The Fish Interfaith Center Executive Advisory Council is comprised of campus and community members engaged in religious and interfaith work. We have drawn from a number of community religious institutions, as well as members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, and student body of Chapman University. Our mission statement is as follows:
The mission of the Fish Interfaith Center is to provide sacred space and stimulating programming to inspire and assist people as they:
- Explore, discover, and deepen their spirituality
- Develop an appreciation for spiritual diversity with a view to mutual enrichment
- Integrate the spiritual and intellectual dimensions of life
- Engage in ethical reflection and the discussion of values, and construct a vision of what they can contribute to the common good.
Chapman University is deeply committed to interfaith dialogue and reconciliation among religions. We are committed to welcoming students of all religions to campus. The Advisory Council discusses ways we can be involved in interfaith engagement in our community, and implements ways to introduce interfaith engagement to our student body. We are dedicated to making sure Chapman is a welcoming place for students of all faiths throughout their college years.
In March of 2012, members of the Advisory Council helped to design and participated in the interfaith event, the Installation of the Dean of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel. It was a symbol of interfaith cooperation and a wonderful example what an interfaith service can be.
Dr. Julye Bidmead, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Chapman University. Dr. Bidmead teaches a variety of courses in Religious Studies at Chapman, as well as serving as an archaeologist on multiple excavations in Israel.
Jasdeep Singh Mann represents the Sikh Center for Orange County, and is involved in a variety of interfaith organizations in Orange County.