Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania
working for the unity of the church and the wholeness of communities through collegiality, collaboration, and connectedness
We Have to Talk
Participate in an informal conversation on immigration on April 9
Join us for an interfaith field trip to the Penn Forest Natural Burial Park on May 6.
We Have to Talk is a network of interfaith spiritual leaders from across Southwest Pennsylvania: over 500 clergy and lay people who gather to build relationship across our diverse traditions through conversation and action.
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Our network's core principles are named in our statement of purpose, Living Faithfully With One Another. The key organizing partners are Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania and the Center for Loving Kindness at the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh.
In the 2025-2026 program year, ​We Have to Talk plans a series of "Interfaith Field Trips," bringing our dialogues on the road to spiritual landmarks across our region.
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Our network began in the days immediately following the mass shooting at Tree of Life synagogue on October 27, 2018. Should we cancel a planned interfaith gathering the following week? we wondered. No, we agreed. Because: we have to talk.
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To receive occasional emails about We Have to Talk, sign up here.
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Photo by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
OUR NEXT EVENTS:
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Conversation on Immigration
Thursday, April 9, 2026
10:00-11:30 a.m.
via Zoom​​​​​​​​
At our last Spiritual Leader Space gathering, we identified a need for ongoing conversation among interfaith spiritual leaders regarding the current climate of increased immigration enforcement and detentions. On April 9 at 10 a.m., we'll open a space on Zoom for the purposes of informal conversation among clergy and lay leaders. Drop in as you're able. Bring your questions, ideas, connections, needs and laments. Please register here to receive the Zoom link.
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Interfaith Field Trip: Penn Forest Natural Burial Park
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
10:00 a.m.
Penn Forest Natural Burial Park
121 Colorado St, Verona, PA 15147​​​​​​
Hope you returned your permission slip, because it's time for another We Have to Talk Interfaith Field Trip! Meet us at the Penn Forest Natural Burial Park on Wednesday, May 6.
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Visit Pennsylvania’s first and only exclusively natural burial ground as we explore our diverse traditions and practices around death and dying. We will have a tour of the burial park and learn more about why our neighbors of many faith traditions are choosing green burial. Then we'll gather for conversation. What kinds of death practices are customary in our faith traditions, and how might these be changing in our contemporary context? How do our practices around death reflect our beliefs about caregiving, dying, and an afterlife? Across the diversity of our traditions, what similarities do we see in our roles as spiritual leaders in times of dying?
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Space is limited, so please register now using the form below. This event is intended for spiritual leaders: clergy and religious and those holding lay leadership roles in houses of worship and faith institutions across Southwest Pennsylvania. Let's come together. We have to talk.
