As major events unfold across the country, prompting concern from church leaders including Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, more than a hundred people gathered inside Ross Hall of St. Mary’s Church in Stuart, Florida, on June 11 to bridge divides and celebrate diversity.
Darcy Weir, the parish’s resident scholar, stood on the elevated stage alongside three men she’d be interviewing for the final installment of the Interfaith Luncheon series, held every Wednesday since May 28. The day’s topic: “Why Believe in God?” Her panel: the Rev. Christian Anderson, vicar of operations at St. Mary’s, and his friends Rabbi Matthew Durbin and Imam Fahad Mirza, which she collectively dubbed the “God Squad.”
After asking the audience if they were familiar with the growing group of Americans who claim no religious affiliation—the so-called “nones”—Weir offered a brief summary of logical arguments for God’s existence, then asked the panelists to weigh in.
The conversation lasted more than an hour, with the latter part of the program reserved for audience questions.
“Anglican Christianity’s heart has always been to engage culture,” said the Rev. Joseph Shepley, rector of St. Mary’s. The luncheon series, he said, “is one way we are seeking to be faithful in our current missional context.” About 175 people attended each week.
After the June 11 event, Weir, Anderson, Durbin, and Mirza spoke with TLC via Zoom, sharing how the initiative began, the kinds of questions they’re hearing, and what the gatherings have meant for their communities.
‘Not Interested in Our Differences’
The series grew out of Anderson and Durbin’s local radio show. After Weir, who has a background in the Classics, suggested the format be tightened up, the group invited an imam to have a full representation of the Abrahamic faiths, and Weir stepped in as moderator.
Their first gathering came two years ago, just days after the October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel. It was hosted at the temple where Durbin serves. In an earlier TLC report, Mirza said he was sweating from nerves and concern. But the dialogue was fruitful and the dynamic has flourished ever since.
“The world is so torn apart in so many respects, and people just get so excited to see these three gentlemen who have tremendous mutual respect and genuine interest in one another’s faith,” Weir said.
Durbin, bespectacled and animated, joked that he used to have a “bromance” with Anderson. “Now it’s with this guy,” he added, gesturing toward Mirza. “We’re not interested in our differences. The differences between all three faiths—there’s a lot. And that’s not the focus. The focus is what binds us together.”
Attendees travel from across the region, including from the mosque in Pembroke Pines, Florida, where Mirza ministers, more than an hour away. Others include atheists, Roman Catholics, and Unitarians.
On May 28, the parish and Anderson’s Instagram accounts posted a reel with the caption: “A priest, a rabbi, and an imam walked into a room and folks asked a lot of questions.” One commenter wrote, “How is this even possible in 2025? This is not the sort of panels you see anymore,” and thanked the organizers.
Mirza said that participants often ask what the three faith communities are doing to address social issues. “My response, and I think everyone else’s response, was that we support those initiatives,” he said. “And if we can’t support those communities ourselves, then we come together as a community and help support those initiatives to have better effects.”
“He’s being very humble,” Anderson interjected. The city of Stuart is the county seat of Martin County, where St. Mary’s and Temple Beit HaYam, Durbin’s congregation, are located. About six in ten county residents identify as Christian.
“They really want to learn about Islam,” Anderson said of the event’s attendees, many of whom are “bowled over by how much commonality there is between Judaism and Islam.”
The priest added that Mirza is the main draw. “This is the guy. Without him, we’d get five people attending,” he said.
Sign of Hope
Willis Moore of the Diocese of Hawaii and a member of the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, said the church has a significant ecumenical legacy. The commission recently instituted its fourth “common ministry” and is working on two more for the 2027 General Convention.
Weir said that, like the three ministers, her passion is bringing the faiths together. “It’s just fun to pose questions to them and let them have their dynamics,” she said. “It’s just a beautiful thing.”
Mirza emphasized that many people don’t often interact deeply outside their religious communities. “You know, your friends are the same denomination as you. Your community or your families or your coworkers are. So having something diverse gives them an example… we are actually, basically serving the same God,” he said.
Anderson recalled that at the group’s first event in 2023, just as war broke out between Israel and Gaza, they acknowledged the conflict but didn’t dive in. They clarified then that the group wasn’t there to get in the trenches—a disposition they maintain to this day.
“We come as a sign of hope,” he added. Despite the challenges of maintaining that spirit amid ongoing global and national strife, Weir and the “God Squad” persist.
“We’re always trying to side on the hope,” Anderson said. “The possibility of heaven on earth.”
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
