and creating more inclusive communities and workplaces.

We welcome opportunities to speak with houses of worship, schools, nonprofits, civic groups, workplaces, and community organizations. Whether you are planning a panel, educational program, staff conversation, or community event, we can help create thoughtful spaces for learning across difference.

Join Us

Whether you are looking for spiritual community, meaningful dialogue, opportunities to serve, or a way to support religious pluralism in northwest Ohio, there is a place for you in this work. Come to an event. Become a member. Partner with us. Support the work. Together, we can build a more compassionate northwest Ohio — one rooted in curiosity, courage, friendship, and peace.