August 1, 2019 (New York, NY) – This year, Sikhs worldwide are commemorating Guru Nanak’s 550th gurpurab. In the United States, sangats are marking this historic anniversary
by building bridges with their neighbors through one-day open houses.
In addition to hosting a gurdwara open house, the Sikh Coalition encourages sangats to lead out on service projects so that neighbors, partners and elected officials can learn the Sikh tenet of seva (selfless service) first-hand. The Sikh Coalition has partnered with three national organizations–
Rise Against Hunger,
Clean the World, and
Feeding America–to make service projects more accessible for interested sangats.
“Coming together to serve those in need is the true embodiment of Guru Nanak’s teachings,” said Community Development Director, Rucha Kaur. “By leading out on a project with one of these national partners, sangats will be able to engage their neighbors in one of Sikhi’s core principles, and give back selflessly to a larger cause.”
If your sangat is interested in this initiative, the first step is to commit to working with the Sikh Coalition in hosting an open house at your gurdwara by September 1, 2019. The nationwide open houses can take place any weekend from October 11, 2019 to November 15, 2019.
Once your sangat has committed to hosting an open house, they can choose between:
The sooner you confirm your open house, the sooner we can begin providing you support to make it as successful as possible. Click here for an easy-to-follow toolkit on how your gurdwara can get started.
This initiative is part of the Sikh Coalition’s grassroots efforts to empower sangat members nationwide to strengthen relationships with their neighbors and raise awareness of the Sikh faith, community and traditions. With more than 500,000 Sikhs in the United States celebrating Guru Nanak’s 550th gurpurab this year, this will be an incredible opportunity to build bridges between communities.
If you have any questions about organizing an open house, hosting a service project or want to learn more about our national partners, please email our team at
community@sikhcoalition.org. We strongly encourage you to organize early so that your event is a success!
As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.
