Serving Humanity: Shared Values in Faith and Community Care

A five-week course exploring the shared values of service, compassion, and mercy across Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Students examine how these traditions call people of faith to care for the vulnerable, and gain practical tools for serving communities of every background in hospitals, schools, prisons, and shelters. Designed for chaplains, counselors, educators, and community leaders committed to compassionate, cross-faith service. Culminates in a Community Care Plan project and a Certificate in Faith-Based Community Care and Chaplaincy.

  • Dates

    August 2, 2026
    to
    August 30, 2026

  • Meets

    Sundays
    10:00am —12 :00pm

  • Location

    Al-Misbaah
    2020 Hurley Way
    Sacramento, CA 95825

  • Format

    In person

Meet Your Instructors

Dr. Sherif Ahmed

Founder & Director, SIRAT
Dr. Sherif Ahmed is an imam, scholar, chaplain, and educator, and the founder and lead scholar of the Seminary for Insight, Research, and Transformation (SIRAT). He holds a doctorate from Colorado Technical University and an MA in Islamic Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary.

Dr. Shaykh Furhan Zubairi

Dean, Institute of Knowledge
Shaykh Furhan Zubairi earned an 'Alamiyyah degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies at Jami'ah Dar al-'Ulum in Karachi and holds ijazat in the canonical books of hadith. He serves as Dean of the Seminary and Extension Programs at the Institute of Knowledge in Diamond Bar, California.

Rabbi Seth Castleman

Founding Director, Exodus Project
Rabbi Seth Castleman is a writer, teacher, and chaplain with over thirty years in spiritual care and social service. He has worked in hospitals, prisons, and disaster zones and is Founding Director of Exodus Project, a re-entry organization serving Sacramento and Solano Counties.

Pastor Rob Benardo

Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Pastor Rob serves with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a tradition known worldwide for its network of hospitals and its commitment to community service. Locally, his congregation has helped more than seventy refugee families resettle in the Sacramento area.

Shaykh Yasir Khan

Founder & CEO, Al-Misbaah
Shaykh Yasir Khan, a Sacramento native, completed his Qur'an memorization in 2008 and earned ijazah at Darul Uloom Zakariyya in South Africa. He founded the nonprofit Al-Misbaah in 2015 and is the first Muslim chaplain appointed to the California State Legislature.

Course Curriculum

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