Thursday, March 25, 2010

Program Spotlight

Program Spotlight: Gateway to Diverse Faiths
By Andrea Brooks, Interfaith Center Social Work Intern

Beginning in January, the Interfaith Center launched a rich new adult learning program – Gateway to Religious Communities.

Three memorable events have been held thus far and twenty-three people have registered and that number is growing! 

Participants have visited The First Presbyterian Church, Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir, and the Lenape Nation.

It is been personally fulfilling to watch participants truly savor the services of different faith communities, ask insightful questions, and form bonds with members of the different congregations.  I am thankful for the opportunity to coordinate these events and help individuals make these meaningful connections.

Upcoming visits include the The Baha’i Community of Radnor Township, and Mosque of M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen.  The next six visits will be released in April. Register online for the Gateway to Religious Communities program.

» Read the full story

Program Spotlight: Living Dr. King’s Dream
By Ari Hendin, Interfaith Center Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Intern

The Muslim teenager quietly but clearly repeated after the Imam in Arabic, “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”.  Tears of joy flowed as one of the women sounded the traditional ululation in celebration.  The young woman chose to have the visiting teens serve as witnesses for this Muslim rite of Shahadah, the public declaration of faith that is one of the Five Pillars of the Islamic faith. 

Witnessing this ceremony is just one of the many unexpected moments of learning and creating connections that happen in the Walking the Walk program of the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, which combines interfaith youth dialogue with community service and learning.

On Monday, January 18th 85 Walking the Walk teenagers from 23 different congregations honored Dr. King in five neighborhoods across the greater Philadelphia region.  The event was featured in Philadelphia Inquirer article.

» Read the full story

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The generosity of our supporters enables the Interfaith Center to advance mutual trust, understanding and cooperation among faith communities in order to work together for the common good of the region. The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia is a 501(c)3 organization and all contributions are tax deductible, subject to I.R.S. limitations.