Deacon’s Conference 2026: Serving Others – Multifaith Perspectives on Compassion in Action
The EDOLA deacons are excited to invite the community to a special multifaith panel and day of exploration on our shared call to serve!
Clergy and lay of all faith traditions and denominations are invited to attend.
Guest Speakers:
Aaron Bloch, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans
Paige Davis, St. Charles Center for Faith + Action
Rev. Sam Hubbard, Just Love – Greater New Orleans
The day will include the following:
- Presentations & stories
- Discussion
- Networking opportunities
- Free and open to the public
- Includes continental breakfast and lunch
The event is free but registration is requested.
Register HERE.
About our featured presentations:
AARON BLOCH, Jewish Federation of New Orleans
“From the Torah’s call to care for the stranger to the concept of tikkun olam, Jewish teachings offer a clear framework for moving values into action. This session connects those ideas to real-world advocacy, drawing on personal experience in building relationships and organizing around shared priorities. We’ll also look at what it takes to galvanize a community into action around an issue, including how consensus is built through the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the democratic body of the local organized Jewish community.”
Aaron is the Director of Jewish Multicultural & Governmental Affairs for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. A graduate of Binghamton University, 2001, and New York Law School in 2005, Aaron practiced law in New York for seven years before moving to New Orleans to accept a position with the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) as an Education Pioneers Fellow. During his time at OPSB he focused on school accountability, the unification of schools under Act 91, and the formation of a new school at the New Orleans juvenile detention center now known as the Travis Hill School. In 2017, he left OPSB to work on a New Orleans City Council campaign and has since worked on dozens of local campaigns and ballot initiatives as a strategist, manager, digital communications specialist, and field director. He is admitted into the Louisiana Bar.
PAIGE DAVIS, St. Charles Center for Faith + Action
“In a world divided by extremism and growing in isolation, our stories can become bridges. Our stories are ways that we can meet one another in empathy and shared purpose. We all play a sacred role in the work of social justice. Faith in action means taking the love we proclaim inside sacred spaces and turning it outward… into advocacy, into creating equitable spaces for our neighbors, and into the daily work of justice.”
Paige is the Executive Director, St. Charles Center for Faith + Action. She leads initiatives that bring communities together around justice, learning, and meaningful social change. She serves on the board of PFLAG New Orleans, where she has been an active member for three years supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and families.
THE REV. SAM HUBBARD, Just Love – Greater New Orleans
“What does it look like when Christian faith expresses itself through curiosity first? This talk will explore how the work of Just Love – Greater New Orleans begins not with having all the answers, but with asking better questions, listening well, and building relationships that lead to meaningful collaboration.Rooted in a personal journey shaped in part by the experience of curiosity being unwelcome in religious spaces, the presentation considers how faith can become more honest, relational, embodied, and—perhaps most importantly—more curious.”
Sam is a storyteller, pastor, chaplain, and community organizer, and Movement Leader at JUST LOVE – Greater New Orleans. He believes curiosity is one of the most faithful ways to love, especially when people have been hurt, overlooked, or pushed to the margins by traditional religious spaces. Rooted in the Wesleyan tradition and currently serving in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Sam brings a theology shaped by grace, honest questions, and the conviction that love is only real when it shows up in action.
Download Digital Flyer HERE.
Download Printable Flyer HERE.
Download Flyer in Spanish HERE.