Dear URI CCs, Trustees, Donors, Staff, and Friends,

United Religions Initiative (URI) thanks you for your steadfast dedication over the years. You have helped ensure that URI succeeds in its efforts toward peace, justice, and healing. With your support, URI has become the leading interfaith grassroots organization in the world.

We are grateful for your friendship and partnership. Together we can continue to impact the world for the years to come.

Let's celebrate 25 years together. Please enjoy the recording of the community call and join us for the individual membership call.

with deep appreciation,
The URI Team

Celebrating Together - Community Call

Anniversary Thoughts — Beautiful word cloud poem from the participants of the anniversary call on June 26.

On 26 June 2024, over 80 people from across the world, all continents represented, gathered to mark the 25 years of URI!

From the founding members and staff to the youngest generation of URI gathered to reflect on the journey made thus far and dream and weave a future of resilience, connection and collective effort toward peace, justice, and healing for all living beings.

Enjoy a video recording of the anniversary call.

Story of the URI Star

At the very first planning session in 1996, when about 100 people from different backgrounds gathered to explore what a new interfaith organization might be like, one person in attendance, due to unexpected baby sitter problems, had brought her 10 year old son, Walter Grey. At one point, while he was playing with colorful origami papers and listening to conversations around him, he raised his hand and asked if he could tell us something.

He held up an origami piece made with brightly colored papers. He said, “Once the religions of the world were far apart.” Then, he slowly moved the colored pieces together to create a new form and said, “Then they started really speaking to each other.” He held up high his final creation, and said, “Then, there was something that was never there before a star!” A Catholic nun in the group exclaimed, “that will be URI’s logo!” ...and the rest is history!