Peacemaking Efforts

Along my journey of becoming involved with multi-faith dialogue I was asked a question which challenged me and ultimately led me to be doing what I am doing today. The question was asked by David Streight, the president of Council of Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE), at a conference I was attending with other independent school teachers. He asked the question, “What are you doing to be a peacemaker?” I knew I was not doing enough and when I left the conference I began many multi-faith endeavors at Canterbury School and Fort Wayne. As my journey continues it is inspiring to discover people who are involved in the courageous and important work of peacemaking. Here are two links which are worth looking at to become aware of what is happening in our world. What are you doing to be a peacemaker? Please leave a comment so I can be aware of the many other peacemaking efforts which are occurring in our world.

http://traubman.igc.org/vidnigeria.htm 

http://www.carlmedearis.com/blog/2012/02/1051/ 

http://visualpeacemakers.org/index.php?%2Fblog%2Fentry%2Fa_peace_of_my_mind%2F 

https://www.tanenbaum.org/programs/peace/peacemakers-action-nominees-top-ten%20on%20Peacemaking%20Efforts 

http://www.fltfilms.org.uk/imam.html 

http://www.withinbrokenborders.com/Site1/Home.html 

At Complete Peace

After the Haven Interfaith Parent open house I was reminded of the importance of the work that we are doing.  As we reflected on our experience of being a multi-faith group several themes became evident. The first was the safety each member felt to express their beliefs even if their beliefs were different than the rest of the group. Several factors contributed to this feeling of safety. The mission statement and the ground rules helped define the meetings for the members. The understanding between the members, because of the mission statement and the ground rules, was that we were there to learn, understand and be peacemakers. This understanding allowed members to know they were safe to share a different belief.  The group members might have been reluctant to admit it, but the various silly and not-so-silly activities that we do at each meeting helped us realize that even though we have different beliefs  we are all human. Being human means we share many common experiences.  Sharing those experiences with each other also helped us feel safe to share our beliefs at the HIP meetings.

The second theme I heard  was that being in the group made us more comfortable and confident to talk about spiritual and religious topics with people outside the group. Someone said that prior to being in the group she didn’t talk about religious or spiritual topics with someone from another faith for fear of offending them. Being a member of HIP has taught her how to ask questions about someone’s faith.  The group also expressed the confidence that has developed to address inaccuracies about other faiths. This was expressed by Muslims who hear negative comments about Christians and it was expressed by Christians who hear negative comments about Muslims. The group conveyed that being able to talk about spiritual and religious topics with others has deepened and enriched their lives.

And finally there was a simple but profound statement.  A Muslim gentleman said that when he was at HIP meetings he was at complete peace.  HIP is a group where we have discovered we have much in common but we also discuss our differences. What a wonderful testament to the importance of multi-faith work; being at complete peace.

World Interfaith Harmony Week

This week is the second time World Interfaith Harmony Week is being celebrated. http://worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com/ As the website states, "The World Interfaith Harmony Week is based on the pioneering work of The Common Word initiative. This initiative, which started in 2007, called for Muslim and Christian leaders to engage in a dialogue based on two common fundamental religious Commandments; Love of God, and Love of the Neighbour, without nevertheless compromising any of their own religious tenets."  This week is a reminder of the importance of spiritual hospitality, making room for others in our hearts and minds, as we strive to be peacemakers in our communities.  I will be involved in two programs this week as part of World Interfaith Harmony week. One is for Canterbury School parents and the other is open to all who are interested. Hopefully I will see you at either the open house or the movie.

Canterbury School parents are invited to an open house hosted by the Haven Interfaith Parents (HIP) to learn about the multi-faith efforts occurring at Canterbury School. The open house will be Tuesday, February 7th from 7-9 pm in the Haven (located in the Middle School). The questions which will be discussed are on the HIP page.

A Seed of Common Ground (an interfaith group in Fort Wayne) is sponsoring the movie "Cities of Light" with a discussion to follow. The movie and discussion will be Wednesday, February 8th from 7-9 pm at Allen County Public Library, Meeting room C (Main floor, southeast end, close to Dunkin' Donuts.

A Multi-faith Event: "How Good Must I Be? The Consequences of My Choices."

The speakers have been finalized for the upcoming Multi-faith Event: "How Good Must I Be? The Consequences of My Choices."  The event will be held at Canterbury Middle School, Fort Wayne, Indiana on Wednesday, April 11th from 7:00-8:30 pm.  The speakers and I will be meeting in the near future to determine the questions which will discussed at the event. Those questions will be posted once they are finalized.

The mission of the Haven Interfaith Parents states: The Haven Interfaith Parents support the mission of Canterbury School and encourage an understanding and appreciation of all beliefs and faiths, with the goal of promoting peace in our community. The speakers at this event will be excellent ambassadors of their faiths and will allow us to learn about other faiths in our community.

The support and encouragement which I have received from Canterbury School and the Fort Wayne community  for the previous events has been amazing and appreciated. This too will be another great event. I hope to see you there.

The speakers are:
William Smits, MD, The Asthma and Allergy Center - Baha'i
Kent Eilers, PhD. Assistant Professor of Theology, Huntington University - Evangelical Christian
Preeti Dembla MD, Internal Medicine - Hindu
Mohammed Saad Ghazali, MD, Pediatric Cardiology Associates, P.C. - Islam
Rabbi Javier E. Cattapan, Congregation Achduth Vesholom - Judaism