The Power of Interfaith Relationships

Last week, our church had two great experiences of building interfaith relationships. On Tuesday, a group attended a Break the Fast Ramadan Dinner at the Arkansas Culture and Dialog Center. Ramadan is the month of fasting where Muslim faithful fast from sun up to sun down. They often break the fast in the evening by dining with friends and family. It was such an honor to be invited to share this special and holy time. We shared a meal, starting with dates and water (the traditional way to break the fast), learned about the meaning and rituals of Ramadan along with the ongoing work of the ACDC. They invited us to share about our holy season of Lent and work of our church as well. It was a powerful experience for everyone to meet new friends and learn new things about one another.

Then at Wednesdays on Center Street, Rev. Patricia Matthews, the Executive Director of the Interfaith Center spoke to a group. She shared about the work on the Interfaith Center and the impact they are making on our community. Their mission is to reduce the fear and prejudice among the people of the world’s religions, and they do that through great programs like the Love Thy Neighbor event each September 11, Friendship Camp for kids of various faith traditions each summer, and the various classes and workshops they offer. They believe that education and relationship building fosters healthier communities and richer expressions of all faith traditions. I was proud that our church has been a partner church with the Interfaith Center for many years.

Both of these events last week kindled in me a strong value for interfaith relationships. At the Break the Fast Ramadan Dinner, I sat next to a young man who is a delivery driver. He shared with me how difficult his work is during the month of Ramadan because he has such little energy during the day. He is grateful for understanding bosses who give him easier routes during this time. Hearing his experience built empathy as I viewed his faith from a different perspective. Patricia shared how difficult the work of the Interfaith Center to keep conversations and work going when there is conflict between faith traditions like the recent Israel/Palestine war. It was beautiful to hear how people with such different views of that war kept working together to find commonality and stay in relationship. In all of this I saw the power of relationships, especially relationships beyond our usual bubbles and world views. In the voices of my new friends at the ACDC and the Interfaith Center, I could hear God’s call to bring healing to a divided society in these ways. We cannot heal from sins like racism and xenophobia unless we make it personal. In these days when we are grasping for signs of hope, I found a great deal last week in our church’s work of building interfaith relationships.

Gratefully,

David