Some participants described a newfound awareness about how their actions affect others, as well as a resolve to take personal action to bridge the divide. "It made me step back and look at the consequences of my actions," said one participant. "I became more aware of how what I say may be heard," noted another. One person reflected, "It's easy to point a finger and blame someone else. But the only person you can really affect is yourself. This process brought me back around to that." Another concluded, "I am only one person, but this process made me think hard about what I can do to reach out. It's easy to sit in the corner. It is harder to reach across." Added another, "We don't have to be the same to be friends, neighbors, co-workers. Organizations make lines for us. We need to reach across them."

For many, these insights brought about a profound shift in how they perceive, experience and relate to the religious divide. "It made me think in a different way." said one participant. "My views are less polarized, more textured and open," noted another. One individual summed up her experience this way, "This process put a human face on the divide. It reminded me that we are in this community together. I realized I can't really retreat to my own side. I realized we share this community."

Looking to the future — where do we go from here?

In November 2005, participants in the Bridging the Religious Divide dialogue project gathered to "harvest" the insights gained and to look to the future. Although many individuals had entered the project with some trepidation, most people came away amazed at the transformative power of dialogue. As one person said, "I learned how seriously you have to take the importance of just listening." Another noted, "I found out that there is healing through dialogue." Yet another reflected, "The process of sharing stories and personal experiences is the bridge."

There was widespread recognition that the success of any "next steps" depended, in part, on the continuation of dialogue, and there was a collective call to create more opportunities for conversation. As one participant said, "People need to be heard in a genuine and in-depth manner before solutions can be found. We must not skip this stage." "We need to continue speaking the unspoken," said another. "To bridge the divide we must speak at a deeper level, to have the courage to discuss the 'elephant in the room."

In gathering together at the end of the dialogue project, participants also rallied around four initiatives to help continue and expand their efforts to bridge the divide. These initiatives, as well as the Bridging the Religious Divide website, are listed below. This letter encourages its readers to consider joining these initiatives or launching an effort of their own. Thus in closing, this letter returns to the hope stated at its beginning — that others will take up the conversation, exploring new directions, and experiencing the courage, connection, and sense of true community that emerge from speaking one's truth, being heard, listening, and responding.

Next Steps: Expanding the Dialogue