Ann Arbor Community Invited to Explore a “Shared Sacred Story for the Human Family”

Panel discussion brings together global interfaith leader William Vendley, U-M scholars, authors, storytellers and improvisational jazz two days before United Nations Day

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — At a time when religious, cultural and political differences can feel increasingly difficult to bridge, the Fetzer Institute is partnering with the University of Michigan to bring scholars, spiritual practitioners, community leaders and musicians together in Ann Arbor to consider a provocative question: Can humanity find a shared sacred story without erasing the distinct stories and traditions that make us who we are?

A Shared Sacred Story for the Human Family: A Panel Discussion and Community Exploration will take place Thursday, October 22, 2026, at the Michigan League’s Koessler Room, 911 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor. A community reception with light refreshments and live improvisational jazz begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the program from 5:30–7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The gathering comes just two days before United Nations Day on October 24, an annual observance marking the anniversary of the United Nations Charter and an opportunity to reaffirm the principles of international cooperation. The timing gives particular resonance to an evening devoted to what people across different religious, spiritual and cultural traditions might learn from one another while still honoring profound differences.

The evening grows out of the Fetzer Institute’s ambitious five-year project and newly published volume, Retelling Sacred Stories: Our Journeys to a Shared Sacred Story (Orbis Books, 2025). The project brought together nine international teams of scholars and spiritual leaders to retell stories from major religious and spiritual traditions and explore whether those distinct narratives might also reveal points of connection capable of supporting human and planetary flourishing. The book describes the effort not as replacing individual traditions, but as seeking a larger story that can respect their integrity while creating space for solidarity across differences.

Global interfaith leader William Vendley featured

A featured voice in the conversation will be Dr. William F. Vendley, Vice President of World Religions and Spirituality at the Fetzer Institute and Secretary General Emeritus of Religions for Peace International.

Vendley brings decades of experience working across religious traditions and international conflicts. Before joining Fetzer, he served for 27 years as Secretary General of Religions for Peace, which he has described as formative to his understanding of humanity’s search for a shared sacred story capable of holding differences while inviting solidarity and care for one another and the Earth.

The Ann Arbor conversation will not assume that creating such a story is simple — or even necessarily possible. Panelists will examine the possibilities, challenges and limitations of collaboratively retelling sacred narratives and ask what such an undertaking could contribute to dialogue, pluralism, civic life and responses to global challenges. That inquiry is also at the center of U-M’s official event description.

Joining Vendley on the panel are Andrea Gondos, Padnos Family Professor of Jewish Thought at the University of Michigan; Chenxing Han, author, educator and Buddhist Studies scholar-practitioner; and Dwight Wilson, author, interfaith leader and social justice advocate. Kelly Dunlop, U-M Religious, Secular and Spiritual Life Lead, will moderate.

The evening will also feature Ed Sarath, U-M Professor of Music and Director of the Program in Creativity and Consciousness Studies, along with improvisational jazz musicians. Rather than limiting the gathering to an academic panel, the event will weave together music, personal stories and conversation to invite participants to encounter questions of meaning and connection through lived experience as well as ideas.

The evening is an opportunity to examine the power of sacred narratives to address some of the biggest questions of our day. The panel will explore whether diverse sacred stories can contribute to greater understanding across differences while retaining the distinctive wisdom and identity of the traditions from which they emerge.

The event is organized by the Fetzer Institute and U-M Religious, Secular and Spiritual Life and co-hosted by the U-M Program in Creativity and Consciousness Studies; Department of Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation, U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance; and Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County.

EVENT DETAILS: Thursday, October 22, 2026. Reception with light refreshments and improvisational jazz begins at 4:30 p.m. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. and concludes at 7 p.m. Michigan League, Koessler Room, 911 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor. Free and open to the public; registration is required.

U-M event and registration information

Learn about Retelling Sacred Stories from Orbis Books

About the Fetzer Institute

The Fetzer Institute is a Michigan-based philanthropic foundation whose work focuses on helping build the spiritual foundation for a loving world. Its Our Shared Sacred Story initiative grew from a multi-year collaboration among scholars and spiritual leaders exploring how humanity’s diverse sacred traditions might contribute to shared flourishing while maintaining their distinctive identities.

Media Contact (Fetzer):
Mohammed Mohammed, Senior Program Officer, Fetzer Institute
[email protected]