The Friends of Mimosa Hall & Gardens is hosting an Interfaith Panel Discussion

on May 24th at 6 pm at Mimosa Hall

In these days of hyper-stress, social unrest, and political upheaval we at the Friends of Mimosa are inviting the community to come together to learn more about the different faith traditions and to create a place of mutual respect, tolerance, compassion, and understanding.

This will be a Hybrid event with a small live audience at Mimosa Hall and a Virtual gathering via Zoom.

The event is FREE, but registration is required to be included in the live audience at Mimosa Hall. We will limit the tickets to four per household to engage as many participants as possible.

In order to maintain a safe and secure environment for all guests, we will be considerate of CDC Guidelines, therefore all Guests will be required to wear masks while inside the Hall.

We are excited about our Panelists as they represent the two of the three Predominant Abrahamic faith traditions, Judaism and Christianity as well as the Unitarian Universalist. The purpose of the session is to have an open discussion led by Ministers from these traditions. We expect that we will focus on our common humanity and our shared beliefs and respectfully discuss our differences and the challenges we all face as we live, thrive, and coexist in the now. Ultimately, we hope that all will leave the space with a better understanding of our neighbors and maybe discover ways in which we can truly build the Beloved Community.

The Panelist:

Rabbi Lauren Henderson originally hails from Spartanburg, SC, and is thrilled to be returning to her southern roots as the rabbi of Or Hadash. She earned her BA from Rice University in 2009 in Religious Studies and History and studied at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem and the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles before transferring to the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. She was ordained from JTS in 2016 with an MA in Midrash and a Certificate in Pastoral Care. Rabbi Lauren was part of the Jewish Emergent Network Rabbinic Fellowship at Mishkan Chicago from 2016-2018, and then served as Mishkan’s Associate Rabbi and Director of Family Learning and Spirituality from 2018-2020.

Pastor Lee Allen Jenkins, a native Atlantean, is the Founder and Senior Pastor of Eagles Nest Church located in Alpharetta, Georgia. As a nationally recognized businessman, best-selling author, speaker, and financial expert, the Lord has been preparing Lee for this pastoral assignment his entire life. He attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he served as President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), which, under his leadership, grew prodigiously; becoming the largest ministry on campus and helping hundreds of students come to know the Lord.

After graduating from Tennessee, Lee was drafted by the New York Giants of the National Football League as a defensive back. When his football career was cut short by injuries, this led Lee into the financial services industry, where he had a stellar 25-year career and reached the level of Vice President of Investments at two major Wall Street firms. Lastly, Lee – affectionately known as “Pastor Lee” – has been happily married to the love of his life, Martica, for over thirty-three years (33). They have three grown children: a daughter, Kristin, and two sons, Martin and Ryan.

Minister Dave Dunn, of Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North, a graduate of the Meadville-Lombard Theological School and served as an Intern Minister at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh from 2014-2016. He has an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University and an MS in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dunn identifies as a religious humanist – and this religious humanism is also informed by Taoist, Buddhist, and Postmodern theologies and ideas. He is agnostic about God. As a neighbor and Minister, he seeks to maximize human flourishing and human community while being a responsible steward of the earth. As a pragmatist and as a minister, he encourages congregants to follow and deepen whatever theology resonates with them. He sees a part of my role in this regard is to provide questions, not answers. Hopefully, these questions will help deepen the varied theologies held by those he is called to serve. Minister Lee and his wife Tammy have been married for over 30 years and have 4 adult children, one daughter that lives here in Atlanta and three sons residing in the Washington DC area.

Background on the Friends of Mimosa Hall & Gardens, at Mimosa we are creating a different experience for visitors. Rather than celebrating the Antebellum culture of 180 years ago, we have established Mimosa Hall as a gathering place for diverse communities to come together to grow and thrive. Our activities and programming all point to our Mission: to champion the sustainable preservation of Mimosa Hall and Gardens, where history and culture engage and uplift the community.

We accomplish this mission by focusing on the Three Pillars:

• The Arts, Culture, and History

• Conservation/Sustainability

• Building the beloved Community

This Panel Discussion is one of many programs that we are hosting, and we hope that you’ll join us on this journey of discovery and belonging.