Interfaith Engagement on Campus
Who We Are
Bears Better Together is the interfaith dialogue and service organization at Missouri State University. We invite people of all religious and secular traditions to voice their values, engage with others, and act to make the world a better place.
Some of the things we do throughout the year include our annual Interfaith Holiday Showcase in the winter and taking students to the Interfaith Leadership Summit in Chicago every August. The Interfaith Leadership Summit (ILS) is a super fun conference for college students and educators, where you get to hear from diverse interfaith leaders; build your knowledge about other traditions; and develop skills as a leader, storyteller, and organizer. There are keynotes, dancing, music, good food, interactive art projects, a variety of workshops, and more! Bears Better Together pays to take a certain number of MSU students each year, including registration and travel. Last year (2023) we took 9 students from multiple different faith groups, and a community leader, and had a wonderful time staying right on the Chicago Riverwalk and bonding as a group.
Our winter Holiday Showcase is an annual tradition where we feature information about the huge variety of winter holidays that are celebrated by different religious and secular groups around the world. This past year (2023), we partnered with Multicultural Programs to turn it into a Winter Holiday Bingo, and it was a blast! We competed for prizes, learned a lot of fun facts, and got to hear from some of the religious and cultural groups we have on campus and in the community. This is an event you won’t want to miss each year!
We also host social events to encourage students of different worldviews to connect on a deeper level and learn from one another; service events to better our local community; and educational events such as panels, workshops, documentary screenings, and more to promote appreciation and community building between students and community members of different faith backgrounds.
To get involved:
Join us on Involve/BearLink: https://missouristate.presence.io/organization/bears-better-together
Join our contact list here for updates about what we’re doing and to join our leadership team: https://forms.office.com/r/d8qvETRSZZ
