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
Tour Rodef Shalom Congregation with us on Sept. 9; reserve your ticket now!
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 EVENT:
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Coming Together: Institutional Mergers & Relationships in Multifaith Perspective
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
10:00 a.m.
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Rodef Shalom Congregation
4905 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
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Get out your permission slips, because it’s time to sign up for the first of our We Have to Talk Interfaith Field Trips! Meet us at Rodef Shalom Congregation on Tuesday, September 9.
First, Rabbi Dan Fellman will lead us in exploring this beautiful, historic building. From the earliest moments of contemporary Reform Judaism, to a visit from a U.S. President, to hospitality to congregations affected by the 10.27 synagogue shooting, Rodef Shalom has hosted pivotal events throughout its 169-year history. The synagogue building, designed by Pittsburgh architect Henry Hornbostel, is full of symbolism, grandeur, and purpose. We’ll have a peek at both public and private spaces as we explore this fascinating house of worship.
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Next, we’ll gather as a group for a time of dialogue inspired by the most recent development in Rodef Shalom’s history: its upcoming merger with Temple Sinai. These two synagogues aren’t the only faith organizations in our region that are looking at new, cooperative forms of relationship. What mergers and partnerships are brewing in your own context? What have you found life-giving and challenging about bringing institutions together? How do our diverse faith perspectives, in scripture and tradition, influence our thinking about institutional partnership?
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.