Dekila Chungyalpa is the founder and director of the Loka Initiative. She is an accomplished environmental program director, with 20+ years of experience in designing and implementing global conservation and climate strategies and projects. On this episode of the Interfaith Voices Podcast, we discuss the new documentary from the Loka Initiative, Sacred Wisdom Sacred Earth which is about the indigenous community of Wisconsin and their connection to the land.

For more information on Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth go to www.sacredwisdomsacredearth.org
For More information on the Loka Initiative go to www.lokainitiative.org
More more information on Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

What is Christian Nationalism, how does it affect us, and what can we do to fight against it?

Rev. Dr. Kerri Parker (she/her) has served as the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches since 2017. During her tenure, the Council has become known nationwide for its leadership in faith-based COVID response, fresh ecumenical vision, and collaborations for racial equity. In 2023 she was honored with the United Church of Christ’s Avery D. Post Ecumenical Award. She has served as a local church pastor and YWCA executive. Her wider church work includes the Christian Unity & Interfaith Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Wisconsin Conference UCC Board, and UCC General Synod Delegate. Rev. Parker preaches and teaches widely around Wisconsin and has co-authored study-action guides on Faith & Gun Violence and Jesus & Justice in Public. She contributed to the book “There’s a Woman in the Pulpit”

(Skylight Paths, 2015). Rev. Parker earned her D. Min. from Iliff School of Theology and an M.Div. from Chicago Theological Seminary. Beyond church and family, Rev. Parker’s passions are stories, show tunes, and justice.

For more on WI Council of Churches go to www.wichurches.org

For more on WI Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

Open Doors began in the spring of 2016 as an offshoot of an event to raise awareness about the Syrian refugee crisis. At the end of the event, half the people stayed to talk about what we could do. Through a series of meetings and events that followed, we eventually morphed into Open Doors for Refugees with our current mission and focus.

Since then, almost two thousand people have reached out to Open Doors, and several hundred have signed up to be on one or more of our teams. We invite you to become involved!

Jason Mack began as the Executive Director of Open Doors for Refugees in October of 2024.

Before that, he was the pastor of Underwood Memorial Baptist Church in Wauwatosa, WI, and previously served as the associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Madison and as the founding pastor of New Leaf Church in College Park, MD. Jason received a Master’s Degree from Wesley Seminary and a Doctorate from Central Seminary, where he studied organizational leadership and innovation.

Open Doors for Refugees can be found at https://opendoorsforrefugees.org/
Church world services: https://cwsglobal.org/

For more information on WI Faith Voices go to https://www.wifaithvoices.org/